Does this site use google analytics?
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- Thread starter Caribou
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Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:
I don't think it 'uses' them, but if there are any Google ads on the site, Google is 'listening' to what is being said here.
I have posted about the ads I saw on other websites that 'magically' appeared, that just happened to be about something I read about on a thread here earlier.
If you are accessing this site via an Android device Google has logged your every keystroke.
And of course if your computer browser is Chrome Google owns that too.
And of course if your computer browser is Chrome Google owns that too.
They watch every move you make! Nothing goes unseen!!
All except the "private" areas.
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Some of us still have some doubt about private messages, etc. We just work around it.
It's like when I am house sitting and have been told there are no cameras, but end up with messages like, "Open the blinds on that window for the cat." How did they know that one wasn't open?
Live like you are on camera!! And I always assume that if you type it in to your computer or device, they know about it!!
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Exactly, live like you are on camera. Also, assume that if there is a device that you can talk to and it responds, like Alexa, they can also be listening! All the houses that I house sit or visit have these devices. You can talk to Alexa or Google, or someone. "Google, turn on the kitchen lights." and voila, they come on!
Like the recent shooting of the healthcare CEO, so many cameras and listening devices in our world.
get a fake IP generator from pirate bay y'all.
I recently purchased a Samsung TV. It has voice recognition, so I assume that TV is listening to every conversation. Now, if some freak wants to listen to what two old farts are talking about while watching TV, well, go for it.
Boring!
Boring!
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LOL! I have long thought that televisions and our cell phones are listening to us! Whenever I talk about certain things with someone, I am no longer surprised that ads for that topic come up when I am online.
I have always kept the microphone on my tablet turned off, but DW keeps hers turned on in her laptop.
I have posted before about going into her room and us discussing a product, by name...
I go back to my tablet in my room, visit a totally unrelated website, and Magically there are Google ads for the exact product we talked about.
I never login to my Google account unless absolutely necessary. I log out as soon as I've done what I need to do. This is easy enough on a computer. Almost impossible on an Android smartphone.
My computer blocks all Google storage (cookies, etc.) And it also blocks running scripts. There are a ton of things that I have to selectively enable scripting for - otherwise they don't work. Google Maps is one example that doesn't work without javascript. Some Google searches (but not all) don't work without javascript. I have found out recently that YouTube videos now stop dead at the one minute mark if I am blocking everything. They didn't used to. No doubt this is a recent development by Google to prevent people like me from denying them access. It is getting harder and harder to block these tech companies from spying on you. They're getting better as closing the loopholes we've enjoyed in the past.
If you really want to "be private", you're going to have to go to extremes. You need to use Tor. You need to use a proxy. You need to do a one-time boot of your computer running a clean OS and load the entire OS into memory (so when you reboot, any traces of your activity disappear with the power switch). Anything capable of persistent storage (hard disks, SSD's, thumbdrives, etc.) cannot remain connected to your computer. You can never use an email or anything that can come back to identify you (which rules out ay normally obtained email address). You must alter your "online personality" and manner of "speaking" so that nobody will recognize you. You never mention or use anything that can track to your location. Webcams and microphones are out. Basically, you have to treat the normal web exactly like when you are operating on the Dark Web. This kind of stuff is not feasible for the unknowledgeable. Once you do all this stuff, don't be surprised when your internet speeds are close to what you used to have with that old 386 computer and a 9600 baud modem. That's part of the deal when you're bouncing your traffic to Russia, then Turkey, then Iceland, then Guatemala, then South Korea, etc.
But if you're willing to do all this, can navigate through the problems it will cause with some websites, and are satisfied with moving at a sloth's pace, you can indeed remain pretty private from Googles tentacles.
