Google146;s Omnipresent Tracking Much Harder to Leave than an ISP for Privacy
quote:If you are online, you can’t escape Google’s myriad of ways it tracks you, but you can leave your ISP.
A famous 2009 Google Blog post boasted that: “Google is not the Hotel California — you can check out any time you like and you CAN, in fact, leave!”
Since Google chose that apt metaphor, and boasted about how easy Google makes it to “check out” your private data and “leave” to a competitor, lets test if you can ever “in fact leave” Google-Eye’s pervasively invasive online surveillance — from a privacy perspective.
The FCC seems to be very pro-active right now over various issues. It is quite refreshing to see.
So many questions on security and privacy has fallen on deaf ears previously. -- The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke
While I agree that Google should have a "flush" method to remove my data, the author makes light of being able to switch ISPs. Most of us are faced with a choice of two ISPs. One bargain basement low speed DSL or a cable provider.
A large majority of web admins/webmasters choose to utilize Google Analytics due to the sophisticated functionality & granularity of the reporting tools. However those same admins overlook the fact that Google will do what it pleases with this data & fracturing the end user's privacy to no avail... there needs to be a happy medium. Google should have an opt-out for its Analytics engine that prevents disbursement of data and silos the data to the particular Analytics account holder(s). But of course that would defy Google's logic and plans for data omnipotence so thats a no go.
The final article listed in the blog (OP's post) says Google does provide a way to opt out of its Analytics.
I didn't check it out because I have always blocked Google analytics (and everything else Google). I use a Host file and Ghostery, Disconnect and on Fx also Fx Tracking Protection turned on globablly with the strictest of Disconnect's block lists that Fx uses).
My one problem is websites where Google maps are EMBEDDED. I don't know how to avoid Google in those cases particularly where there is only the ONE site that I can use. ie...the information I need is not on any other site but the one that embeds Google maps.
Is there a way to block embedded Google maps at websites? The particular website I am thinking of, I didn't need a map. Is there a way to block the Google maps in the Hosts file? Or some other way? -- When governments fear people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. Thomas Jefferson
The basic premise in that blog is absurd. I guess the author livesin a gigantic city with lots of ISPs to choose from. ..."but you can leave your ISP"....really? I can't. There is no other ISP here.
As for Google, I never joined Google. I agree with the quote from the last link in the blog:
"The whole experience reminded me of a quote from Marc Andreessen, the man who created Netscape, the first Web-browsing software, back in 1994. “The spread of computers and the Internet will put jobs in two categories,” Andreessen said in a 2012 interview. “People who tell computers what to do, and people who are told by computers what to do.”
I've always been suspicious of Google. There was only one article in that list in the blog that I hadn't already read some time ago.
I don't communicate with anyone using gmail which boils down to my using email ONLY to register at forums, to make a rare purchase on the internet, but never use email in several years now with friends. Google killed email as far as I am concerned.
I use only Duckduckgo for search, I don't have a smart phone, I block Google analytics in my hosts file and with Ghostery. I block ads at most web sites automatically partly because I don't want Google tracking me.
I do have a problem regarding youtube and Google embedded maps at so many websites now. Youtube I rarely visit and I block cookies there but occasionally I need to see a video that is at Youtube. Google embedded maps are what I really don't like these days as I don't know how to avoid them. Those linked articles didn't mention how either.
Of course, I don't use Chrome browser. -- When governments fear people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. Thomas Jefferson
however GA account holders cannot opt-out of Google's data usage.
Well, that makes sense. But to me, allowing end users to opt out makes ZERO sense as that means you have to allow Google cookies! I would NEVER do that. I've never had a Google account and never will. -- When governments fear people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. Thomas Jefferson
said by Mele20 :Is there a way to block embedded Google maps at websites?
How are the maps embedded? If they use an iframe tag, you could block iframes. If they use javascript, you could block the script. Or you could block the domain.
For example, I see nothing here: http://img.labnol.org/files/non-responsive-google-maps.html
Firefox Tracking Protection blocks the map.
The resource at "https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m12!1m3!1d49683.37568651638!2d-77.0365184!3d38.8962904!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!5e0!3m2!1sen!2s!4v1385703808650" was blocked because tracking protection is enabled.
If I disable Firefox Tracking Protection, NoScript blocks the Google scripts, so I still see nothing.
I have to disable Firefox Tracking Protection and then allow 1) google.com, 2) maps.googleapis.com and 3) gstatic.com in NoScript in order to see the embedded map.
