Let Google know...

[jpaul]

however trying to de-google is proving extremely difficult. Just moving email over to Proton-mail

precautionary ? I didn't know google had been accused of reading emails, but had recently seen yahoo accused
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/08/30/why-yahoo-scanning-user-email-is-no-cause-for-panic/

I don't particularly care if someone attempts to use my data ... I'm not gullible

but those people who are need to be protected, and the consequence of that impact the rest ... eg. we end up with trump/brexit ... or your favourite shops go out of business because google decided to prioritize others.

 

[StriderX]

precautionary ? I didn't know google had been accused of reading emails, but had recently seen yahoo accused
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/08/30/why-yahoo-scanning-user-email-is-no-cause-for-panic/



but those people who are need to be protected, and the consequence of that impact the rest ... eg. we end up with trump/brexit ... or your favourite shops go out of business because google decided to prioritize others.

No they dont, if the last couple years have proven anything is that these folks need to be sedated by something.

 

[Vern1961]

No such thing as the free internet, even if the price of using Google is selling your soul to them.

As an aside, they have also started charging, or at least introducing a credit card "deposit" for sites using their mapping API plug in.

Would you trust Google with your card details and to use responsibly with full recourse if you felt their charge for data usage was incorrect?

Thought not...

 

[b0rn2sk8]

reduced profiling, as you say, but the apple phone can be fingerprinted, allowing standard social media apps to impact google adds and those on other sites, on that device.
[I liked the one where soemone posted a baby scan on their instagram, and inevitably lots of baby product adds]

I was more referring to Apple not mining your data in the background like google. You can use iCloud email, iCloud photos, Apple Music etc. Instead of google services on android and what ever the OS is doing in the background.

But please do elaborate as apps are not allowed to use the devices unique identifier anymore, Apple hid it IIRC and apps are sandboxed.

You were logged in and liked something so there was probably other hooks into the advertising network (like being logged into google with the same address and they installed tracking cookies when you opened the browser and used search). Also using social media is THE way to receive targeted advertising.

Would you trust Google with your card details and to use responsibly with full recourse if you felt their charge for data usage was incorrect?

Thought not...

Not sure what you are getting at, millions of people give their card details to google (google wallet and checkout before that). Damn site safrer than giving them to large retailers given the big data scandles that have gone on in the past.

 

[Vern1961]

Not sure what you are getting at, millions of people give their card details to google (google wallet and checkout before that). Damn site safrer than giving them to large retailers given the big data scandles that have gone on in the past.

In the case of API, you give your card to Google as a deposit, not a one off secure payment. As I understand it, they monitor usage and decide if you have exceeded your "free" limit, whether it's downloading mapping data into an app (such as the Railworks editor) or if you are running a site which has embedded maps. In the case of the latter, at least one site I visit already pulled Google Maps as they wanted US$300 up front. We are not talking penny numbers here and the first you would know is when the charge (minimum $200 for the API) appears on your credit card. So no, I wouldn't trust them in those circumstances as you have no recourse, other than attempting a chargeback.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Well if they have unlawfully charged your card issue a charge back but those laws don’t apply to business to business sales.

It’s up to the site owner to pay for use of the google maps API not the end user. They are effectively licensing the software for commercial use without all of the embedded ads and paid PoI’s. Can’t have something for nothing at the end of the day. If you sign up to that service on a PAYG basis and suddenly your site goes viral and gets a lot of hits and google bills you for the use, that’s a risk you take (you can set your own caps). You can’t expect to licence a commercial product for nothing and it’s up to the site owner to monitise their own site to pay for it. If you don’t like the price, use another mapping platform. You are able to negotiate specific rates as well if you are big enough according to their site.

You can easily check if your google bill is correct from your own sites analytics data after all.

It’s a completely different propersition to a consumer using a google product delivered by google for free in exchange for the users data.

 

[StriderX]

Isn't it up to you to monetise that to pay for the map's usage?

I mean come on, do you really expect Google to run the biggest generally up-to-date mapping program in the world for free?

 

[jpaul]

No they dont, if the last couple years have proven anything is that these folks need to be sedated by something.

Marijuana, room101, or Chinese Uighur(near final) solution ?

But please do elaborate as apps are not allowed to use the devices unique identifier anymore, Apple hid it IIRC and apps are sandboxed.

