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Title: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 12, 2020, 06:47:50 AM Quote "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." - Edward Snowden Hello fellow Internet Users, This covid 19 pandemic really has made me think about my privacy on the internet. I really think that we are all taking the internet too lightly, not knowing where, when and what kind of trace/footsteps we leave behind and what its worth for Google. Google, yes that big G. Most of us use it, well because it works and its free... Here comes the big BUT. Free in $ terms, but we are paying so much more with all of our data. Myself included, I use(slowly moving) Gmail, Google Search, Google Translate, Google Photos, Google Maps just to name a few. Now just looking at this, Google knows so much about me. Starting from my Search History, where I been, pictures of other people I know... Im not just putting my privacy on a Platter, I'm putting family and friends privacy there too... Yes, Google makes our lifes easier and yes the alternatives will be different. They will probably not be as good as the Google Product, so it might be useful to start slow. You don't have to replace all of them, if you for example stop using Google Mail, thats one info less they have... So let me give you fellow users some tips to #degoogle
The When Well how important is your privacy? your familes and friends privacy? I for myself had that thought after talking to a couple of friends and immediately started. The time is NOW Let me just point out some highlights how Google is taking your privacy for granted. Recaptcha ring a bell? To you it seems you're clicking on pictures of cars, signs, crosswalks to prove to Google that you are not a robot. In part its true, but one of the main reasons is its helping Google's AI learn, be even smarter. With just your simple clicks they track mouse movements, response time and the worst of all ping your captcha box to determine your location. Official Quote from the Google Blog: Quote we developed an Advanced Risk Analysis backend for reCAPTCHA that actively considers a user's entire engagement with the CAPTCHA--before, during, and after--to determine whether that user is a human. This enables us to rely less on typing distorted text and, in turn, offer a better experience for users. The Why
Take a few minutes, think about what Service you're using and what Data you are leaving behind... Its pretty scary when you think about it. You wouldn't act this way in public, you wouldn't tell/show those things to strangers. Just take a look of all the data Google has saved on you: Spoiler: Deleting Mail in your gmail? You will notice they will still be there.
The How First of all, yes Google makes our lifes easier. Getting rid of Google, most likely near impossible... BUT there are steps to slowly #degoogle. You arent ready to leave Google all the way, at least make sure to update some privacy settings, at the very least.
The Alternatives I will be using the common term of 5-Eyes, 9-Eyes and 14-Eyes if available In short its the international surveillance alliances. 5-Eyes: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, USA 9-Eyes: 5-Eyes+Denmark, France, Netherlands, Norway 14-Eyes: 9-Eyes+Germany, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Spain Chrome Browser This one should be relatively easily to replace... If you don't want a big change, use Mozilla Firefox and use some of the addons I have listed further down to make your surfing experience more private.
I have shown you links previously, Google Mail is free Info for them. Yes it has a huge amount of storage, a clean interface but we are all paying with our data.
Search Google Search, who doesn't use it? Hey lets google this and that. Google has built a huge database of everyone of us... Lets stop giving them more info!
Photos Here are some Google Photos alternatives. Google has everything from us, don't let them also take control of your pictures...
Hangouts (Instant Messaging) I have listed some alternatives to Google Hangouts or in general. Dont get me started on Whatsapp. Telegram is not on this list, the chat might be encrypted but Telegram hold all the encryption keys so they could easily decrypt it. Keybase has been removed (thanks ETFbitcoin)
Maps/Street View I have to admit that Google Maps is one of the best map software around. It has the most up to date Data, best User Interface. I have listed some below but I have to admit Google Maps stays ahead of the game.
Google Play Store
Android - NOTE: Bootloader needs to be unlocked How to (https://www.howtogeek.com/239798/how-to-unlock-your-android-phones-bootloader-the-official-way/) With the alternative OS you will be able to replace Stock Android with an Android System that has been made more secure with an emphasis on privacy.
Google Drive/Storage
Alternative OS Nothing to do with Google but I will list some alternative OS that have the priority on Security and Privacy!
