Extricating Yourself From Google's Tentacles

[bony]

I to am concerned about privacy but have minimised the problem by using Opera as my web browser and a search engine called "Startpage" by Ixquick.

Opera has an Add-on called "Ghostery" which looks for and blocks any trackers as you browse the web. You'll be surprised at how many websites use "Google Anaytics" for instance, Here a link to what Ghostery says about it.

https://www.ghostery.com/apps/google_analytics


The search engine I use is called "Startpage" by Ixquick. It's great, I use it all the time and highly recommend it. One thing I like about it is that you don't have to put up with all those stupid popups and coloured bars that Google shoves in your face each time you open it's search page!.

A link to Startpage is here below-

https://startpage.com/eng/aboutstartpage/

It claims it is the world's most private search engine. I use Startpage as my browser homepage instead of Ixquick because it allows me to easily search for Australian websites. It gives you Google search results but protects your privacy while doing it. It is a little slower than some search engines but that doesn't bother me. Some of the blurb from their webpage reads -

"On StartPage the privacy of Ixquick is combined with the Web search results from Google. The combination of these two features is what makes StartPage so special.

You can continue using the Web results from the world's most popular search engine but now under the privacy protection of Ixquick, the world's most private search engine."

"StartPage is brought to you by Ixquick, the world's most private search engine. Ixquick has been third-party certified by EuroPriSe, a European Union privacy initiative."

Regards,
bony.

[Ashton1]

What I did was to scrub all the info that I could from the various websites that had it. Meaning - close down some unused social media accounts or at least increase the privacy settings, remove pictures hosted on Google+ with my name/email attached to them, send e-mails to websites that had my info that I couldn't control (like whois info about a couple of my websites), asking them to take it down... Stuff like that. It isn't easy, necessarily, and it takes a bit of determination, but you can do it. Not quite to hide from the NSA, which is a hopeless task , but from other prying eyes. Good luck!

[SV THIRD DAY]

Anyone who believes that the Government will not abuse it's power understands World History about as well as the US Government understands Budgets. Google, Phone Companies, etc are ALL giving the Feds access to your personal information in exchange for cash and favor. They only complain about it when it leaks out as part of damage control..opps...ya right.

When I left for Mexico in 2008 the world was aghast at the Bush administrations warrantless wiretaps, there was talk of impeachment by the left and of course the right defended their man. I managed to survive Obama's first term on the lamb in Mexico and come back to find that while I was away the sheep have allowed the Obama admiration to expand the Federal Government’s power to the point where the 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution is Dead and Gone and the President now writes law rather than just signs laws written by congress. Yet...where is the left screaming? Where is the right screaming? Where are the street protests? All are quite except for a handful that John McCain calls "Wako Birds".

Rather than just complaining without offering no fix, here you go. It’s time for States to call for a Constitutional Convention under Article V to put the Federal Government back in its place before, and I really believe this, there is blood in the streets. Call me crazy, sure but it’s the lesson of history folks. The Feds have already been releasing training materials to our over militarized police departments and Military that label people who show too much support for the US Constitution as potential domestic terrorists. Once you are labeled with the Domestic Terrorist tag…just try to get your life back. Now where did I put my tin-foil hat…damn it…my wife used it to cover the Colorado brownies!

Oh sure by making this post they will put me on the "potential Constitutional Radical" list, but from them checking out my cedit card purchases and memberships...well I'm already on the Fed **** list, just like they are on mine.

[a64pilot]

I've got a T-shirt that says according to the bureau of homeland security, I'm a terriorist.
There was a paper released saying that the greatest terrorist threat came from military veterans.
That upset a few that had served

[a64pilot]

This thread will be deleted in 3, 2 1 ?

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by bony

I to am concerned about privacy but have minimised the problem by using Opera as my web browser and a search engine called "Startpage" by Ixquick.

Startpage and Ghostery also work with Firefox, so you don't have to change your browser to use them.

[CarinaPDX]

Interesting and amusing thread. Personally I consider Google to be one of the most evil enterprises on the planet. They have even knocked M$ off that throne. Word among the tech community is that Google has had the US gov't as an investor since early days - in the early days of search it was quite effective to just track those who searched for bomb-making instructions. Today Google combines information on us from multiple sources, which in turn can be combined with credit card and even health data (those HIPAA waivers you must sign to get health care undo much of the privacy protection). You're worried about NASA tracking your phone calls? Google (including Skype remember) knows one hell of a lot more. And it is available to anyone with a bit of money to spend. Your chances of getting screwed by the US gov't because of NSA spying is negligible; the chances of getting screwed by commercial data collection are immense.

I have long emphasized security, as I was using a lot of public wifi APs while cruising. It is a losing battle. I do use a VPN tunnel, to a private (family) server in the US, so that helps for local eavesdroppers. I use the Perspectives add-on to check the quality of certificates (to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks). My email server is in the family. I have used Macs since the Mac Plus (mid-80s) so have missed out on most of the threats. But all that (and a lot more) just serves to keep out the small, opportunistic bottom-feeders. The large criminal enterprises are becoming very effective at compromising their targets. But still no one knows us like Google.

Using No-Script and Ghostery I have always blocked Google Analytics. Google used to keep their services separate such that blocking Analytics didn't block Map or their other APIs - no more. I have increasingly run into sites that won't work without Analytics enabled. One website I recently visited refused to let me see the site until I disabled my ad-blocker or paid a fee/extortion.

Perhaps the most shocking experience has been owning an Android tablet - the granular permissions allow the user to see what individual programs are asking for. Phone serial numbers/phone numbers/contacts/accounts/browser history/IP address/wifi connection - you name it, they suck it in. I'm not just talking about Google here (but they are the worst) - many of the "free" programs do it. While there are programs that can block, scramble, or otherwise undo the damage, increasingly programs don't work unless the data collection works. Since Android is made by Google the OS itself is part of the problem. The only solution starts with rooting the phone, installing new firmware (ROM) that is open-source, refusing to install or use any Google program or service (including Chrome), and then do the other security measures. The manufacturers and networks do everything they can to prevent this. It is a losing battle, but I am not ready to give up just yet.

What really makes me smile is American resistance to an identification card. It isn't needed to know everything about you. It has been more than a decade since cell phones were mandated to have GPS inside (for the government), and identification to buy a SIM card or phone is required. You are not anonymous.

</rant>

Greg

[hellosailor]

"identification to buy a SIM card or phone is required."
Dunno, Greg. ID to open an account, sure. ID to buy a burner, for cash, at your local 7-11 or WallyWorld? Not last time I checked.

[goboatingnow]

Resistance is futile , embrace the matrix. Hmmmm that steak tastes good.

Wolves just end up shot and extinct
Dave

[CarinaPDX]

I stand corrected. I always thought the burner phone thing was a plot device and no longer reality - in many countries I had to show a passport to buy a SIM. Very strange that dodge still exists. Still, all current phones have GPS, and many can be remotely turned on in stealth mode where position is transmitted but the phone appears off. But that is really only a concern for criminals and spies - for now.

Greg

[Delancey]

Funny how Goggle works. When I do an image search for "sailboat solar panel mounts" I get this silly picture MarkJ took when he caught a solar panel thief in the act.

[Nicholson58]

It might surprise you all to find many of your images posted on this site pop up in a Google search. I looked for sailboat ketch & a few other search terms and found us easily.