Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

Algaris · 2019-11-11 09:17:55

I use Vivaldi (which is based on Chromium) for its customisability but more and more these days I start wondering if I should switch to Firefox.

WebmistressM · 2019-11-11 23:19:05

I use Firefox as a browser, but I have always had other browsers to look at stuff through. Maybe test stuff. Despite my thoughts on Chrome I realize Im stuck having to remain involved in making sure my websites (including TextPattern ) are compatible with Chrome.

Algaris wrote #320000:

I use Vivaldi (which is based on Chromium) for its customisability but more and more these days I start wondering if I should switch to Firefox.

colak · 2019-11-12 06:18:51

Even FF is problematic as Mozilla gets much of its funding from Google. I am also hugely sceptical of their recent, aggressive expansion to the cloud.

phiw13 · 2019-11-12 09:03:48

colak wrote #320011:

Even FF is problematic as Mozilla gets much of its funding from Google. I am also hugely sceptical of their recent, aggressive expansion to the cloud.

hmm, yeah their Cloud (cloudy?) business is not that nice. And their attempts to force the DNS-over-HTTPS down everybody’s treat is downright ugly. On the flip side their Tracking Prevention is very interesting – when set to strict it obviates the need of an ad blocker (!). I still prefer Safari by far.

I don’t have Chromium browsers installed anywhere, except on my iMac where I have Brave to test websites on that rendering engine. I certainly would not install Chrome itself.

Edit: some links on DNS over HTTPS.

Last edited by phiw13 (2019-11-12 09:05:39)

zero · 2019-11-12 16:33:05

Another Google acquisition of personal data

I recently had a hernia repair paid by the National Health Service performed at a private hospital (private hospitals perform many operations cos of public health services being so busy. They then bill the NHS). I was called to see the anaesthetist before the op and he knew all about me, had all my records on his computer but was worried I wasn’t taking any drugs. He was covering his back and I had to sign a form to allow him and the surgeon to do whatever they saw fit.

What’s interesting is that the private hospital had my medical records that went back at least 20 years, whereas when at public health places, GP surgeries etc, I am forever having to repeat my details because it seems that one department does not pass on personal details to another department. I say seems because the doctors might be able to view all my details whereas the admin staff are paid to follow protocol. I’m not bothered either way but perhaps I should be? Now that Google has access in USA, it will not be long before they have access in the UK, especially if the right-wingers win the election coming up in a month’s time.

Knowledge is power and Google’s purpose appears to be to collect all the information of 8 billion people, for starters.

Algaris · 2019-11-13 10:01:42

I realise my post is a sidetrack from the original topic, so apologies in advanced.

phiw13 wrote #320013:

I still prefer Safari by far.

I’ve tried Safari a few times but I find it’s less customisable than other browsers and doesn’t have all of the plugins that I use in either Vivaldi or Firefox. I do however love the integration Safari has with macOS.

zero wrote #320027:

…especially if the right-wingers win the [UK] election coming up in a month’s time.

Yeah I’m worried about that too.

phiw13 · 2019-11-13 23:12:06

zero wrote #320027:

Another Google acquisition of personal data

And now it seems thy’ll go into banking (are technica link, as I had this one at hand) as well (checkin accounts). But promise in all cases “we won sell your data’. Right, don‘t laugh, that is bad for blood pressure.

Naked Capitalism has an item on that health records issue. It appears they didn’t even had a contract (prolly because their search engine is so bad).

Incidentally, Zero, that Naked Capitalism site is another victim of Google agressive filtering out of information that does not match the established truth.
(and they are such a middle of the road site)

Knowledge is power and Google’s purpose appears to be to collect all the information of 8 billion people, for starters.

Yeah, that has been the purpose since day one – we want to know all about you – but they never made so clear as now what that actually mean.

bici · 2019-11-14 01:08:46

i sense my soul is being googled

evil bastard wankers

gaekwad · 2019-11-14 10:32:04

If you want to make a practical difference with how Google et al track you, set up a Raspberry Pi with Pi-Hole on your home/office network. It’s straightforward, largely set and forget, and you’ll start seeing changes in how your network works.

Just don’t dwell too much on the volume of tracking that Instagram does, especially if your household/workplace has a lot of social media-ites.

Edit: my Pi-Hole admin, if you’re curious – imgur.com/LTQ0gM0 (image safe for work). Note that the two graphs with overlay text look fine in a browser, I used a screen grabber to get the image. Also note that someone else in my house spends a lot of time on Instagram…

Edit #2: I’m also a big fan of AdGuard (pay-for), totally worth the money in my opinion. imgur.com/kWW7xEc (image safe for work)

Last edited by gaekwad (2019-11-14 11:18:10)

jakob · 2021-03-03 22:07:43

A potential alternative in the offing: Brave.search. Not much to go on as yet but “Hope for the future” perhaps? (Announcement on Twitter with notification of a waitlist for early testers).

bici · 2021-03-04 02:22:49

jakob wrote #329102:

A potential alternative in the offing: Brave.search. Not much to go on as yet but “Hope for the future” perhaps? (Announcement on Twitter with notification of a waitlist for early testers).

i installed Brave.. then it abruptly pissed me right off… i get prompts about bitcoin. F$%K BITCOIN!

phiw13 · 2021-03-04 03:05:37

bici wrote #329103:

i installed Brave.. then it abruptly pissed me right off… i get prompts about bitcoin. F$%K BITCOIN!

:-)

I use Brave to test layouts etc on the Chromium engine but I certainly would not use it for daily necessities. They do good work in the field of privacy protection and anti-tracking protection, though.

jakob wrote #329102:

A potential alternative in the offing: Brave.search. Not much to go on as yet but “Hope for the future” perhaps?

Reading their twitter text, and that webpage, me goes Hmmm. But OK, more players in that field, more fun!

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#13 2019-11-11 09:17:55

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

#14 2019-11-11 23:19:05

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

Algaris wrote #320000:

#15 2019-11-12 06:18:51

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

#16 2019-11-12 09:03:48

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

colak wrote #320011:

#17 2019-11-12 16:33:05

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

#18 2019-11-13 10:01:42

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

phiw13 wrote #320013:

zero wrote #320027:

#19 2019-11-13 23:12:06

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

zero wrote #320027:

#20 2019-11-14 01:08:46

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

#21 2019-11-14 10:32:04

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

#22 2021-03-03 22:07:43

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

#23 2021-03-04 02:22:49

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

jakob wrote #329102:

#24 2021-03-04 03:05:37

Re: Fook Google and its fookin' sheet

bici wrote #329103:

jakob wrote #329102:

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