I created a google takeout and in that zip file I found some files containing a ton of data about me. It has logged every single page I visited while using the google search engine and chrome browser. It even logged every single time I opened an app on my old android phone. It even has VOICE RECORDINGS of me and a log of every time I used google assistant. This is just some of the data and I’m very sure there is even more data they have.
1984 ( @1984@lemmy.today ) 36•4 months agoThey may even save every Google meet meeting for all we know. They may train their AI on how our faces look in meetings.
Nothing is too creepy for Google.
PopMyCop ( @PopMyCop@iusearchlinux.fyi ) English1•4 months agoThe faces training was all of the filters. Every single time someone took a video or picture and used filters to add cute moe eyes, or make themselves look like a crab, it was being used to make whichever company was doing it have a better bottom line or to accelerate their facial recognition.
wall_inhabiter ( @wall_inhabiter@lemdro.id ) English35•4 months agoJust imagine what Microsoft and Apple are getting thru telemetry
Kbin_space_program ( @Kbin_space_program@kbin.social ) 17•4 months agoYou do realize that Google is far worse than Apple and Microsoft combined right?
Possibly linux ( @possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip ) English13•4 months agoNot really although its hard to objectively prove anything
GBU_28 ( @GBU_28@lemm.ee ) English8•4 months ago“ghengis Khan killed more people than Hitler ya know, right?”
Kbin_space_program ( @Kbin_space_program@kbin.social ) 3•4 months agoAs a percentage of population, so did Julius Caesar.
The reality is that Google is entirely dependent on ads and selling your data.
Apple and Microsoft, it’s just a happy side gig they can do.
Apple makes its money selling mediocre hardware and software for a premium markup.
Microsoft makes money selling Windows, Office(+Teams) and Azure to business users then from video games, then ad revenue. GBU_28 ( @GBU_28@lemm.ee ) English4•4 months agoMissed the point
Kbin_space_program ( @Kbin_space_program@kbin.social ) 1•4 months agoOh I got your point, but I also reject it. Google is objectively making the internet worse.
There isn’t any reasonable comparison to Apple or MS outside of they’re all too big and too unregulated.
GBU_28 ( @GBU_28@lemm.ee ) English1•4 months agoWell, that’s wrong. They all collect data and telemetry on you.
rhebucks-zh ( @rhebucks-zh@incremental.social ) 1•4 months agoHitler also tortured people
GBU_28 ( @GBU_28@lemm.ee ) English2•4 months agoOk
wall_inhabiter ( @wall_inhabiter@lemdro.id ) English3•4 months agoDoesn’t have anything to do with Microsoft and Apple’s market share on PC which is what I was thinking of.
Besides, it wasn’t like I was saying Google’s mobile telemetry is less invasive on Android, where they compete with Apple for being as creepy as possible. IIRC windows phones haven’t taken off
ursakhiin ( @ursakhiin@beehaw.org ) 2•4 months agoThis is entirely speculation on your part.
Google has been more transparent that it happens. Apple is definitely collecting information on everything you do on their devices as well. It may be just as much info.
With their new pay later feature, you know they are at least collecting enough info to make financial decisions based on your profile.
They also collect health data using the watch.
They collect more than that in order to better understand how to keep people in their ecosystem. I’d wager the latter will about cover what OP was surprised by Google capturing.
Microsoft is another story. They are the most valuable tech company in the world right now due to AI. Which indicates that they are training some powerful AI on data that has been gathered in a number of places.
Vlarb ( @Vlarbgersplah@lemmy.ml ) English0•4 months agoI see it as good reason to distance myself from all of these mega data harvesting corporations to the best of my ability. Same goes for meta and tiktok. Why bicker about which is worst when they all are varying degrees of terrible?
Kbin_space_program ( @Kbin_space_program@kbin.social ) 1•4 months agoYup. It’s a slow process for me, but honestly the fediverse is proving a great resource for that.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 0•4 months agoYou know they can suck up Activity Pub and sell that too, right?
The only difference on the fediverse is that all of them can mine the data, instead of just one of them.
helenslunch ( @helenslunch@feddit.nl ) 1•4 months agoThe difference is in what type of data is made available. They can’t suck up your IP address through ActivityPub.
helenslunch ( @helenslunch@feddit.nl ) 0•4 months agoWhy bicker about which is worst when they all are varying degrees of terrible?
Because using none of them is unrealistic.
