If you don’t want the NSA to spy on you, don’t use anything with a modem. Otherwise forget about it.
Please post the link to the video before we can discuss. Most of the videos are nothing but conspiracy theories.
The particular one I believe they are talking about is not conspiracy theories. Second Thought: Americans Are Being Watched (and it’s getting worse)
Sure thing round earther
That’s the catch: you can’t not use Google at all if you’re online at all, because Google has managed to insert itself into every little corner of the internet.
And that’s how the surveillance trap has quietly snapped shut on all of us without most of us noticing anything.
George Orwell had it wrong: the surveillance isn’t conducted directly by a tyrannical dictatorship but subtly, indirectly by the private sector in cahoots with the government. And the date he predicted was 40 years off. Other than that, he was right: we live in a full-blown dystopia now.
A good ad-blocker goes a long way. You can block all Google domains with minimal impact to non-Google services.
DNS, most web searches, trackers in apps, location data, just to name a few. Ad blockers won’t help you there.
Using an ad-blocking DNS server solves most of those problems. Mullvad offers a public DNS server with no account required, but there are plenty of options out there.
You should still use a browser extension on top of that for pattern-based URL blocking, but a DNS-based blocker should be your first line of defense.
Maybe DNS or IP blocking, but blocking only in the browser likely won’t be helpful as apps (on basically any platform) also track users by calling assets on their domains.
Well, I am pretty sure the FOSS apps I use don’t have external trackers at least.
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Telling your contacts not to use Google nor Meta/Facebook. If everyone you email use gmail, then Google has all your emails.
If everyone you email use gmail
Using encrypted mail like Mailvelope helps. If they refuse to stop handing everything to GAFAM in any way, they’re really not worthy of private communication.
By the way the CIA uses telegram to let people “securely” contact them. That’s making me believe it is definitely compromised.
Sweet summer child… it’s a LOT! Especially now. Tl;dr FOSS is your friend, EVERY actor you engage with in a capitalist system, even the state itself is an adversary… You WILL be spied on doing modern anything online, you basically need to do a cost/reward calculation about what you are willing to do. There are many reputable online privacy guides, there are communities here on Lemmy, but sadly there’s no good one size fits all solution here in the modern chaotic landscape.
(Glossary: FOSS is FREE open source software, like Linux, among a galaxy of great projects run by humans for humans and not for capital, and all free as in speech, not beer)
free and open not free open
Stay off the internet
What are ways to minimize that besides not using Google?
- Do less online, and more offline?
My journal is paper-based and so are most of the stuff I write, my agenda is paper-based (ok, they still can track the agenda of the people I have appointments with :p), my sketches are seldom shared online, the few photos I value are printed and not stored online. Most people I interact with, I meet them IRL.
- And what you do online, do it using less or even better none of the gafam products and services?
I mean, they want our data. Why make it easy for them to get that while also giving them money to do it?
After 35+ years being their customer, I’m slowly but definitely switching from Apple to Linux. Not because Apple sells bad products (they’re great working tools, I used to earn a decent living working with Mac and iOS) but because I don’t want anything to do with them and their greed (making unfixable/unrepairable device on purpose) and their overarching ability and self-entitlement to destroy every ounce of privacy we once took for granted, as citizens of free and democratic countries.
Even GNU/Linux, I’m starting to wonder if it’s not just a stopgap for me as I really do not agree with the ‘moralization’ of everything that I see happening in FLOSS. Freedom as I define it means people should be allowed to think and speak freely, no matter how much I disagree with them, their ideas and even their fundamental values.
Edit: That may not be much but here is a few of the things I have changed (beside re-using analog a lot more)
- My main computer is now running GNU/Linux. I keep a Mac for a few specifc tasks and because I don’t wnat to throw it away.
- I do not use iCloud anymore (and certainly not Google Drive), and I switched to a small German cloud company (Filen.io). It offers less features, but it’s fully encrypted and secure and don’t track me (check my last blog post if you want to read my reasoning for picking them and not some of the many alternatives),
- I use Proton Mail (I keep my Gmail activa as a trash email, though and only for as long as I will need to transfer all my accounts elsewhere).
- I use LibreOffice instead of MS Office.
- Also, I quit most subscriptions services. Instead, I will donate to FLOSS alternatives even though I often get less features in exchange for my money… I get way more privacy (and freedom).
- The only one I have a hard time leaving is YT: most creators I enjoy are there, not elsewhere.
- Also, I started reading printed books instead of ebooks (here again, feel free to check my blog to see why and how it’s going ;)
edit: clarifications and some details.
The only one I have a hard time leaving is YT
Subscribe to YouTube channels through RSS, view content through a front-end or FLOSS apps. It goes a long way.
That’s not a bad idea, thx!
You need to block Google completely. Simply abstaining from Google services and/or using a browser ad blocker will do you no good — like 80%* of apps / the web include their tracking assets (among many others).
* Just a number I pulled out of my ass, don’t sue me
I think your number is probably too low. As a test, use noscript to block all the google assets and see how many sites you can still use. Not many.
I’ve been blocking Google domains completely (except for OCSP) for almost a year (using DNS). I’m sure some domains use Google Cloud and slip past the DNS blocks, but usually the only things that break are captchas and some shitty old websites that pull jQuery from a Google domain (why would anyone do that?).
“It breaks all of the internet” is a little dramatic, maybe if you block their OCSP domains that’s true.
I do agree though that 80% is low, even if only counting the traditional tracking script that’s been used everywhere for ages.
besides not using Google?
That’s a bit oxymoronic, isn’t it? And the answer always depends on your threat model, so start there.
You going to need to start with your phone. A degoogled phone is the bed rock for modern privacy respecting life style.
Degoogled not as in “Disable and remove Google components” or “Using Samsungs (or whatever) services instead of Google” but degoogled as in “Operating system built from the ground up without google components ever built in”.
Second one…depending you your current devices. LineageOS is easiest (least secure (bootloader does not lock), decent privacy is no google apps but still pings sundar the creep decently regularly since OS is integrated into OS
CalyxOS is next but require specific device like pixel, strong AOSP security along with privacy (microG which pings google with it is say it is “anonymized”)
OG for security and privacy GrapheneOS > improved AOSP security and an “arguably” improved privacy over CalyxOS (this is argement for MicroG over Sanndbox Play store you will see around here). MUST BE PIXEL (still pings google if you use GPS sandboxed, which you will as if you want any normie use cases)
There are other ones that might fit, so depending on you current device and threat model there other options.
If you not worried about state actors or crazy ex, LineageOS is fine to use while you test out degoogled life. But you really should move into other two on your next upgrade. people say calyx is the sweet spot, but after using both I am a GOS girl
Pixel is the device of choice for that. Consider used prior year model, bc fuck google ;)
PS i am very regarded so i will let pros correct this slop
Watch videos from Naomi Brockwell. She covers many privacy topics and makes it easy to understand
Use Monero.