My computer blocks all Google storage (cookies, etc.) And it also blocks running scripts. There are a ton of things that I have to selectively enable scripting for - otherwise they don't work. Google Maps is one example that doesn't work without javascript. Some Google searches (but not all) don't work without javascript. I have found out recently that YouTube videos now stop dead at the one minute mark if I am blocking everything. They didn't used to. No doubt this is a recent development by Google to prevent people like me from denying them access. It is getting harder and harder to block these tech companies from spying on you. They're getting better as closing the loopholes we've enjoyed in the past.
If you really want to "be private", you're going to have to go to extremes. You need to use Tor. You need to use a proxy. You need to do a one-time boot of your computer running a clean OS and load the entire OS into memory (so when you reboot, any traces of your activity disappear with the power switch). Anything capable of persistent storage (hard disks, SSD's, thumbdrives, etc.) cannot remain connected to your computer. You can never use an email or anything that can come back to identify you (which rules out ay normally obtained email address). You must alter your "online personality" and manner of "speaking" so that nobody will recognize you. You never mention or use anything that can track to your location. Webcams and microphones are out. Basically, you have to treat the normal web exactly like when you are operating on the Dark Web. This kind of stuff is not feasible for the unknowledgeable. Once you do all this stuff, don't be surprised when your internet speeds are close to what you used to have with that old 386 computer and a 9600 baud modem. That's part of the deal when you're bouncing your traffic to Russia, then Turkey, then Iceland, then Guatemala, then South Korea, etc.
But if you're willing to do all this, can navigate through the problems it will cause with some websites, and are satisfied with moving at a sloth's pace, you can indeed remain pretty private from Googles tentacles.
How about going into "Incognito" mode?
You’ve gone Incognito
Others who use this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately. This won't change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google. Downloads, bookmarks and reading list items will be saved.Chrome won’t save:
- Your browsing history
- Cookies and site data
- Information entered in forms
- Websites you visit
- Your employer or school
- Your internet service provider
Just play this over & over & over 24-7-365
Brave offers a :
Almost never need to be "gray" enough to use the VPN with TOR.
In addition, my browsers purge their history on ending the program.
Private Window
Brave never remembers what you do in a Private Window. Sites you visit won't show up in your history. Cookies, form data, and site data vanish when you close the window. Note that your activity could still be visible to your internet service provider, passive network observers, or your employer (if you're using a work machine or network). For more privacy, open a private window with Tor.Almost never need to be "gray" enough to use the VPN with TOR.
In addition, my browsers purge their history on ending the program.
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I'll have what she's having.
That just keeps YOU (or your spouse!) from seeing your own history. It doesn't do a thing to stop Google or other places from spying on you.
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Husband has a ton of listening devices, even the three new tv's he bought recently...his phone, the Alexa, and I'm sure there's more. I dislike them all.
I have a step son who is an investigator for a law enforcement agency which shall remain nameless.
What they can get from your computer, phone, etc when they have a warrant is unbelievable. He has told me in a general way about how and what kind of info they have gotten for several past cases. It's scary.
And did you know that if you connect your phone to your car's sound system, either via a cord or Bluetooth, that you just permanently downloaded the entire contents of your phone into your vehicle? Photos, contacts, your entire browsing history, and so much more. Cops can find out a LOT about you and what you do that way.
Anyone who uses Alexa or Cortana or has a Smart TV or uses any appliances that connect to the internet have shredded any privacy they thought they may have.
What they can get from your computer, phone, etc when they have a warrant is unbelievable. He has told me in a general way about how and what kind of info they have gotten for several past cases. It's scary.
And did you know that if you connect your phone to your car's sound system, either via a cord or Bluetooth, that you just permanently downloaded the entire contents of your phone into your vehicle? Photos, contacts, your entire browsing history, and so much more. Cops can find out a LOT about you and what you do that way.
Anyone who uses Alexa or Cortana or has a Smart TV or uses any appliances that connect to the internet have shredded any privacy they thought they may have.
FYI, none of that incognito or private browsing stuff does anything. Google just lost a big lawsuit over it. Pay for a quality VPN, use a strong browser like Brave/Firefox, adjust your privacy settings, add ad blocking, targeted opt out, never track, etc. and surf like someone is still watching.