Useful Browser Addons These are some useful addons to make your surfing experience safer and more private. I have listed a few. All of them are for Firefox which I have linked up in the alternatives for Google Chrome.
Bonus: Highlights of Data Breaches (not only Google related This is just a small list, this list can go on possibly forever. There have been so many data breaches or where companies openly admit they have been selling or storing your data. Google admits its new smart speaker was eavesdropping on users (https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/11/technology/google-home-mini-security-flaw/index.html) 5 Million Google Passwords Leaked (https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/5-million-google-passwords-leaked-a-7299) Facebook: Your Personal Info for Sale (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-your-personal-info-for-sale/) Google and Mastercard Cut a Secret Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales (https://slate.com/technology/2018/08/google-mastercard-data-track-offline-purchases.html) Marriott - passport numbers and credit card information -- of up to 383 million guests. (https://www.cnet.com/news/marriott-says-hackers-stole-more-than-5-million-passport-numbers/) How PayPal Shares your data (https://rebecca-ricks.com/paypal-data) Hundreds of millions of Facebook and Instagram users credentials were exposed (https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-found-millions-of-passwords-stored-in-plain-text-in-internal-investigation/) Hundred of millions of insurance documents leaked by real estate giant First American Financial Corp (https://www.cnet.com/news/millions-of-financial-records-exposed-on-first-american-website-report-says/) 4 billion social media profile records were exposed (https://www.cnet.com/news/1-2-billion-records-exposed-in-unsecured-database/) Sources: Google Can Now Tell You're Not a Robot With Just One Click (https://www.wired.com/2014/12/google-one-click-recaptcha/) Google Now Using ReCAPTCHA To Decode Street View Addresses (https://techcrunch.com/2012/03/29/google-now-using-recaptcha-to-decode-street-view-addresses/) Google’s new reCAPTCHA has a dark side (https://www.fastcompany.com/90369697/googles-new-recaptcha-has-a-dark-side) Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, 14 Eyes – Explained (https://restoreprivacy.com/5-eyes-9-eyes-14-eyes/) Facebook: Your Personal Info for Sale (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-your-personal-info-for-sale/) 2019 Data Breach Hall of Shame (https://www.cnet.com/news/2019-data-breach-hall-of-shame-these-were-the-biggest-data-breaches-of-the-year/) Apple and Google are building contact tracing technology that uses Bluetooth in people's smartphones to track the spread of COVID-19 (https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-contact-tracing-government-apps-vs-apple-google-covid-19-2020-4) Google and Apple announce the Contact Tracing API (https://www.xda-developers.com/google-apple-contact-tracing-coronavirus/) Thank you Thank you for reading or glancing over this article. I have put alot of work into this article. I hope it can make you think about your digital footprint and your privacy, at least a bit! Please let me know if you have suggestions, I will add them to the opening post. Find errors? Let me know and I will correct them! Interested in translating this to your local board? Please do! Let me know here so I can give you credit. Contributions 20kevin20 (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5247817.msg54414899#msg54414899) Lucius (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5247817.msg54415307#msg54415307) ETFbitcoin (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5247817.msg54415602#msg54415602) German Board aundroid (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5247888.msg54722857#msg54722857) aundroid (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5247888.msg54739149#msg54739149)[/list] Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: 20kevin20 on May 12, 2020, 09:30:23 AM I'm glad to see people finally waking up to the reality & see how their data is mined and used. Well done!
