countervail247365
935454
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cybersecuritygirl
Jun 20, 2026 3:59 AM
countervail247365
935454
2244
32
cybersecuritygirl
sherlockhooves
I switched to duckduckgo a while ago
DonL9
I make this part of my phone setup practice for each new phone or software version update. It's annoying how deep or obscure some of those settings are.
Ivain
My web activity's been off since 2022, when I became aware of the extent of this kind of tracking. Just deleted the last traces of it from before then.
This hasn't shown up yet, and I don't use google directly anyway, not as a private person (my workplace has it as default but I dont do private searches there), and I use ad blockers, tracker blockers and obfuscators, so if they want to use their automated surveillance systems to track me they have to actually actively try.
ScottPilgrimVSTheIndians
Never used it for this reason from the start, proven right to never use it in the future.
Resistance1000
Thank you!
xmaneds
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-sarian/
ChelVanin
I try to imagine what it would take to stop these companies from stealing and weaponizing our data once and for all, and it feels like an apocalyptic event. We’ve leveraged so much of our economy on these companies that taking them all down would probably cause a global depression.
FelonyRaptor
I've never used Lens for anything.
SayonaraSally
Id never heard of it before this post and Im pretty in to tech.
esparadrapo
GrimleyGraves
Or, you could just stop using google apps, seems simpler to me.
VictusVonGuyver
Reminder. Google is required to keep records of what you search in their database for 10 years by the US federal government should they subpoena them for an investigation. That is dangerous in the wrong hands, namely fascists.
ItsACrazyWorld
Here's an idea. Don't use Google products.
TheVillageGrouch9000
robingal1
Child me felt bad for China, because they were always watched. They couldn't speak out without becoming an enemy of the state. Old me, no longer sympathizes, but emphasizes.
abrubtopinion
Message aside, we all hate this format yes? Even on the orientation correct device, right? RIGHT?
ItHappenedInThe20thCentury
was nice to go into that page and see that I had already everything turned off
kimwimgoddess
same
alexw04
And I got:
404. That’s an error.
The requested URL was not found on this server. That’s all we know.
Alexap30
Is she the "oh a dandelion" girl? 🤔
harthram
Different person
EricPisch
Alternatively don’t have a Google account
EmergencyDonut
Unless you're completely off grid not using phone, computer, pay taxes.... Apple, Google, IRS still know more about you than you know yourself
TheVillageGrouch9000
Never had one, never will.
SteveMcCroskey
This. As with most things in life, it's a value proposition. Learn about how things work, make educated decisions. Give, get, or don't. Not saying much, but Google has more tools to opt out and data as to what they're collecting than most other large entities, ( hey meta!) . If you're worried about it it's years too late.
krisiteenie56
Kind of impossible if you have an Android device
Fuz77
Not impossible at all, but kind of annoying. Look at PewDiePie video about it.
IAmASentientWaffle
It's very easy if you use a privacy-focused distro, like /e/ for example.
jalcantara88127001
Thankfully I saw Terminator 1&2 and already know better
OtisTDrunk
Nalianna
more importantly. have you seen this boy?
therealikstemtegen
Here is a tip to use google privatte friendly: Don’t use it. Better even. Block *.google.* in your ad blocker
BloodBlight
https://myactivity.google.com/activitycontrols
SpamYarBlockers
.
MusicPenguin
in all my google accounts?
Harm
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1YnZ2OXJsM2N0N2hidjdxY2h1NmR2a2Rvc2xvOG1pZHh0MXA0aGtzZiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/3oz8xIsloV7zOmt81G/200w.webp
DasBeaker
Doot.
Harbltron
RockTheBackblast
I looked at it and everything is turned off. That's how it should be, yeah?
ParaspriteHugger
RockTheBackblast
Rad. Thanks mate :)
IronKittySlayer
.
Iwouldbenick
Network admin for 14 years here. Yes, techbically she is correct. But google is stealing data reguarless of a setting turned off or not. Dns blocking isn't enough. Don't have a google account is the only way.
I stromgly suggest proton excosystem.
OtisTDrunk
I Strongly Suggest This (Nice Try AI...)
Iwouldbenick
I assure you I am not AI. I miss clicked 1 letter when typing on my phone. Titan 2 keyboard ne like that sometimes.
Proton is fucking amazing. Best password manager I have ever used. Same with their VPN, one of the few that truly has zero logging.
SixSixxtySix
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58476983
Iwouldbenick
That was 5 years ago. They had a more recent event where proton only gave the credit card location of a bad actor because that's the only info logged. I can't be upset with a company abiding by the swiss law...you are upset that they are not ciminals? Seriously, name any other company that does more to protect privacy while following the laws of their country. Google does whatever the fuck they want and just pays the fee.