Vlarb ( @Vlarbgersplah@lemmy.ml ) English2•4 months agoIt takes some effort, but this is untrue. You can easily degoogle many phones with a privacy oriented OS. If you want to avoid Apple, make sure you’re not buying an iphone. Install Linux on your computer and use libre open source programs, a privacy oriented email and messaging app. If you need to watch youtube, at least use a proper front end for it. I don’t think anyone needs facebook or tiktok, I’ve been able to just walk away from those without alternatives.
There are manageable approaches to distance yourself almost entirely from these spy companies if you really want to. You can do it slowly, or pick one company at a time to get away from. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and even small steps in the right direction are beneficial to your privacy.
tyler ( @tyler@programming.dev ) 15•4 months agoFucking whataboutism. Apple and Microsoft aren’t ad companies. They’re hardware and software companies. They don’t have to collect data on you to literally make any money, Google does. If Google doesn’t track everything you do they’re incapable of making money. The same is absolutely not true for ms and Apple.
wall_inhabiter ( @wall_inhabiter@lemdro.id ) English12•4 months agoWhataboutism? Where did I say this makes what Google is doing better? They all work together. God you people are dense.
Microsoft and Apple absolutely are ad companies lmfao.
Possibly linux ( @possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip ) English6•4 months agoMicrosoft is a ad company and Apple locks you in so you only buy there proprietary products. I don’t see how they are better
wall_inhabiter ( @wall_inhabiter@lemdro.id ) English1•4 months agoApple is still an ad company they just want to cordon off their “private ad system” with their VPN products and hide my email shit. Don’t trust Apple at all myself
rhebucks-zh ( @rhebucks-zh@incremental.social ) 1•4 months agoespecially now that they give out Windows upgrades for free
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoThe point of calling ou twhataboutism is that we should condemn both of them
folkrav ( @folkrav@lemmy.ca ) 4•4 months agoOf all three, Google has the most skin in that game, for what it’s worth, IMHO. They’re an advertising company first and foremost, and it shows in all of their products’ feature sets and privacy policies.
But we also can’t trust either of them lol
Churbleyimyam ( @Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ) 2•4 months agoData has become even more valuable with AI. All big tech outfits are incentivised to collect it now. Combine that with them being able to and you’re left just having to trust them. If you plan to use their stuff that is.
om1k ( @om1k@sopuli.xyz ) 28•4 months agodon’t forget if you have location enabled in your phone it tracks every single place you’ve been to
Possibly linux ( @possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip ) English12•4 months agoIt does that even if you turn it off. The setting just controls location access by third party apps.
Lineage os and F-droid is the better solution. It has the advantage of being bloat free as well
Churbleyimyam ( @Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ) 7•4 months agoYou can also use GPS location without any google services running, it just takes a bit longer to find your position when you first connect. OsmAnd or Organic maps from f-droid, which are actually superior apps to google maps in a lot of ways, particularly OsmAnd.
Scary le Poo ( @Scary_le_Poo@beehaw.org ) 5•4 months agoThese apps cannot find addresses in the US. Just a heads up so anyone that sees this doesn’t pull their hair out trying to figure it out. No, it isn’t you, it’s the app.
KISSmyOS ( @KISSmyOS@feddit.de ) 9•4 months agoIt’s not the app, it’s the lack of volunteers mapping addresses in the US.
Don’t pull your hair out, install StreetComplete and take a walk around your neighborhood.And if you find that fun, editing Openstreetmap in the browser isn’t all that hard, either.
If you add addresses you are missing, you can increase the apps utility for yourself directly. Pretty fun seeing the stuff you entered appear in the map. And it doesn’t require any coding skills.Something you can’t do with missing info in Google Maps.
Churbleyimyam ( @Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ) 3•4 months agoThis is very cool. Bookmarked.
N4CHEM ( @N4CHEM@lemmy.ml ) 2•4 months agoTHIS! OsmAnd and Organic Maps are not worse apps because you cannot find some addresses. The data comes from OpenStreetMap, and if it’s missing there it won’t be available in these apps. That’s not a bug, that’s a feature. How? OpenStreetMap data is open and free for everyone to use and edit, it’s like the Wikipedia of maps. No, you don’t have Google mapping everything for you, you should probably chip in and help add addresses if you want a map that doesn’t depend on a huge corporation, a map where you can correct mistakes, and a map that’s free for anyone to use in their apps or websites. Otherwise we depend on what Google wants to map, how they want to map it, and the app that they offer us to access that data.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoWorks fine when you use GPS coordinates
Possibly linux ( @possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip ) English3•4 months agoI had to use Satstat to reset the AGPS data as Lineage os just won’t refresh agps on its own.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoYeah Google Maps isn’t actually a map app. Its for navigation.
