Google Search and manipulation

[Swang]

If your the type that says " I dont care if they see what I search for" well simply your put in a cohort and your results can be manipulated or restricted. Your really being manipulated by the content pushed to ypu by google, so you should care.

This dude is legit and have learned a lot about what's going on.  Not a alarmist, but breaks down what going on..

 

[Chucktshoes]

There’s a solution. Don’t use Google products. 

[Swang]

8 minutes ago, Chucktshoes said:

There’s a solution. Don’t use Google products. 

Impossible, they are boxing everyone out. Even now with your phone authorization for passwords and such. Non smart phones are being phased out. Only thing I can see is the old nextel "chirp" phones. They are back and more handheld radio like. You won't escape it. 

[Chucktshoes]

I don’t knowingly use a single google product. I’m sure folks I give my business to use them to run their business, but I don’t actively use any of theirs anymore. I even quit using YouTube.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Chucktshoes

[Hozzie]

2 hours ago, Swang said:

Even now with your phone authorization for passwords and such. 

If you are referring to reCaptcha, there are other options.  hCaptcha is an option that does not save personal info when you have to validate against robots.  Whether or not a company uses them is a different matter, but there are options out there and gaining traction every day.

[Swang]

No I was referring to forgetting your bank password on the app and need to have a code texted to your phone.. 

It very difficult to keep your phone ID and real ID separate

 

[j2a]

I've been watching Rob's channel for about 1.5 years, run a phone I de-googled myself, a vpn on my home network, and no more FB. The big 3 things he advocates for if you don't want to be surveilled. Good stuff.

On 2/16/2022 at 11:43 AM, Swang said:

Impossible, they are boxing everyone out. Even now with your phone authorization for passwords and such. Non smart phones are being phased out. Only thing I can see is the old nextel "chirp" phones. They are back and more handheld radio like. You won't escape it. 

Not impossible. De-googled android (AOSP), which Rob talks about all the time. You can even buy a de-googled phone from Rob at a very reasonable cost (or do it yourself if you're techy).

 

On 2/16/2022 at 1:53 PM, Chucktshoes said:

I don’t knowingly use a single google product. I’m sure folks I give my business to use them to run their business, but I don’t actively use any of theirs anymore. I even quit using YouTube.

You can use YT without spying. Newpipe app on android and an "invidious" server in a web browser (e.g. yewtu.be). Both are anonymous AND eliminate ads.

 

On 2/17/2022 at 2:03 PM, Swang said:

No I was referring to forgetting your bank password on the app and need to have a code texted to your phone.. 

It very difficult to keep your phone ID and real ID separate

I've only just started down this road, but he even has a solution for that. You can get a cheap sim card for an old phone that you strictly use for 2FA, from a place like h2owireless or ting.

 

If anyone really wants to stop being surveilled and manipulated, you can do it without going back to the dark ages. In most regards you don't really have to give up anything other than you really gotta get off FB. But even there, once you decide you're ready for that, I think you'll find that you don't really miss it. Social media relationships are pseudo-relationships IMO, better to invest your time and energy elsewhere. If anyone wants to learn more, mainly I'd just suggest watching a bunch of Rob's videos, but I'm happy to help if anyone wants to ask me anything.

[Swang]

So your saying that if I walk by Google beacon in the mall or pinged at home via a commercial US beacon on my phone they won't know who I am?

Or walk on the sidewalk and my phone connects via BLE to ring doorbell again they wont know?

You have excellent points, but a mere mortal will be no match for big tech and preservation of data collection.

You can't go through life kicking and screaming, but Rob does a good job at pai ting a picture of what's going on and what's to come.

Your device ID is you, you can't flush your cookies etc... they know it when you download an app by your account,  register via email (sure it's all shared) or even by scanning your contacts and learning your circle, by network location, home network... they know that device is you. FB not needed.

[j2a]

You may not be able to 100% prevent data collection, but you can make the data meaningless if you can prevent your identity from being attached to it. That's very possible and really not all that hard. Degoogled phones have no identity attached. You're not logged into google, and there are no google apps (or apps from other companies for that matter) which can read your IMEI. You don't download apps "by your account". Apps are installed via FDroid, Aurora Store (anonymous play store interface), or apk. As for "network location, home network", like I said, degoogling and vpn are the most important things to do. My home LAN sits behind a vpn, so even visitors using my wifi aren't geo-locating me. Google and FB are the 2 companies which are especially problematic from a data collection standpoint because they're embedded in practically all sites. If you prevent them from identifying you so their tracking isn't tied to you, you've won the battle that really matters.