Why YSK: Because you deserve to have peace of mind. Your privacy can mean your safety. I found out about this today, and in this comment I mentioned it and said I would make something more detailed.
I bet you heard that Google tracks you, as have I. But it’s insanely daunting to see every movement, app and thing you have interacted with on your device for the last 8 years just laid out in front of you neatly. When you add your google account on your phone(or any device), it tracks this, with a timestamp, including:
-any app you used(including Contacts, Calendar, Phone, and when you pressed your home screen button-it is regarded as Samsung UI Home etc.)
-apps you viewed on google play
-map area on maps(you don’t even have to search a specific place in order for it to get logged)
-if you called a place from maps(if you press the call button from maps to call a place and make a reservation, for example)
-images you saw and searched for on your browser
-location, video and voice notes and more
It is mentioned that if you log in on another device, it can keep track of this on that device as well.
#What can you do?
The first thing you can do is turn it off. Log on your google account, press the icon on the top right, then press on “Manage your Google Account”. On the left side you will see a panel, choose “Data and privacy”, and scroll on the center of the screen to see History settings, and press on My activity. You can choose to turn it off if you want. Make sure to stroll around to manage your advertisement settings, location settings, subscriptions and so on.
I also recommend switch to Proton Mail if you can.
#How I found out?
Recently, as you probably know, Youtube decided to be foolish(yes, more than usual) and force its users to either consume ads or buy Premium, blocking you after three viewed videos if you use any form of ad block. I said ew, no. Let’s use yt clients that don’t scrape your data and allow you to have privacy and no ads, it’s about time I jump ship.
I didn’t want to have to manage every subscription and videos in playlists manually(it would take days). I wanted something for my desktop, and I stumbled upon FreeTube. They have a guide that tells you how to export subscriptions and videos, the whole thing.
Following the instructions, I inevitably stumbled upon my managed data. It’s a weird feeling seeing all that was. I vaguely remember how I felt in those years, but I never thought I would see what I was doing or what app I was using then. Inevitably we forget some trivial things in our lives, but this is what gets to be remembered, and this is the proof that we existed. It’s strange.
Ending note: I assume most people here probably already know this, but I just wanted to pass this along for awareness purposes. I knew that I wanted to have random stats at the end of my life to like, review and read, but not like this.
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I discovered google had recorded all the hashtags I had visited on mastodon. I thought I had turned off this recording, but there were additional categories which I think they have added since the last time I was there.
Of course the UK government and ISP record everything too, by URL, so that includes hashtags, even this post has a unique URL.
This is why I stay safe in my blanket fort at home.
If there are no iron strings in your blanket, then Google is also tracking your fort
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While this helps… If you have any Google software, it tends to call home anyway by using hardcoded IPs into their apps. Samsung does likewise. The solution being, not only a DNS server, but also a serious firewall in the router. And, even better, a ROM you can trust, such as LineageOS.
Turning off your history in Google is about as useful as using the incognito mode in Chrome. It just hides it from you, but you can be sure Google is keeping their own copy. Don’t use Chrome, gmail, Google docs… Use custom ungoogled roms (GrapheneOS, LineageOS). Switch to Linux, use privacy friendly dns, or even your own… The path to privacy is a long and arduous constant fight, full of inconveniences.
The path to privacy is a long and arduous constant fight, full of inconveniences.
You got that right! Especially when rooting your phone is the best option. I never did figure it out, that shit is hard!
I don’t root my phone these days anymore. It makes a whole host of other issues with banking applications and the like, plus a nasty app might take advantage of the elevation as well. Either a full rom, or going the path of adb disabling system apps. Not pretty. Using GrapheneOS these days.
I don’t find magisk hard at all. Where did u get stuck?
I couldn’t unlock my bootloader on my oneplus 9 pro. I also tend to need DETAILED instructions for things, so there is a chance I missed a step and didn’t realize it. I also didn’t know that there’s a difference between rooting and running a different OS…I thought they were the same thing.
I also didn’t know that there’s a difference between rooting and running a different OS…I thought they were the same thing.
Root gives you and allowed programs special access and “abilities”, but it doesn’t change the whole OS. Why you even need root though? Tbh I was just lazy figuring out how to install microg so I root to do so. And enjoying sold QOL and a different webview in the process.
Usually the bootloader is unlocked via adb, but some phones, like ones from xiaomi, needs another step or two. I bet there are details videos on YouTube.
I was trying to degoogle and permanently remove the google shit, and at the time this model had just come out and there wasn’t much about it. I may try again on this phone when it starts to go.
I don’t root my phone these days anymore. It makes a whole host of other issues with banking applications and the like, plus a nasty app might take advantage of the elevation as well. Either a full rom, or going the path of adb disabling system apps. Not pretty. Using GrapheneOS these days.
Good point! Yeah I couldn’t even unlock my bootloader on my Oneplus 😭 so i disable what apps I can these days
I turned off my activity history, and I’ve noticed a needlessly degraded experience on some Google apps, like in Maps where it no longer labels your home location as “Home”, but it’s a saved location anyway.