I know you don't use NoScript, but even if I allow all those scripts in NoScript, the map won't display until I disable Firefox Tracking Protection. Since you use Firefox Tracking Protection too, I'm wondering why you see the maps.
After I allowed EVERYTHING - one blocker disabled, then another, etc (had to disable Proxo, uMatrix, then 25 trackers at Ghostery and then Fx Tracking Protection to just get to the point where I could see there are two classes but not WHEN they are or how to register. I could see the Google map showing me the location (didn't need that as Hilo is not a huge city and I know the location).
Anyhow, no way could I get Fx to show me the times and how to register. So, I did it on Vivaldi in a few seconds. (I also tried Pale Moon and it had more problems than Fx). I was using my default Fx 43 profile. Maybe it would have shown me the times and how to register if I had switched to my second Fx Portable profile that has very little tweaking. On every browser (including Opera 12.18) it gets to a point where it says "loading data" and never loads it even after 5 minutes. On Vivaldi, it loads the data in a couple of seconds and data is the times/dates of the classes.
(An aside but only two classes before my insurance is due as I pay it in August to get extra miles on my credit card that are not available in September. So, I need to take a class before the end of August. I was surprised only two and they may be full (the instructor has not called me back after I left a message Monday). So, I may have to take it online. AARP website is HORRIBLE about tracking so I almost never visit it and Fx is hopeless there. I'm glad I have Vivaldi now as I can use it if I have to take the online class (costs more than the real one and up until Vivaldi none of my browsers would work for the online class three years ago and I didn't have Vivaldi then). Vivaldi works, of course, mainly because it is the latest version of Chromium and all websites configure for that now and because you can't add security stuff to it. (At least I see no Chrome extensions that are security/privacy minded).
With your link, I saw a grid on Fx 43. I pulled up uMatrix and saw an iframe it was blocking which I figured was the map. So, I bypassed uMatrix for that site and got a completely blank page. Then I noticed Firefox Tracking Protection was blocking there after I disabled uMatrix. I didn't look at Web Console so not sure what exactly it was blocking. I turned off protection and the map popped up. I was wanting to know generally how to block the Google maps not how to do it for the AARP site as Fx doesn't work right there and I have to use Vivaldi. -- When governments fear people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. Thomas Jefferson
said by Mele20 :I was wanting to know generally how to block the Google maps....
I don't see them. Firefox Tracking Protection blocks them. That's why I asked you for a link where you see embedded Google maps. There are different ways to embed them, which may require different solutions.
My previous post was simply to show that the map won't display at that site until I disable Firefox Tracking Protection.
Check which blocklist you are using. The Firefox Tracking Protection strict blocklist blocks them. The basic blocklist does not.
Also, you said you have always blocked everything Google so you should be blocking the maps. I know you're blocking google.com. Are you also blocking maps.googleapis.com?
Check which blocklist you are using. The Firefox Tracking Protection strict blocklist blocks them. The basic blocklist does not.
I'm using the strict blocklist. I had to disable it for the AARP site because gecko browsers (at least the ones I have) have serious problems with that site. Even a brand new SeaMonkey 2.40 profile can't load the page and it has no extensions on it. When you click on the search icon to search for classes in your area the screen dims and the Goggle map loads partially and the search box says two classes found but you can't get further information because the site never fully loads and you can't stop the loading. It's probably the Google map that doesn't fully load but is trying until you leave the site that is keeping the class information from loading.
I don't have Google maps in my Hosts file because I might forget if I do that. If I go to Honolulu, I need to use Google Maps from TheBus website. Three months ago it was still excellent. Now on all my gecko browsers there is text on top of text where you type in your destination, etc. and much more limited choices. That is a result of smart phones I think as Google must assume no one wants to get a showing of several routes and times so you can choose the best one for you. Google assumes everyone is using their smart phone on the fly to get the best route AT THAT MOMENT..no planning ahead from your computer before you take your trip. UGH. It is really hard now to use the tool from your computer in advance to make plans. At least there is no text on top of text with Vivaldi. Plus, the gecko browsers show me a full map of Oahu ...they can't seem to show a map of where I am leaving from and want to get to using TheBus. They used to show the specific map but not anymore. Vivaldi shows the specific map.
Anyhow, I was hoping for some way to block Google Maps in like a black list and then allow say TheBus in a white list. -- When governments fear people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. Thomas Jefferson
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