When Fred Meyer’s was clearing space for their line of smart TV’s I bought three dumb TY’s. The wife came home from Costco with a robot vacuum. I read the back of the box and found a statement that the robot met FCC regulation XXXX. When I looked up that regulation it was about cell phones. The wife took the vacuum back.
The wife just picked up my very first smart phone. She’ll bring it with her and I’ll have it this weekend. It is a de-googled phone so unless I install a Google app Google can’t get into my phone. Question: Can I just move the card over to my new phone or do I have to take it to my provider?
https://privatephoneshop.com/#shop
The wife just picked up my very first smart phone. She’ll bring it with her and I’ll have it this weekend. It is a de-googled phone so unless I install a Google app Google can’t get into my phone. Question: Can I just move the card over to my new phone or do I have to take it to my provider?
https://privatephoneshop.com/#shop
I know it is comforting for people to think they have protected themselves by not having voice assistants (like Alexa), not having "smart" TV's, having only flip phones - but that is all just a false feeling of security.
Your flip phone - that's digital, because analog cell phone service was discontinued many years ago. Your flip phone has an internet connection. It has a CPU. It runs software. The only thing that really makes it any different than a smart phone is that it doesn't give YOU the ability to run apps. It doesn't have a high-res and large display. But that flip phone is just as capable of spying on you as any smart phone is. The one place where it might help is you can't install any rogue apps on it. Because you can't install any apps at all. However, that does not mean that it's not running software with the ability to track and spy on you. It is.
Do you have a car that is less than 10 or 15 years old? Sorry - you are being spied on. Your location, things you have said in the car. Pretty much everything. New cars are one of the absolute worst invaders of privacy.
Do you have sleep apnea and use CPAP? All of those machines made in recent years have a cellular connection and the ability to monitor and upload data on you.
Do you go to grocery stores and use one of their "store loyalty cards" to get the savings they offer? Do you pay by credit card? Oh, you use cash. Where do you get the cash from? The bank? An ATM machine? Whoopsie!
Do you have any younger relatives who might have snapped a picture of the two of you together? By default those capture the GPS coordinates where the photo was taken. And that young relative probably posted the picture on Facebook and "tagged" you. So not only do they know where you live (if the picture was taken there), they know what you look like.
Have you never spoken in someone else's house, or place of business, that may have so-called "listening devices" present?
Never used your email address, or a credit card, or Heaven forbid - the two of them together?
You don't use the internet and a web browser do you?
There are an almost infinite number of ways you are being spied on, tracked, having things about you correlated from different spy sources - you name it.
I'm not sure who is in more danger - the people who know they are being spied upon and behave with this understanding, or the people that falsely think they have immunized themselves against spying and behave as if they're free to do as they please since "nobody can get to me". Personally, I am in, and would rather be in, the first group. You simply can't do much to prevent being spied on these days. You could a decade or two ago, but not now. That old knowledge/experience doesn't work any more. However, you can do a lot to modify your behavior knowing that you are being spied on. Denying that you are being spied on is a complete illusion and gains you nothing. It really doesn't matter if you have a smart phone or not. It really doesn't matter if you have a voice assistant or not. For every small incremental thing you can do to help, there are a million other things that will totally swamp your efforts in the end. It actually hurts more than it helps to think of yourself as protected.
If you read this post, you are exposed. If you responded to this post, you are even further exposed.
Your flip phone - that's digital, because analog cell phone service was discontinued many years ago. Your flip phone has an internet connection. It has a CPU. It runs software. The only thing that really makes it any different than a smart phone is that it doesn't give YOU the ability to run apps. It doesn't have a high-res and large display. But that flip phone is just as capable of spying on you as any smart phone is. The one place where it might help is you can't install any rogue apps on it. Because you can't install any apps at all. However, that does not mean that it's not running software with the ability to track and spy on you. It is.
