Your Data - Google, Facebook, etc

[Admin]

This is a very interesting look at the data that the big entities collect and store on us:

https://twitter.com/iamdylancurran/status/977559925680467968

[Night Wing]

I don't have to worry about Facebook storing data on me, both public and private. First off, I don't have a Facebook account. Never did either. Secondly, I heard through the linux grapevine, even if one doesn't have a Facebook account, Facebook tries to track everyone on the internet which is unethical in my opinion. So I put the info I heard about Facebook's under the table type dealings to the test.

In my linux Mint 18.3 (Sylvia) Xfce distro, which is my default operating system, I have installed a utility program which has the common name of, "Domain Blocker". In order to install Domain Blocker, I had to go into my Synaptic Package Manager and type in "mintnanny" in the Search field and once found, installed it. I put Facebook's web address in my Domain Blocker and no matter which browser I use, I cannot connect to Facebook on any of my 4 linux hard drives (I've got 4 computers; 2 desktop towers, 2 laptops). In my case, I have three linux browsers for each Mint hard drive and they are: Pale Moon 27.8.3, SeaMonkey 2.49.2 and Firefox 52.7.3 ESR.

While surfing the internet using my preferred linux browser, Pale Moon, sometimes I see a window on a site's web page and it has a prompt which says; "Pale Moon cannot connect to the server at Facebook." This just confirmed my suspicions that even if one doesn't have a Facebook account, Facebook is trying to track you all over the internet.

Once I found  this out, on my four windows hard drives running my backup operating system which is Windows 7, I put Facebook's web address into my Hosts file. Again, on my windows hard drives, no matter which browser I use, I cannot  connect to Facebook's server so Facebook can't track me when I'm using any of my Windows 7 hard drives.

I don't have a Twitter account either. Now I don't think Twitter tracks one all over the internet, but if it did, I'd do to Twitter what I did  to Facebook.

As for Google, I don't have a Gmail email account and I don't use the Google Chrome browser in either of my linux or windows hard drives. I do use Google as a search engine, but I'm selective in what I search on Google such as phone numbers, addresses, maps, etc.

On YouTube which is owned by Google, I mainly use it to search for mundane things like sup videos, music videos, computer related stuff, etc. So I keep a relatively low profile on both Google and YouTube.

BTW, in my linux Domain Blocker and windows Hosts file, I've got another web address to keep Facebook company. It is the Coin Hive web address.

[PonoBill]

Great article. Makes it obvious what the value of Google and Facebook (and probably every social app) really is--snooping at a level that would have people rioting in the streets if the government was doing it. Then again, maybe not as long as long as they provided the ability to send selfies to your imaginary friends.

[all~wet]

What really has me taken aback isn't the fact that personal information is being "shared" so much as the fact that so many people are actually surprised by this? We are the toad calmly sitting in a pot of water- oblivious whilst the temperature slowly rises.  We cook. The last 30 years have been pretty remarkable in the extent to which the concepts of privacy, property rights and personal autonomy have so eroded or more....been willingly, even enthusiastically turned over in trade for perceived security and convenience.

[TallDude]

Then there is this.. You can't turn this off or delete it.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-all-seeing-surveillance-state-feared-in-the-west-is-a-reality-in-china-1498493020

[PonoBill]

When I've talked about this with friends the usual response is "I don't have anything to hide" which never fails to floor me.

[TallDude]

Now... if my wife got a hold of this data, I'd be worried!

[Bean]

Then there is this.. You can't turn this off or delete it.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-all-seeing-surveillance-state-feared-in-the-west-is-a-reality-in-china-1498493020

Well, there is one reason to support the rights of people to wear burqa.  Uff..

[Tom]

People that use social media a lot and then complain that their identity is shared is kind of like someone who drinks a lot and then complains that he got drunk.
 

[laszlo]

I was checking local cams on Surfline, where I am no longer a member, so I have to sit through ads before I can see the cams. An ad came on and it took me a little while to register that the ad was in Hungarian! It was a political ad for elections in Hungary. How does Surfline know that I speak Hungarian? Me and Miki Dora. Not that I have anything to do with elections in a country I left in 1956. One would seriously have to get off the grid and live in a cave to avoid all this surveillance.

[Board Stiff]

In my linux Mint 18.3 (Sylvia) Xfce distro, which is my default operating system, I have installed a utility program which has the common name of, "Domain Blocker". In order to install Domain Blocker, I had to go into my Synaptic Package Manager and type in "mintnanny" in the Search field and once found, installed it. I put Facebook's web address in my Domain Blocker and no matter which browser I use, I cannot connect to Facebook on any of my 4 linux hard drives (I've got 4 computers; 2 desktop towers, 2 laptops). In my case, I have three linux browsers for each Mint hard drive and they are: Pale Moon 27.8.3, SeaMonkey 2.49.2 and Firefox 52.7.3 ESR.

The PrivacyBadger extension from EFF (available for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera) will show you and allow you to selectively block any trackers on any websites you visit in those browsers.

[Night Wing]

In my linux Mint 18.3 (Sylvia) Xfce distro, which is my default operating system, I have installed a utility program which has the common name of, "Domain Blocker". In order to install Domain Blocker, I had to go into my Synaptic Package Manager and type in "mintnanny" in the Search field and once found, installed it. I put Facebook's web address in my Domain Blocker and no matter which browser I use, I cannot connect to Facebook on any of my 4 linux hard drives (I've got 4 computers; 2 desktop towers, 2 laptops). In my case, I have three linux browsers for each Mint hard drive and they are: Pale Moon 27.8.3, SeaMonkey 2.49.2 and Firefox 52.7.3 ESR.

The PrivacyBadger extension from EFF (available for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera) will show you and allow you to selectively block any trackers on any websites you visit in those browsers.

I don't think the Privacy Badger extension works on Pale Moon which is my preferred default browser in linux and windows. I don't mind some websites tracking me on what  I do on some of their sites, but tracking me all over the internet is a red flag for me. And I'll always put a stop to that.

As for my Domain Blocker utility program in linux, it blocks the "entire" website, not just some things on a site, the entire website is blocked so it can't track me no matter what browser I'm using and I can't get to the website with any browser. Ditto for any Windows 7 browsers working in conjuction with the Hosts file.