WarmSoda ( @WarmSoda@lemm.ee ) 9•4 months agoAnd it can be very wrong about those locations, too. For better or worse, idk. My old phone showed me going to completely different cities on the other side of my state when I went to the corner store.
BoisZoi ( @BoisZoi@lemmy.ml ) 23•4 months agoHave you been under a rock?
suppenloeffel ( @suppenloeffel@feddit.de ) 26•4 months agoI’m really not a fan of such gatekeeping rhetoric.
Congrats on already knowing stuff, I guess. The vast majority of people don’t have the ability, will or exposure to engage with most technical stuff, especially since the concept of (digital) privacy still is surprisingly controversial.
We all benefit from more people caring about privacy. Comments like yours achieve the exact opposite and don’t provide any value at all to the conversation.
Sir_Kevin ( @Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English21•4 months agoThis shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. It’s the same with all the big data companies. Everything you type, say or do gets logged and never deleted.
SharkAttak ( @SharkAttak@kbin.social ) 6•4 months agoThat’s why I’m still in doubt wether to use my fingerprint to unlock my phone. Would be convenient, but where is it stored, who can access it?
Churbleyimyam ( @Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ) 5•4 months agoAnybody with access to your finger, which means they don’t need you to be conscious or even alive to access your phone.
Tak ( @Tak@lemmy.ml ) 2•4 months agoIf they have me dead or unconscious my phone is the least of my concerns.
Churbleyimyam ( @Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ) 7•4 months agoNeeding a password/pattern instead makes them want to keep you alive tho. Good opsec.
Tak ( @Tak@lemmy.ml ) 1•4 months agoTotally. I’m not saying it’s better security just that in a situation like that I’m not really worried about what’s going on with my phone.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 2•4 months agoThats kinda fucked up. So you dont mind if all the conversations with your friends get published publicly?
You’re not a good friend.
Tak ( @Tak@lemmy.ml ) 1•4 months agoMy friends don’t want to use end to end encrypted platforms so it’s one data leak from being public anyway.
Churbleyimyam ( @Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ) 1•4 months agoThe suspect was later arrested in possession of a severed finger and a dank porn stash on the victims mobile phone
SharkAttak ( @SharkAttak@kbin.social ) 3•4 months agoDepends if you wanna be remembered as John Smith instead of “Ah Yeah, John Smith the furry midget lover”
Tak ( @Tak@lemmy.ml ) 1•4 months agoMaybe that’s my kink
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 4•4 months agoIts not everything. Thats hyperbolic. Metadata is usually more profitable then the data itself.
Sir_Kevin ( @Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English1•4 months agoNot literally everything. But if you’re sending unencrypted data via internet, even data you may not be aware of. It’s likely being stored by some company.
zwekihoyy ( @zwekihoyy@lemmy.ml ) 18•4 months agowhile, yes, regardless of your privacy settings google still collects a sickening amount of data on you, much of these things (like voice recordings and location history) can be managed and disabled in the settings. if you wish to go further, grapheneos removes A LOT of tracking potential.
these should be opt in features, but one can opt out of much of them.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoHow is it not zero on Graphene??
zwekihoyy ( @zwekihoyy@lemmy.ml ) 1•4 months agowell if you have play services installed then google is gonna get some data on you.
risencode ( @risencode@lemmy.ml ) 17•4 months agoToday you learned a valuable lesson:
When an online service is free it generally means you’re the product.
conti473 ( @conti473@thelemmy.club ) 8•4 months agoToday companies will snoop your info even if you pay 1000s for a device.
Why wouldn’t they, obviously no one cares
unwarlikeExtortion ( @unwarlikeExtortion@lemmy.ml ) 1•4 months agoIt’s not even online only anymore. You can’t do the setup process of Android OR Windows without connecting to the Internet, and I doubt Apple’s products are any better in that regard.
ivanafterall ( @ivanafterall@kbin.social ) 12•4 months agoYeah, anyone who’s never done this really should. It’s eye-opening to see it go from a theoretical discussion to “HOLY SHIT THEY HAVE ALL MY DATA” in real-time.
glibg10b ( @glibg10b@lemmy.ml ) 10•4 months agoWhat’s a Google takeout?