I mean non-apple social media apps, and google search in a browser, you maybe running on your apple, which could exchange tracking information via font/canvas fingerprinting, even if devid's are hidden (and not logged into google.)
Saying that apparently GDPR does not stop short of fingerprinting

 

[Christmas themed thank]

This is why I feel ever so slightly less bad using an iPhone. I don't know if I buy the corporate BS about Apple actually caring but the incentive to sell your data is less as they make their money from hardware and software as opposed to advertising like Google does.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

That only works through a browser though. It doesn’t explain how the above poster liked a baby picture in Instagram app and then started getting google ads for baby things. Well unless the poster was in the browser and not the app. It would also be very hard to fingerprint a phone because they are all the same, especially an iPhone.

 

[willhub]

It's always interesting when you're having a convo with someone, next thing you see ads in different places advertising products related to your conversation.

 

[jpaul]

It doesn’t explain how the above poster liked a baby picture in Instagram app and then started getting google ads for baby things.

I think this was a case example from a radio 4 programme the digital human, and may have been pre-gdpr (if we believe everything has been put right since then in eu), the instagram account would have identified someone specific, and if fb via advertiser then share that interest into your google account or hardware fingerprinted device... they have the 'pathway'

Ubers compromise was interesting - I like this

That's the evil part. The Uber app would detect if the iPhone was at an Apple work location and not query for the serial number or other fingerprinting calls. Just like Volkswagen detecting if the car was in an emission testing station. Uber was lucky they were scamming a company that wants their business. Volkswagen was doing something that is explicitly illegal. Violating a TOS is a breach of contract and Apple could decide what they wanted to do about it.

 

[SPG]

A subscription based service would be nice, I have zero trust in the majority pretty much anything that comes out of Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. They really do need some wing clipping. It will not happen from stateside so its down to Europe to put significant pressure on them to clean up or ship out.

 

[jpaul]

*reboot*

Let Huawei know ... ?


With the current Huawei network infrastructure (router, switches, ..) ban, why has the integrity of their phones not also been discussed ?
Is there any reason to suppose these could not, much more easily, have firmware that might be enabled for telemetry on particular users/#'s or clandestine app install;

Do USA homeland rules permit folks with high security levels to use huawei phone ?, if the USA is trying to damage Chinese trade this would proably do more damage.

edit ok from april

In April, the Pentagon stopped selling mobile phones and modems made by Huawei and ZTE at stores on military bases around the world due to potential security risks

 

[Martynt74]

Am i the only person that doesn't really care? If Google/goverments want to see i've driven to a running shop or that i play football a couple times a week and spend all my money on junk then go nuts!

If things make my life easier then i'm fine with it.

 

[LiE]

I think Apple is attempting to provide a viable Google free life. It's doable, but you have to go full Tim Cook.

- Apple Maps instead of Google Maps (T_T)
- Don't use Chrome. Safari is good if you go full Apple for your PC.
- Stop using Google to search. Duckduckgo is a good alternative.
- Use an iPhone obviously. Can you trust Android won't track you at every opportunity?
- Ditch Gmail, iCloud mail is a good option if you don't need decent web access.
- Give up social media.
- Live under a rock.

The biggest hook in I have at the moment is WhatsApp. I don't like Facebook, but man WhatsApp is killing it.

 

[LiE]

Am i the only person that doesn't really care? If Google/goverments want to see i've driven to a running shop or that i play football a couple times a week and spend all my money on junk then go nuts!

If things make my life easier then i'm fine with it.

This is one view, but if you were given the option would you opt out? It's hard to avoid it, but it's very doable.

 

[Martynt74]

Depends.

If by tracking me i get adverts for stuff i want rather than some gardening secateurs then i'm happy. I know i'm going to get adverts anyway. Might as well be relevant.

 

[LiE]

Depends.

If by tracking me i get adverts for stuff i want rather than some gardening secateurs then i'm happy. I know i'm going to get adverts anyway. Might as well be relevant.

Ads for me haven't been a problem since I run an ad blocker.

I find it creepy that Google has recordings of my voice commands, all my locations and app activity.

Then there is the fact that Google are listening without us knowing and storing that.

 

[Martynt74]

Yeah but what is the demonic reason they're doing it? Ultimately it's for research/surveying/advertising.

Is it creepy? Yeah probably, if someone is actually sat there listening to the sound of me humming while i poo. But in reality they will just pick out keywords to improve targeted advertising.

Also by having their devices in my house i'm pretty sure i benefit a lot more than they do.