Do you have a car that is less than 10 or 15 years old? Sorry - you are being spied on. Your location, things you have said in the car. Pretty much everything. New cars are one of the absolute worst invaders of privacy.
Do you have sleep apnea and use CPAP? All of those machines made in recent years have a cellular connection and the ability to monitor and upload data on you.
Do you go to grocery stores and use one of their "store loyalty cards" to get the savings they offer? Do you pay by credit card? Oh, you use cash. Where do you get the cash from? The bank? An ATM machine? Whoopsie!
Do you have any younger relatives who might have snapped a picture of the two of you together? By default those capture the GPS coordinates where the photo was taken. And that young relative probably posted the picture on Facebook and "tagged" you. So not only do they know where you live (if the picture was taken there), they know what you look like.
Have you never spoken in someone else's house, or place of business, that may have so-called "listening devices" present?
Never used your email address, or a credit card, or Heaven forbid - the two of them together?
You don't use the internet and a web browser do you?
There are an almost infinite number of ways you are being spied on, tracked, having things about you correlated from different spy sources - you name it.
I'm not sure who is in more danger - the people who know they are being spied upon and behave with this understanding, or the people that falsely think they have immunized themselves against spying and behave as if they're free to do as they please since "nobody can get to me". Personally, I am in, and would rather be in, the first group. You simply can't do much to prevent being spied on these days. You could a decade or two ago, but not now. That old knowledge/experience doesn't work any more. However, you can do a lot to modify your behavior knowing that you are being spied on. Denying that you are being spied on is a complete illusion and gains you nothing. It really doesn't matter if you have a smart phone or not. It really doesn't matter if you have a voice assistant or not. For every small incremental thing you can do to help, there are a million other things that will totally swamp your efforts in the end. It actually hurts more than it helps to think of yourself as protected.
If you read this post, you are exposed. If you responded to this post, you are even further exposed.
I don't care who watches my browsing history as long as they don't steal my email address, (which 2 websites have done).
They let me know that my email is still working on days when I get 'no mail'.
I can easily 'unsubscribe' from them in seconds, but I keep them around.
If anybody wants to know, I can post them followed with "DON'T CLICK HERE!".
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Like many things, it has come on gradually, one device, one way of tracking us after another. We were in too deep to even realize it before we woke up to the reality of it all. I would think that if you are here, on HCL, you are already too deep to back out.
I have guarded my SSN most of my adult life. People thought I was nuts. My cousin in particular thought I was crazy, until her identity was stolen. She spent the rest of her life fighting to clear her credit from a gal that opened a fake checking account in her name. The bank, knowing full well that her identity had been stolen, kept coming after my cousin. On my cousin's death bed the ID thief started cashing rubber checks again. I have no illusion that I’m protected from ID theft but I am a smaller target than most.
We never tie any phone into the car. I have 2 CPAP machines of the same model. One is tied into the internet for my doctor, the other has that part turned off. The VA paid for the one and my doctor sees me telephonically so I don’t have an option. I can see the frown over the phone when I tell him that I was using the other machine. It is possible to disconnect your CPAP from the net.
I use Proton Mail and they provide me with alias email addresses. Whenever I go to a new site I get an alias email. They can track my actions at that site but they can’t follow me across the net. I’m in the process of getting multiple credit cards for specific uses. Again, all I expect is to make myself a smaller target.
We never tie any phone into the car. I have 2 CPAP machines of the same model. One is tied into the internet for my doctor, the other has that part turned off. The VA paid for the one and my doctor sees me telephonically so I don’t have an option. I can see the frown over the phone when I tell him that I was using the other machine. It is possible to disconnect your CPAP from the net.
I use Proton Mail and they provide me with alias email addresses. Whenever I go to a new site I get an alias email. They can track my actions at that site but they can’t follow me across the net. I’m in the process of getting multiple credit cards for specific uses. Again, all I expect is to make myself a smaller target.
Is the SIM card compatible with the new phone?
I will know this weekend but I expect it is.