One little mention: when you listed the Android custom ROMs, you can remove the "Rooted Device required" note. As soon as you have an unlocked bootloader, you can flash a custom ROM (I personally prefer TWRP) through which you can easily backup your current OS and install a fresh new one. But root isn't necessary. I'm very curious, why did you list all 3 ROMs (LineageOS, Graphene OS and Replicant) as "5 Eyes"? Here are two more IM (Instant Messenger) apps I suggest to those willing to Degoogle:
If you wish, you could also include some computer Operating Systems as (free) replacements for Windows:
The first thing we should do in my opinion is changing the OS of your mobile phones and computers. Swapping Chrome for Tor Browser, for example is of no use if the system itself scraps data off your computer/mobile. Remember, do NOT flash the GApps file on your phone! Only the Custom ROM; installing GApps will install all the Google stuff. Overall, it's a great post. If someone could give the OP 5 Merits from me, I'd be grateful ;D I'm interested in translating this topic to my Local board. Let's spread the word! Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 12, 2020, 10:01:39 AM I'm glad to see people finally waking up to the reality & see how their data is mined and used. Well done! One little mention: when you listed the Android custom ROMs, you can remove the "Rooted Device required" note. As soon as you have an unlocked bootloader, you can flash a custom ROM (I personally prefer TWRP) through which you can easily backup your current OS and install a fresh new one. But root isn't necessary. Thanks alot, very much appreciated. I have added a contribution area where I will list everyone that has contributed to the list. I remove the hint and replaced it with a guide of how to unlock your Bootloader. Sadly it cant be done for all phones. I'm very curious, why did you list all 3 ROMs (LineageOS, Graphene OS and Replicant) as "5 Eyes"? Here are two more IM (Instant Messenger) apps I suggest to those willing to Degoogle:
The "Eyes" Concept is based on where the company is located that made the specific program. Multiple sources I have looked at told me they are based in a location thats part of the 5 Eye Alliance. If you wish, you could also include some computer Operating Systems as (free) replacements for Windows:
These would probably be good alternatives to the Google OS thats installed on Chromebooks. Replacing windows is a whole other chapter =) The first thing we should do in my opinion is changing the OS of your mobile phones and computers. Swapping Chrome for Tor Browser, for example is of no use if the system itself scraps data off your computer/mobile. Remember, do NOT flash the GApps file on your phone! Only the Custom ROM; installing GApps will install all the Google stuff. Overall, it's a great post. If someone could give the OP 5 Merits from me, I'd be grateful ;D I'm interested in translating this topic to my Local board. Let's spread the word! Agreed, even small steps will change your privacy to the better! Thanks for the kind words and please do translate and share the word. Just link back to the original and get a conversation started there! Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: Lucius on May 12, 2020, 10:36:17 AM A very good post with a lot of useful information, and what I especially appreciate is that every service from Google have an alternative which means online life without Google is possible, but still not quite as simple as pressing a button.
I can only say that privacy is not something that worries most people too much these days, especially since some governments around the world have put security ahead of privacy and most people have accepted it for granted. I personally can say for myself that I would like to have a much higher degree of privacy than I have today, but it is not easy to throw out some habits. I definitely agree that it is quite insane to stop using all Google services at some point, so gradually replacing individual applications is the best solution. I've been using Firefox again for a while now, and I'm also seriously considering putting Gmail out of use altogether. I think it’s a good start, definitely something anyone can do. For those unfamiliar with what Google (and Apple) is currently doing for the purpose of fighting against COVID-19, read the following articles. Although the intention is generally good, it is still a matter of mass data collection, their use and the issue of adequate protection. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-contact-tracing-government-apps-vs-apple-google-covid-19-2020-4 https://www.xda-developers.com/google-apple-contact-tracing-coronavirus/ Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 12, 2020, 10:43:27 AM A very good post with a lot of useful information, and what I especially appreciate is that every service from Google have an alternative which means online life without Google is possible, but still not quite as simple as pressing a button. Thanks for the kind words.I can only say that privacy is not something that worries most people too much these days, especially since some governments around the world have put security ahead of privacy and most people have accepted it for granted. I personally can say for myself that I would like to have a much higher degree of privacy than I have today, but it is not