Sorry to post my shitty neofetch to this community
Google “Only spy the web” is highly inaccurate…they are everywhere. In every website, in your android phone, in your YouTube, in your Google drive, in your email, in your Google maps…
Anyways… I will calm down now. :)
In your car, your TV, your network, your dns…
Everywhere.
They are even part of paying for the massive underwater cables between continents that all internet traffic runs through.
They took everything over.
It’s the most extensive surveillance network in the world.
Literally 1984.
Except that instead of an authoritarian government using it to totally control the learned populace, they are showing you ads.
We’ve still got a way to go before 1984. If it did happen, you wouldn’t be able to discuss it.
To be fair, Google does release data to governments so I guess it’s both.
We’ve always been at war with Eastasia.
Used to be a joke, now its a journey.
Dystopia has taken over.
It’s cute, people think their android os isn’t collecting an embarrassing amount of data. Even if you turn everything off but cellular, it still phones home with cellular tower triangulation, app usage, call history, general web activity, weather the phone thinks your walking driving or riding a Bike, device diagnostics, etc.
Yes but we do what we can.
Same, I wish there was a better options. I’m on android right now but when it comes time to upgrade I always try to choose the lesser evil and it’s hard.
demand compensation we should be paid for it
I wish there was a paid google of no spying… I mean what does google one get me, but the ability for google to spy on more or my data?
They’re really good at providing value for your data, I feel the same way about YouTube premium. I do it to better support creators and remove ads but they probably have one of the most detailed profiles on me.
They’re really good at providing value for your data
Perhaps you perceive that to be, which is totally fine, but how do you actually know that? We have no clue what that value truly is to them since they won’t share with us. If you are happy with what the googs get you, great (no sarcasm).
Myself, I fail to see the value being returned.
To each it’s own, I’m trying to move away from Google too. I still think it’s a better return than you would ever get from Facebook, Microsoft, or Amazon. There’s something to be said about most people being completely happy with using Gmail, YouTube, chrome, or search with minimal complaints. For a while we even got “free” unlimited storage for photos.
Everyone thinks about the spying as relating to themselves, the individual.
Google doesn’t give a shit about you. Google gives a shit about us. Collectively. They can monitor the collective soul of the world. When people are busy, when they’re not paying attention, when they’re mad, who, and for how long; how they react to certain subjects…how to get them to listen about certain subjects, how to bring them around to certain subjects, how to keep them disagreeing with other viewpoints, etc.
They’re literally developed “a remote control for the flock” and everyone’s out here like “why do I care if Google see my save games I have 500 hours in CoD so wut”
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For me, it is useful. At the very least, such a blatant display of tracking information means people will know about it and disable it if necessary.
It should be an opt in feature, but it has helped me a couple times. I got beat up pretty bad after leaving a bar and couldn’t remember anything about the night, was able to retrace my steps from the google stuff.
It is opt in. someone didn’t read.
Oh that’s spooky. What phone do you have? I was almost gonna say that it’s likely a pixel thing, but I have one too, so idk why they would brag with your data.
Its baked into Google Maps.
Huh, interesting. Thanks for sharing.
in your android phone
And if you try to revoke their spying access on a rooted stock device, they force a reboot ☹️
Hence GrapheneOS sandboxing the Play Store. It is ironic that Google is the only phone manufacturer that allows for installing a different OS. But I suppose the fact that GrapheneOS has pushed security updates that have made it into stock Android and the fact that most users won’t bother installing an alternative OS on their pixel phones is why they allow such shenanigans.
I use rooted LineageOS on my 4a 5G, though I do still have GApps on it. Next phone I buy I’m thinking I’ll give GrapheneOS a try. Leaving behind my rooted system level adblocking would be difficult for me though.
In regards to ad blocking. My solution isn’t as all encompassing as that, but for general web browsing, I use the Mull browser as you can install some addons like ublock and noscript. I’ll admit though if you’re looking to install advertisement heavy Play Store Apps though, I’d say maybe look into using a PiHole to adblock your home network?