GolfNovemberUniform ( @GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml ) 8•4 months agoFortunately you can degoogle many Android phones. And stop using big tech products in general. They have a lot of issues, not only a complete lack of privacy
H1jAcK ( @H1jAcK@lemm.ee ) 5•4 months agoI might be looking into a new phone soon, what do you suggest?
iSeth ( @iSeth@lemmy.ml ) 7•4 months agoA pixel, if you buy into GrapheneOS being the pinnacle of security. Otherwise, anything with an unlockable bootloader and LineagOS support.
/home/pineapplelover ( @pineapplelover@lemm.ee ) 4•4 months agoGraphene gang representing
EpicVision ( @EpicVision@monero.town ) 3•4 months agoGang gang
Pringles ( @Pringles@lemm.ee ) 4•4 months agoIt’s actually quite ironic that the best phone to degoogle your life is sold by google.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 3•4 months agoDont forget CalyxOS. IMHO better than Graphene
EpicVision ( @EpicVision@monero.town ) 6•4 months agoCalyxOS has pretty bad security. They install F-Droid and microG with root privileges, don’t release updates regularly and lack many security features of GrapheneOS.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 2•4 months agoDifferent strokes, but I personally dont think yge Graphene devs are trustworthy, and much prefer Calyx.
I’m also not afraid of root. Its how I harden my device (eg firewall)
EpicVision ( @EpicVision@monero.town ) 1•4 months agoGrapheneOS has a built in Firewall that doesn’t require root privileges. Also, you don’t trust the GrapheneOS devs who arguably create one of the most secure operating systems on the planet, which is open source and can be verified by everyone, but you trust Calyx devs who regularly go months without releasing any Android security patches and include highly privileged third party apps in their operating system. Makes a lot of sense.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoOf course it requires root.
EpicVision ( @EpicVision@monero.town ) 1•4 months agoGrapheneOS is amazing
Loucypher ( @Loucypher@lemmy.ml ) 0•4 months agoCan you use banking apps on it?
EpicVision ( @EpicVision@monero.town ) 2•4 months agoYes. Check out this list: https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos
🦄🦄🦄 ( @Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.de ) 2•4 months agoWill this still be true after safetynet is deprecated? Not trying to be difficult, just don’t want to get my hopes up.
Edit: ah its adressed in the link lol
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoWhy would you want to use a banking app on something as insecure as a phone??!?
suppenloeffel ( @suppenloeffel@feddit.de ) 2•4 months agoAs long as you don’t use some shady, unofficial ROM on a phone, most phones are actually vastly more secure than your typical Linux/Windows OS.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 2•4 months agoHow long is your passphrase on your phone compared to your Linux/windows OS?
A phone is designed for quick usability, which is the enemy of security.
Sure, if you have a 20 char password on your phone and never install any sketchy apps, then it might be ok. But the whole phone ecosystem is just less secure because its designed for convince, not security.
EpicVision ( @EpicVision@monero.town ) 2•4 months agoA phone is more secure than most desktop computers. https://youtu.be/Wd4Pa03LvLk
GrapheneOS even significantly improves Android’s already pretty good security model.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoRiiight, someone’s phone with a 4 digit pin that they tap out 100x per day in public in plain view of others (that I can easily pick out of your pocket) is more secure than a laptop with a 20 character passphrase that never leaves my house.
Do you even think about what you’re saying?
EpicVision ( @EpicVision@monero.town ) 2•4 months agoI’m talking about the security model of the platform, not the way you use your devices. If you do your online banking in a browser on your computer and your system gets infected with malware, that malware can access all the files on your computer. Including application data of your browser. It can access your cookies, which your bank’s website uses to store your login information. Such an attack is impossible on a mobile device, since apps can only access their own data, and inter-process communication is heavily restricted. Additionally, mobile operating systems like Android have complex permission systems, as well as kernel-based mandatory access control like SELinux/SE for Android. Your typical desktop OS has none of that. Android also has a strong implementation of Verified Boot, which makes sure that malware can’t persist on your system partition, even after your device gets infected. I recommend this video if you want to learn more about mobile device security: https://youtu.be/yTeAFoQnQPo
Hamartiogonic ( @Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz ) 1•4 months agoWhen your bank tells you that the code booklet will be phased out and mobile app will be the only way in the future.
