Google is STILL tracking you — here's how to limit it

[trytip]

Is Google is STILL tracking your every move? yes

As it turns out, even when you opt to limit Google's ability to track your location when using its search function or apps, some of your time-stamped location data is still being automatically stored.

i did turn off my activity and web history a while back, it seems Google revamped it's settings to new format which activated device and webapp activity, those sneaky weasels say to improve your experience <<< everytime you see this in any sentence it means WE ARE TRACKING YOU. with this all over the news today i'm sure Google will try to shy it's way out of the spotlight by admitting "we only do this to protect and enhance your user experience" then kindly allow you to turn off the new tracking activity and after your guard is down implement another wolf in sheep's clothing protocol. so far this is the third time i thought i had everything turned OFF.

source:
https://www.today.com/money/google-prob ... it-t135601

click the link below to go to your google activity controls:
ps: if you are met by a survey tell it you strongly disagree https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols

[xenopeek]

I hate having to watch a video. Here is an article with clear written instructions on what to do where to disable location tracking for your Google account:
https://www.apnews.com/b031ee35d4534f548e43b7575f4ab494

I found I had already disabled this everything in the past somehow. But yeah, try finding those settings without instructions

[Flemur]

I hate having to watch a video.

You don't have to. They say:

Get on your desktop or cell phone and go to myaccount.google.com.

Scroll down to "Personal Info and Privacy" and click on "Manage Your Google activity." Click on "Go to Activity Controls."

Turn off "Location History" by sliding the button to the left so it's now gray.

When it takes you to a second screen, hit "Pause," and then hit the "Pause" button again.

Scroll up to where it says "Web & App Activity" and turn that off by sliding the button left so it's now gray.

A second screen appears again, and again you want to hit "Pause."

You're all set, and now have limited Google's ability to track you.

[thx-1138]

...i guess a psychotherapist would classify me as a pessimist...
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/2015041 ... do-nothing

[trytip]

i usually don't post a video link but you right navigating through all the settings in new google activity i sometimes miss one or two. i find that using my android some hidden settings turn on activity which i thought i had off while navigating google account in linux.
@thx-1138
https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols which used to be https://history.google.com/history/ last year.

today i had to turn on again Opt Out of Ads Personalization in Android which i thought was set before. yeah good luck trying to find it every version of android has a different subset of device settings and google settings

[KBD47]

It is a shame that it takes so much work for some basic privacy. Google is becoming a huge PITA.

[lexon]

Thanks. I only use Gmail once in a while.

On my PC, I always clear History every time I close FF and never allow third party cookies. Clear everything else.
I do not sign in to Google. They keep trying to get me to protect my browser when I open FF. Who are they kidding?
I use Google search page as my home page. I use to use Google News but the news is so bad the past nearly two years, no more.

L

[Pierre]

there is another series of Articles, on Google & it's Tracking of Everyone:
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45183041
Google tracks users who turn off location history ..

that FaceBook is No Better - either.

[lexon]

Info from a search.

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/0 ... cking.html

L

[AZgl1800]

it says you can delete your web history at anytime.


but, in the little link, it says you can only PAUSE, the action, it has not effect on past history stored on their servers.

for myself, I don't give a crap, nothing I have but food stamps anyway.

[trytip]

just like me if you thought you turned everything off in your pc but used any google apps in android or apple or windows there are hidden features that ask the user to "ACCEPT" something which of course users think it's some permission we all see when opening things in mobile phones and activate a sleeping giant.

there's a new setting in google-chrome for pc that allow website to check for payments saved on your computer. if you haven't seen the new settings type chrome://settings/privacy in address bar and turn OFF all the privacy ticks.



google say that their policy to turn off activity is well documented and available for anyone but has anyone actually clicked on Learn more and then clicked further into the rabbit hole on Learn more about what data helps Chrome to see the extended report? https://www.google.com/chrome/privacy/whitepaper.html

[idle]

Unbelievable! I just tried to log into Google to change those settings posted and Google won't let me access my own account without first providing them with my phone number

[smurphos]

And that pop up isn't asking for your phone number - it implies you have an Android device and at set up you agreed to use it as your token for two-factor authentication for other devices and have set up two factor authentication for your Google account.

[idle]

Umm no I didn't. I didn't agree to anything of the sort. Also it IS asking for my phone number, it wants to send me some verification message code. I repeat, I did NOT agree to any two-factor authentication at all period!

Edit to add: I am now in the process of deleting EVERYTHING google from my life. Found a nice website that shows how to do this. Just signed up for a new email with a Swiss company (its free) and will now go through the arduous task of notifying everyone of my new email addy and updating my email addy with various businesses I deal with. This alone will take a couple of days I guess. But in the end, goodbye google and that's worth it.

Also looking into a couple of Librem 5 phones ...

[xenopeek]

there's a new setting in google-chrome for pc that allow website to check for payments saved on your computer. if you haven't seen the new settings type chrome://settings/privacy in address bar and turn OFF all the privacy ticks.

Thanks. I've been on that page before but how would we know to go there again without some kind of notice or reminder

[Pierre]

it's that Old Story Again - - These things are not Hidden away,
but you still have to know where to look for them.


- - Click on the Chrome menu icon on the top right corner of your browser window,
that allows you to customize and control your Chrome browser.
Then Click on "Show advanced settings" at the bottom of the page .. ..

that works in Chromium as well.

[trytip]

... how would we know to go there again without some kind of notice or reminder

many of the things i found are too hard for me to put into words or explain thoroughly. i look into .config files and see something have no clue what it is and i say "hey, why do i need this? let's see what happens if i delete it" sometimes i break the system sometimes i won't know i did break it until months pass and by then i will have forgotten what teaks or files i deleted.

along with the new setting to have chrome remember your purchase method there is also a handler now which you can turn off. enter that into the address bar or navigate to menu > settings > advanced > privacy and security > content settings > and scroll to the bottom for the new pay handler. while you are in content settings you can also turn off some more things like background sync, location
chrome://settings/content/paymentHandler

truth is no one has a clue when things change. i used to check settings often but that gets really annoying, at first i liked finding out the nuts and bolts of things but now it's just ridiculous of all the settings and location paths you have to remember and i find myself slowly going with the flow and overlook my privacy settings.

no doubt some of these services may be useful on mobiles but this technology is still new https://www.w3.org/TR/payment-request/

[Portreve]

Why not just cat a spell of annul nethrack on Google and roll for damages?