I mostly just use my phone for/at work. I already have a server that could operate as a pihole at home, but my PC already blocks everything under the sun, so it’s not really needed.
I get most of my stuff off f-droid unless I don’t have any other choice, and use firefox with ublock+noscript on my phone as-is. But it is nice to not have to worry about getting ads in anything else when I do install an odd game or something, though.
What works for me is a pi-hole at home, a wireguard service on my (dd-wrt) router with the pi-hole functioning as dns server and my phone using wireguard as an always-on vpn.
All traffic on my phone is now routed through the pi-hole at home, which filters out all tracking, wherever I am.
Can users who use Google Fi switch too? Will call screening still work?
I don’t use Google Fi, but a quick search shows that many have gotten it to work with Graphene OS just fine. You can still install Fi from the Play Store, and it appears all works as intended as long as you grant it Network Permissions.
I’d do research on it though if you’re truly interested. They have a link to their Matrix chat on their website where you can field general questions.
It would be fun if some government required companies that off free services to disclose how they make money and allow each user to see their particular value. This might help open some eyes…
I use alternative for all google services.
YouTube - piped.video
Google drive - Mega Drive or Anonfile
G-Mail - Proton
Google Map - OSM (Open Street Map)
I think you meant:
Google maps - OSM
and
Google Search Engine - almost a thing else (duckduckgo)
Yea, But my search engine is ecosia.org
Ecosia is cool. Should probably also switch to it…
started uploading pics to maps as a ‘guide’ back in 2000s. G has sent me a few trinkets over the years(coveted lego phone stand). a level 8 guide, w/e that means. millions of pic views. what do I care. it’s a hobby. Moved a home phone line to Voice. Get email transcript of any voice mails. set it to do not disturb. phone never rings. voicemail or nothing. I use them for free. They use me. Or think they do
Google spy through android as well
And chromeos
Mmm, chromeos 🤤
I use lineageOS because of this
I’ll be switching to Lineage soon…
Google forced my manufacturer (Fairphone) to effectively ‘disable’ the fingerprint scanner from android 13 onwards for the FP3. Our Lineage fork reverted that Google mandated change thankfully
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Me too I use Lineage for microg and I haven’t had any compatibility issues
Degoogled my Tab.
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“Lol nobody can spy me, I put tape on the camera”. Quote from my mother…
I wish my only privacy concern was stolen nudes. Ignorance can be bliss.
Well… at least she won’t be deepfaked. So there’s that.
I hope she actually said lol.
reminder to use firefox with privacy extensions
But can it group tabs on Android?
Afaik yes. I don’t use that feature tho.
I have started to hate Brave with how much of their BS that they have added in the browser. Things like VPN, Rewards , Wallet, News and more. Heck, Chrome now seems better to me bcoz of all these
features(bloat) they have managed to add. Same with Edge.Brave solves one set of problems… And replaces them with an entirely different set of problems. I’ll stick with Firefox.
Firefox is not safer. It’s just a different browser for people who don’t like to say ‘chrome’ in their mouths . It’s not really any different in the safety. It’s like how people think private browsing is private but it’s not. It’s just a comfort label.
Do you KNOW anything about online privacy?
Not using Chrome is a great first step since your browsing data isn’t directly fed to Gogle. Not using Gogle as your search engine is just the next step. Just by doing this you have mostly ridden G*ogle of the ability to know what you’ve been searching, but they can still get around.
This is where using stuff like Firefox and Brave is important. Because these browsers come with built-in protection against trackers. But that’s not just it. You want MORE. Next up is installing uBlock Origin. Set it up properly and congratulations you just became essentially invisible on the web. If that isn’t enough then you’re welcome to use TOR or a VPN to completely demolish all good attempts at tracking and spying. In fact, TOR alone would be enough for most users.
You fuckers always act like having privacy online is impossible or something when it’s really not. All it comes down to is user tech literacy and knowing what do to. I don’t want a browser that straight up listens on the mic to everything I say. NOBODY who knows shit thinks that “private browsing” is safe. NOBODY. That’s why using Firefox is just one step and not all of them.