easy to throw out some habits. I definitely agree that it is quite insane to stop using all Google services at some point, so gradually replacing individual applications is the best solution. I've been using Firefox again for a while now, and I'm also seriously considering putting Gmail out of use altogether. I think it’s a good start, definitely something anyone can do. Yes its not going to be an easy task, since Google really has some quality products and I have been using Gmail for so long. https://www.xda-developers.com/google-apple-contact-tracing-coronavirus/ For those unfamiliar with what Google (and Apple) is currently doing for the purpose of fighting against COVID-19, read the following articles. Although the intention is generally good, it is still a matter of mass data collection, their use and the issue of adequate protection. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-contact-tracing-government-apps-vs-apple-google-covid-19-2020-4 https://www.xda-developers.com/google-apple-contact-tracing-coronavirus/ I added the links in the Original post and linked you in the contributions. I didnt even know this was going on. Yes seems like they are helping, but they dont mind the extra data they can harvest from us using COVID-19 as reasoning! Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: ABCbits on May 12, 2020, 11:25:40 AM
Recently when i'm looking news about Zoom, i found out Keybase was bought by Zoom. Zoom is known to have bad security, bad privacy and lying about feature of their service. I don't use Keybase, but i'd have some concern if i were to use Keybase. Source : https://keybase.io/blog/keybase-joins-zoom (https://keybase.io/blog/keybase-joins-zoom) Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 12, 2020, 11:42:44 AM
Recently when i'm looking news about Zoom, i found out Keybase was bought by Zoom. Zoom is known to have bad security, bad privacy and lying about feature of their service. I don't use Keybase, but i'd have some concern if i were to use Keybase. Source : https://keybase.io/blog/keybase-joins-zoom (https://keybase.io/blog/keybase-joins-zoom) This is what I love about this community! Thanks for pointing that out, I will remove it. Yes Zoom has been the center of attention with their security flaws. Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: 20kevin20 on May 12, 2020, 12:09:38 PM Thanks alot, very much appreciated. I have added a contribution area where I will list everyone that has contributed to the list. Thanks for the credits. Yes, the Bootloader unlocking guide is different from phone to phone. But as long as people know it's needed, a quick search is enough. ;DI remove the hint and replaced it with a guide of how to unlock your Bootloader. Sadly it cant be done for all phones. The "Eyes" Concept is based on where the company is located that made the specific program. Oh, now it makes sense. Thought some source said they were created by the surveillance alliances.Multiple sources I have looked at told me they are based in a location thats part of the 5 Eye Alliance. These would probably be good alternatives to the Google OS thats installed on Chromebooks. Also true, you'd switch from a very intuitive UI to an OS where you'd have to use Terminal quite often. It's a pretty fun journey though for those interested in switching from privacy-lacking Windows :DReplacing windows is a whole other chapter =) Agreed, even small steps will change your privacy to the better! Thank you for the great thread & for the merit! Will return the favor as soon as I can, I'll make sure to translate the thread in the following few days ;)Thanks for the kind words and please do translate and share the word. Just link back to the original and get a conversation started there! ~ It's only insane because we've been taught to use their services and their mass-data-collecting apps. If we were to use FOSS apps and software and get accustomed to them from the start, right now it'd be insane to move to Google. :D I've made the change within a few days and it is a bit harder to get used to it, but it's indeed worth it.I definitely agree that it is quite insane to stop using all Google services at some point, so gradually replacing individual applications is the best solution. I've been using Firefox again for a while now, and I'm also seriously considering putting Gmail out of use altogether. I think it’s a good start, definitely something anyone can do. ~ EDIT: Here you go (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5247900.msg54416261#msg54416261)! I've translated the topic to the Romanian board. We usually don't have that many members active over there, but every little step matters. ;D Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: reinow on May 12, 2020, 09:34:07 PM I'm glad to see people finally waking up to the reality & see how their data is mined and used. Well done! I fully agree! I use duckduckgo, firefox, my own email service, a secure Linux distro, and will also have a look at the Android alternatives. I am considering to translate the original post to Swedish and publish it. Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: BADecker on May 13, 2020, 12:25:46 AM ^^^ Isn't Firefox owned by Google? 8)
Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: Velkro on May 13, 2020, 12:44:10 AM Great great guide. Very important topic that people neglect in our times.