Loucypher ( @Loucypher@lemmy.ml ) 2•4 months agoBingo
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 2•4 months agoChange banks that take security seriously
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoGet a Pixel and install a custom ROM. Any ROM is fine, just dont install gapps. You actually have to go out of your way to install google crap. By default a new install is google-free
arbocenc ( @arbocenc@kfem.cat ) 1•4 months ago@H1jAcK @GolfNovemberUniform What about a #linux mobile like #pinephone ?
Churbleyimyam ( @Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ) 0•4 months agoLook at which devices are supported my grapheneos, calyxos, /e/os and ubuntu touch/droidian and get the newest one of those that you can afford. Usually a google pixel (ironically) but also fairphone are well supported and are better IMO.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 0•4 months agoUbunto Touch is still a thing? Does it get updated forever like normal Linux distros do?
Churbleyimyam ( @Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ) 2•4 months agoYeah buddy. It’s still getting updates; for how long though depends on the developers of course. Use it and bung them a donation! You can even install full Linux apps on it via Libertine, although it’s slightly easier on Droidian IIRC. Very, very cool stuff.
pearable ( @pearable@lemmy.ml ) 0•4 months agoI bought a fairphone 4 awhile ago from Murena, the only US distributor. Other phones have more bells and whistles but I feel better knowing I can repair it if something goes wrong. If you’re in Europe the FP5 is a good bet but I don’t think anyone is selling them in North America. I don’t know about distribution elsewhere.
GolfNovemberUniform ( @GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml ) 0•4 months agoIf you want a normie phone that you can install a privacy-focused OS on, Google Pixel is a surprisingly good option. Just take a look at the LineageOS’s and GrapheneOS’s officially supported devices lists before purchasing a specific model. You can also choose Xiaomi or Motorola but you won’t be able to lock the bootloader with a custom OS installed on that phones which can create some vulnerabilities. If you want to run Linux on your phone though, you either need a PinePhone or a OnePlus 6 series
Undertaker ( @Undertaker@feddit.de ) 0•4 months agoLook for DivestOS supported devices. What I cannot recommend is Fairphone. Several Hardware issues, support refuses to accept them. The support in general is horrible.
Kind regards
A Fairphone 4 user with /e/OS
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 6•4 months agoHow do you do this?
I have a few dozen google accounts, but most of them I’m locked out of. Even if I enter the correct username and password on the first try, google says I can’t login because I never associated a phone number to the account.
How can I get this data?
Tywele ( @Tywele@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 6•4 months ago blindsight ( @blindsight@beehaw.org ) 2•4 months agoThat only works if you can log in. Otherwise, it would be a massive privacy problem since anyone could takeout anyone’s data.
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoThat tells me to login
Fisch ( @Fisch@lemmy.ml ) 2•4 months agoHave the same issue on one of my accounts. I can login but when I try to do anything, I need to verify by getting a code over SMS. The thing is, the phone number on that account is an old one I don’t have access to anymore. There is no other verification option, I can’t delete it from my account without verification and I’m definitely not adding my actual number.
trippingonthewire ( @trippingonthewire@lemmy.ml ) 3•4 months agoI just deleted my google account. Bye YouTube comments.
I wish I could just delete it. I’m still figuring out things with nextcloud and I run a youtube channel so I can’t do that yet.
Pepsi ( @Pepsi@kbin.social ) 2•4 months agoIf the only reason you’re keeping it is to make and post YouTube videos, it doesn’t sound like you wish you could delete it.
trippingonthewire ( @trippingonthewire@lemmy.ml ) 2•4 months agoYou could create an Odysee channel perhaps, and try to migrate there. Then you’re supporting competition.
fromthenorth ( @fromthenorth@techhub.social ) 2•4 months ago@sidgames5 @trippingonthewire Is there a more privacy-friendly option (non-data siphoning) for video hosting?
delirious_owl ( @delirious_owl@discuss.online ) 1•4 months agoPeer Tube
Fisch ( @Fisch@lemmy.ml ) 1•4 months agoWish I could do that too but my email is still tied to some accounts where I can’t change it
trippingonthewire ( @trippingonthewire@lemmy.ml ) 1•4 months agoYou can’t change the email you use? Are you open to deleting those accounts, and maybe making new ones? Or saying goodbye to those platform’s for good? Customer service could help you change emails, perhaps.
Baleine ( @Baleine@jlai.lu ) 3•4 months agoOmg I shoul do that too
badelf ( @badelf@lemmy.ml ) 2•4 months agoI’ve started using Kagi search. $5/mo for a great search without selling my sh1t.