That’s a fairly simplified look at the whole picture though. Fingerprinting is a whole other beast, and Brave and Firefox and associated forks have varying and incomplete protections. For instance, only the Firefox-forked browser called Mull seems to effectively randomize data for canvas fingerprinting, whereas Firefox and Brave don’t have protections against it at all. Saying you’re essentially invisible on the Internet following your steps is pretty inaccurate. There’s way too much money in this shit; web services are fingerprinting on everything they can.
I was talking about PC, it’s just cherrypicking to assume anyone who mentions Firefox as a private browser doesn’t refer to hardened Firefox. And for the record, I use Mull. Like I said, you just need to know your shit.
You fuckers always act like having privacy online is impossible or something when it’s really not. All it comes down to is user tech literacy and knowing what do to.
And you elitist fuckers love to shame others when it should be made easier for users. Shame on you.
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How many years has it been since chrome had a “bug” that had it activate some “antivirus” project that was scanning files on the entire machine even when it wasn’t running?
Both Android and ChromeOS are Linux, and Google’s spying there…
We should all be thankful that ChromeOS is flaming hot garbage that no one should be using on UX alone.
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Why are they using it rather than windows?
CHEAP hardware
CHEAP e-waste
My nephew’s school has been using the same Chromebooks for at least the four years he’s been there.
How long do you expect them to last?
They’ll last until either: the school stops using gsuite or some other company comes up with something even trendier to market that is cheap enough to justify a grant.
Probably because Google encourages OEMs to keep the hardware dirt cheap so that they can expose as many kids as possible to G Suite in hopes that eventually they can overthrow Microsoft Office.
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This is one of the reasons why I think something like “Freedesktop Platform” is a more appropriate term than “Linux”.
Do we really need to bring back “GNU/Linux” for the pedants?
It’s funny how Linux is only Linux if it benefits Linux nerds but the moment someone points out that Android, Chrome, Steam Deck, anything with telemetry and Linux has telemetry all of a sudden it’s not “really Linux” anymore.
It really is Schrodinger’s OS.
It’s the first time I hear that Steam OS isn’t Linux. Why wouldn’t it be considered as such?
@CapraObscura @sin_free_for_00_days
I think steam deck is usually considered linux.
Benefits to proton after all make it out to linux. ChromeOS and Android are more debatable, although Google does submit a lot of code upstream to the kernel.
Nah, it’s just easier to refer to GNU/Linux as Linux. None of the GNU stuff is in Android, so it really is -just- Linux. Steam Deck is a fair point, they modified some distro a lot and made it their own (like Microsoft modifying chromium to make the edge browser). But yeah, Linux nerds be like that.
ChromeOS is GNU/Linux
Your logical inference is wrong.
Stalking. Spying sounds like a kids game or movie. This isn’t observing. This isn’t passive. It is actively exploiting. It is predatory, targeted, manipulative, with intent. It is stalking.
You’re right and I’m making the switch to using this word while bitching about their stalking.
Linux*
*Except Ubuntu
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Idk that they are overtly spying, but they have telemetry reporting turned on by default now, and you have to manually turn it off. There has been concern in the community over what they’re doing with that data.
Oh honey
Apple fanboys will lose their shit if they see this meme. I sometimes dont understand these fanboys like apple doesn’t pay them nor does they credit these idiots for word of mouth free marketing instead these idiots pay top $ to buy their product and act like them invented it. Stupid mofos!!
Well it’s more the fact that they have payed top $ so it can’t be a flawed product. That’s most likely why some apple users react in that fashion.
The new Mac Pro would like a word with you LOL
That’s so true. You make a good point.
If you’re forced to use Windows for some things, use Windows 10 LTSC. If you can’t buy it (because Microsoft refuses to let consumers buy a non-spyware version of their OS) then sail the high seas for it. It takes the telemetry out and you’ll have full control over the OS, can more easily remove Edge and can set your group policy and other stuff to completely block telemetry to your taste.
https://ameliorated.io/ is also a handy project for those that don’t want to tinker around with group policies and other tooling. I have been using AtlasOS on my gaming machine for a few months now and the experience and performance has been splendid.