Dumb question but what are your thoughts on just using iOS
It’s closed source, so how can you really know what Apple are or are not doing? I don’t know if publicly available external audits are done on Apples software, but I doubt it.
A very fair point. I am stuck on iOS for work but for personal use lineageOS with MicroG
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My moment of realization was when gdpr was introduced and I pulled all data Facebook had on me. Found call logs, every picture I had, sms conversations etc from my Sony Ericsson phone and all of my android phones. They scraped everything of every phone I ever owned and used Facebook on. Some sms conversations were from when I was 10 years old. Very strange feeling and that made me delete Facebook and over time move away from big tech in general.
How cN I get a copy to see ally data? While it certainly is creepy, I want to just see everything I have forgotten. So many things I’ve looked up and can’t remember when I went to find it again I couldn’t remember but I couldn’t just ask my computer. I consigned myself to knowing they were probably doing this when I bought a Pixel 2 so long ago.
Sweet! Man-made horrors beyond my comprehension!
For even more counter-measures, going to plug privacyguides.org, as well as the lemmy community (and instance) that is run by the owner of the site, [email protected]
I am a gmail user so I’m not in a position to preach, but I am glad that I’m not using an entire phone made by an ad company.
Question, where did you find a phone that isn’t run by an ad company?
It’s obvious from this that you consider Apple an ad company, and if you think that then I know already I won’t be able to convince you with reason. Apple Search Ads does exist, and monetizes promotion of apps. I suppose this makes them “an ad company?” Suffice to say I disagree. Google makes phones too but I’d hardly call them “a phone company.” Apple’s business is in selling hardware/software devices. And while their privacy record isn’t perfect, they’ve figured out that they have more to gain than lose by restricting tracking and foregrounding user privacy. If you don’t think Apple are strict about this, then I guess you haven’t bought any ads in the last 2 years. I have. I develop apps for Android and iOS and iOS has definitely gotten tighter since 14.5. You can get away with much more tracking, as an advertiser, on Android.
If you don’t want to change anything major in your phone or go into the technical stuff, iPhone is better, but the best phone privacy-wise is a Pixel with custom (privacy oriented) ROM installed, since Pixels have the best security features among Android.
I’m curious what makes pixels inherently better at privacy than other Android phones once you replace the ROM?
GrapheneOS has strict sandboxing for all apps. App A cannot talk to App B unless given explicit user permission. Google Play services is not installed by default, and if you do install it, it’s subject to the same sandbox. This basically addresses all userspace tracking concerns, unless you actively choose to weaken those defaults.
So, the solution to not give Google your precious privacy data through their software is to give Google your precious money to buy their hardware?
If you are buying a smartphone why not buy the most secure one?
I wish Apple was transparent enough to have a real comparison of their privacy.
Personal guess, Apple is generating just as much personal data, just using it less offensively than Google. That’s not good but it’s betterish, I guess.
Main things I’m stuck using Google for at the moment are Gmail and Maps. Gmail, because my address I’ve had over there since Gmail was invite only. Maps, because they are one of the only decent sources for restraunt reviews these days (why did Zomato have to kill UrbanSpoon :( )
eh, i realized a long time ago than the only privacy that exists is between your ears.
it’s possible to have privacy with technology, you need to use alternatives
Yeah it’s just hard sometimes. I try to strike a good balance between privacy and not making my life waaaay harder.
people who care about privacy are trying hard to make it easier. Hopefully in the future privacy will be the easiest option
Do you really think Google will stop storing those juicy records of you if you click a switch?
Or if you are able to degoogling Is possible
I honestly don’t care. It’s all analytical metadata and they just serve ads. For the vast majority of users privacy has nothing to do with safety.
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Cambridge analytica manipulating facebook users via ads, influencing elections
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By saying you don’t care about your privacy, you’re willingly ignoring any downsides. You’re saying that you, or a close one, will never do anything your government might disagree with, even in the future. Governments change, people can be in charge you never thought should be, and some people might not like what you do, whatever that could be. (I’m having a hard time explaining this one, words don’t come easily rn, see edward snowden “Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide, is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.”)
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By contributing your data, you’re helping other, less “fun” countries discriminate against people. It’s really easy to guess using algorithms if someone is gay, had premarital sex, etc. And some people don’t like some others based on that, and would rather they were dead.
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I’d hate to be that paranoid tbh
Wait until he finds out about Google Maps Timeline.
Can u remind.me what were waiting on
Wait until he finds out about Google Maps Timeline.
I don’t think I could live without timelines. Makes tracking hours and miles a million times easier when invoicing people.
I don’t think I could live without timelines. Makes tracking hours and miles a million times easier when invoicing people.
Wait until he finds out about Google Maps Timeline.
Wait until he finds out about Google Maps Timeline.
I want to know if the proton unlimited subscription is worth it?
I changed over to it and I am very happy with Proton. The only thing I don’t use is the new password keeper.
thank you! its all pretty confusing, I’m thinking about open source as well, AnonAddy and simplelogin seem great and being open, I would be more than welcome to donate in the near future if I come to like their work. I just find different tools for email/passwords/vpn, mildly irritating