It will only get worse with time if we won't do anything about it. There are signalists saying this already since years, but it will take time to reach critical mass of people that get it. I'm glad to see people finally waking up to the reality & see how their data is mined and used. Well done! I don't think they are yet sadly. First quotation in this topic is on point.Many people will say i have nothing to hide so i don't care about privacy. Biggest mistake they could make. If they will need privacy for whatever reason, it will be too late. Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 13, 2020, 04:44:27 AM ^^^ Isn't Firefox owned by Google? 8) Google paid Mozilla some decent amount of cash to have Google Search set as default search engine. But Google does not own Mozilla nor Firefox. Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: 20kevin20 on May 14, 2020, 10:11:43 AM ^^^ Isn't Firefox owned by Google? 8) Even if it was to be owned by Google, it would mean nothing as soon as it's open-source. Tor Browser is based on Firefox on both mobile and PC (even on Tails). There are lots of Firefox forks. Android is created by Google and yet it's open-source and can be modified as much as one is willing to. You could create a super-spyware-filled OS or you could create what Replicant currently is. You're free to do anything :)I don't think they are yet sadly. First quotation in this topic is on point. I, myself, have convinced over 10 people to get rid of all this data-stripping crap. If someone isn't conscious enough to understand that nothing is completely free and your data is worth much more than you'd ever pay for these services, it only means they need to be woken up to reality by someone who knows. We're so used to Google and Facebook that we don't even notice anymore that we may have an eavesdropping device sitting in every room in our house (Echo/Home). We have been taught this way.Many people will say i have nothing to hide so i don't care about privacy. Biggest mistake they could make. If they will need privacy for whatever reason, it will be too late. Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: Jarmo van de Seijp on May 14, 2020, 11:45:18 AM I've been using DuckGoGo for a while as my standard engine now. After watching the documentary of netflix, I started looking into it a bit more serioiusly and was quite shocked.
- Written from my chromebook Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 14, 2020, 11:53:23 AM I've been using DuckGoGo for a while as my standard engine now. After watching the documentary of netflix, I started looking into it a bit more serioiusly and was quite shocked. I have switched to DuckDuckGo and I have been getting used to it. Siwtched over to Firefox also, so slowly moving away. - Written from my chromebook ;D ;D ;D Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: Ucy on May 14, 2020, 05:29:41 PM People close to you could regard you as something similar to what the world calls conspiracy theory if you try to tell them about the privacy risks on the internet.
We should also be aware that we are being watched/spied and programmed not just by our fellow humans through this things.( I have felt the "evil one" programming and spying on people few months or weeks ago.) We should be making it very hard for them to abuse these things or spy on us. I am not sure the centralized alternatives are safe either. I think well decentralized crypto-based alternative would be better alternatives. Your post is useful though. Saved it for the future Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: jrrsparkles on May 14, 2020, 08:29:56 PM But the reality is, most of the people don't care about their privacy or they think there is nothing to hide from the whole world so they just let the google to steal all their data.We can look for alternatives to google products but still we can't claim 100% anonymity.Smartphones means no privacy.
Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 15, 2020, 12:48:45 PM But the reality is, most of the people don't care about their privacy or they think there is nothing to hide from the whole world so they just let the google to steal all their data.We can look for alternatives to google products but still we can't claim 100% anonymity.Smartphones means no privacy. Thats exactly the problem. I don't think its not caring, but it just seems like too much work to move elsewhere. I mean I bet 95% of the people using Gmail or Google in general don't know that there are settings to increase your privacy. Google is literally tracking your every move, where you go and which stores you go in to. This has so much value, which ads to show, which products you are interested in and this combined with your gmail. -> Treasure Cove! Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: jrrsparkles on May 15, 2020, 04:56:45 PM But the reality is, most of the people don't care about their privacy or they think there is nothing to hide from the whole world so they just let the google to steal all their data.We can look for alternatives to google products but still we can't claim 100% anonymity.Smartphones means no privacy. Thats exactly the problem. I don't think its not caring, but it just seems like too much work to move elsewhere. I mean I bet 95% of the people using Gmail or Google in general don't know that there are settings to increase your privacy. Google is literally tracking your every move, where you go and which stores you go in to. This has so much value, which ads to show, which products you are interested in and this combined with your gmail. -> Treasure Cove! Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 18, 2020, 08:27:09 AM -snip- We can turn of location tracking on google apps but still google can trace your moving with any app you have installed because we all are using Playstore. Does the Playstore have access to your location? I don't have an android phone, but I thought you can give each app permissions? Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: 20kevin20 on May 24, 2020, 03:46:58 PM Does the Playstore have access to your location? I would personally not rely on those little switches in our phone settings. I'm very suspicious when it comes to them - as they are not physical switches, a little coding backdoor could give you only the impression that you've turned the permissions on. And honestly, I believe Google has control over your phone at any time.I don't have an android phone, but I thought you can give each app permissions? We have some news now: Apple has launched a software update for iOS which includes the basic stuff needed for contact tracing apps. In other words... this thread now has even more substance. The problem is that, while iOS has an optional software update, Google introduced the basic stuff needed for contact tracing without asking you for your permission. If your phone has had Google Play Services updated recently (and I believe it's done automatically), you most likely have the contact tracing stuff in your phone already. To check if you do, you only need to do 3 steps: 1. Open your phone's Settings 2. Look for the "Google" settings, open them 3. If the opening window shows some COVID-19 exposure settings, you have the update in your phone. One more reason to forever and completely abandon Google. No offense but fuck them. :) Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 25, 2020, 05:34:30 AM -snip- I would personally not rely on those little switches in our phone settings. I'm very suspicious when it comes to them - as they are not physical switches, a little coding backdoor could give you only the impression that you've turned the permissions on. And honestly, I believe Google has control over your phone at any time.True to that. I dont trust Google at all. We have some news now: Apple has launched a software update for iOS which includes the basic stuff needed for contact tracing apps. In other words... this thread now has even more substance. The problem is that, while iOS has an optional software update, Google introduced the basic stuff needed for contact tracing without asking you for your permission. If your phone has had Google Play Services updated recently (and I believe it's done automatically), you most likely have the contact tracing stuff in your phone already. To check if you do, you only need to do 3 steps: 1. Open your phone's Settings 2. Look for the "Google" settings, open them 3. If the opening window shows some COVID-19 exposure settings, you have the update in your phone. One more reason to forever and completely abandon Google. No offense but fuck them. :) I can confirm the iOS Portion of the statement. My iPhone has been updated and just searching through the settings for Covid found that option It was installed during the last update. Yes it was added, but the it was disabled. So thats a nice thing to see of Apple, offer it but don't enable it by default and force it onto its users. Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: 20kevin20 on May 25, 2020, 12:16:37 PM So thats a nice thing to see of Apple, offer it but don't enable it by default and force it onto its users. It's partially forced from Apple too, as you will probably never be able to update your device again to a newer, better-looking and more secure OS without having to also get the COVID update.Google's update might actually be easier to back out from as it only requires the Services update reversal (although IIRC, you some apps become obsolete without the latest version of Google Services). What annoys me is the fact that they add these things without ever letting you know that "hey, this is something new we added inside your device!". I, for one, don't agree with contact tracing be it anonymous or not, so I would never want to have even the basic stuff of it inside my phone. Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on May 25, 2020, 01:33:16 PM So thats a nice thing to see of Apple, offer it but don't enable it by default and force it onto its users. It's partially forced from Apple too, as you will probably never be able to update your device again to a newer, better-looking and more secure OS without having to also get the COVID update.Google's update might actually be easier to back out from as it only requires the Services update reversal (although IIRC, you some apps become obsolete without the latest version of Google Services). What annoys me is the fact that they add these things without ever letting you know that "hey, this is something new we added inside your device!". I, for one, don't agree with contact tracing be it anonymous or not, so I would never want to have even the basic stuff of it inside my phone. Apple will always be watched closely... I mean if it gets updated and stays disabled and will only be active when activated I am fine with that. If its off and still sends data and one expert finds out, it will be Apple on a serving plate. Title: Re: #DeGoogle - Take back control of your privacy Post by: xxjumperxx on July 02, 2020, 11:32:32 AM Just a warning I read about the DuckDuckGo Browser
DuckDuckGo browser seemingly sends domains a user visits to DDG servers https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23708166 Supposedly not saving or using the personal information, but weird of them to even use the server based method of getting a favicon... Someone concerned about privacy should maybe consider using a different browser for now... |