At that point just use Linux. When it takes you more time to un-fuck an OS than install it from scratch, it’s time to find a new OS.
Not an option for me unfortunately. I do simracing and the support for simracing hardware, software and the games is abysmal unfortunately.
I do use Linux on my laptop tho!
In exactly the same boat as you, except I just use driving sims in general like ETS2, assetto corsa etc.
Linux laptop gang 🤝
Mostly iRacing, ACC and AMS2 here. But I couldn’t live without my crewchief, overlays and software for my hardware lol.
It just fits so well on laptops. Less power consumption, less overhead and the ability to disable useless “smart” behavior. It’s great.
As a linux user, there are valid reasons one may wish to use Windows and some people just prefer it
Microsoft: Gets slapped with antitrust lawsuits for including Internet Exploder with Windows.
Microsoft: Hold my beer.
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Do 3rd-party stores work on iOS?
F-Droid works quite well on my Google Pixel
In iOS 15 we should see side loading of apps from 3rd party stores. I think this was the result of an EU ruling? Hopefully someone else can confirm.
You mean iOS 17?
Ah! Thanks. Yes I got my upcoming numbers muddled. it’s the iPhone 15 and iOS 17. My bad.
Sort of, but you have to either mess with self-signing and reinstalling weekly, or trusting a 3rd party with mobile device management. Not great options.
Ah so not really natively then.
F-droid is (of course) not available in the Play Store, but it’s trivial to download and install it from their website after allowing your browser permission to initiate app installs.
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Google: Laughing in Android.
Google: Laughing in Chrome, scanning your entire file system
Google: Laughing in bloody web DRM
The amount of telemetry that comes with GMS is insane.
linux is not inherently immune ya’ll
Y’all* :)
Pretty sure Google also spies through the OS.
It depends of the OS. The vast majority of Android devices " yes". But there are few exceptions like GrapheneOS for example, where Google code was almost completely purged from the system except from the firmware level (unfortunately), for basic reasons.
All you can really do is make the spying as difficult as possible. That’s really all we can do 🤷🏿♂️🤷🏿♂️
True. And unfortunately certain privacy measures can make it easier to digitally fingerprint you as a user. Also my mind is still blown since I learned about canvas fingerprinting. EFF.org describes it as follows:
Canvas fingerprinting is invisible to the user. A tracker can create a “canvas” in your browser, and generate a complicated collage of shapes, colors, and text using JavaScript. Then, with the resulting collage, the tracker extracts data about exactly how each pixel on the canvas is rendered. Many variables will affect the final result. These include your operating system, graphics card, firmware version, graphics driver version, and installed fonts.
These settings are different from one computer to the next. But they tend to be consistent enough on a single machine to clearly identify a user.
the reason they put so many cameras on phones is not for selfies
I always love that scene in Batman where he’s hacked everyone’s phone to see all their cameras.
It looks like everyone in the world is standing around everywhere pointing their phone cameras in the most convenient directions to give a great view of streets, rooms and hallways everywhere.
In real life, if you tuned into people’s cameras right now, fifty percent would be the inside of pockets, purses or clothing. A quarter would be pointed at blank walls, ceilings, floors or the sky. And the rest would be terribly close close-ups of people faces or the shower/bathroom/sink.
If I remember correctly, it wasn’t the cameras, it was the microphones. It was able to recreate 3d scenes with some kind of sonar algorithm (probably by combining the microphones from multiple people in the same room?) (I actually really liked Batman using sonar). 3d images from microphones still sounds farfetched but, may actually be possible soon
It’s for food and cats photos too
Guess it’s a good thing my case has a slider that blocks the camera. They can tell where but not what. Though with mic they can probably tell what most of the time too for me, yay for spying on me watching cartoons and playing video games. Now that I typed it I realized how little had changed in 30 years, thankfully there’s new of both to enjoy.