Bojovnik84
Useful info, but you're all fools if you think that just because you unchecked that setting, that Google isn't doing it anyway. Almost all companies will do it until someone does the work to confirm the setting is useless and then brings a class action suit.
BrickSprickly
Im amazed people use lens at all given the risks
sirdeadlock2
It's one of the most simple ways to catch art scammers trying to sell commissions using art samples they took from actual artists.
A number of times I've used it to find the actual artists of image parts that ended up cut to pieces to be used in memes.
HarperLee
I have had all these settings off for years. Couple years ago, Google Maps stopped showing me history, after they got sued for logging it anyway. I've noticed it in a couple other places, but most recently my YouTube shows me no recommended videos. I assume they got sued again
hakunamatatamotherfucker
The info is useless as functionality. The only thing it tries to do is to bring back some awareness. At this point google knows when you'll fart and what flavor it will have.
VoidForScreaming
I am currently reading Enshit-tification and yes. Yup.
2ant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Upf_B9RLQ
kwyjiboner
Cory Doctorow is great
TI99Kitty
I just checked my Google settings, and I have YouTube history turned off. Then I saw a setting for how long to keep YouTube history before autodeleting. I went in and changed it from 36 months to 3 months, and that triggered a list of searches that would now be deleted.
From my YouTube history, which was turned OFF. Google showed me a list of things that would be deleted from my history, which it wasn't supposed to be saved anyway.
TI99Kitty
Very similar to a few years ago, when Google sent me an email saying they'd been hacked and several of my online accounts were compromised because the hackers had managed to get my usernames and passwords for those sites.
The issue? I had told Google NOT to save any of my logins to their cloud. But they DID, anyway, and then that login info got stolen from them. Which was exactly the reason I'd told them not to save it.
DarkZalgo
But if the setting is useless there's no point in them adding it either. If it actually does nothing then the best case scenario is a worse company image. It would literally do nothing but harm if it did nothing.
ThisIsAllYouCouldComeUpWith
You're suggesting that a significant portion of the customer base will demand consequences. I have doubts.
DarkZalgo
My dude, the only people that would be interested in using that setting are also the ones most likely to find out if it does nothing. So again, if it does nothing, the best case scenario is that it makes their public image worse.
leechdemon
I'm too lazy to Google it, but, didn't apple do something similar a few years ago with "stop personalized ads", which turned out to do absolutely nothing?
This would be like if FB actually CLAIMED you could bypass ToS by putting it in your status (and, with the EXACT same results... 🙄).
Bojovnik84
Which was my point. Every company does this. It's just shit that we can't really do anything about it.
Nifty255
If you can't cost them all the profit they'd make, cost them all the profit you can. Make everything as painful as possible even if it's not enough. Because if everything is always painful everywhere in every system (including outside Google), something will eventually give, and things get just a tiny bit better.
BeaverOnFire
The class action lawsuit will also determine that your privacy was worth $3.50 after the lawyers fees. Coincidentally this will also be the exact same amount the loch Ness monster is asking for.
SpikesGuns
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1ZHhuNjJqd2hxeXB3dDh3ajR3OHRleTYzYnZyaWxqNDk2Z3E0cXR3YiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/l0MYD6SbeqgOto5cQ/200w.webp
NorthmanoftheNorth
And after the fines to the govt, Loch Ness monster, lawyers and yous all've been paid, Google will have made hundreds of millions, if not billions off it.
legobumb
Google will 100% pay the millions of dollars in fines for being caught, then spend another batch of millions to R&D another workaround to continue doing it. All the while making those billions of dollars.
KingdomsCrown
I got $4.68 from my Facebook/Meta class action lawsuit 💰
Toqom
Which is stupid. They should make mandatory amounts so it hurts these companies and also make it illegal to opt people in to new features
BeaverOnFire
The total amount is significantly more, the problem is that the lawyers get 40 to 60% on average.
tp0d
can i get aboot four shitty aight
ProjectDA
next year we should see an alternative android system hit the market pre installed. im wait for that because the other option is giving google money to buy a pixel to flash it.
Bojovnik84
I believe android is owned by Google, so we'd have to move to a Linux based phone at this point. Unfortunately, that means a lot of work and potential carrier issues that I don't want to deal with.
ProjectDA
google owns a version of android, but they dont own all of them.
Bojovnik84
They own the one that goes on Samsung, which is the leader in android phones. If they offered a version that you didn't have to jail break, it would be nice. I do enough IT m-f that when it comes to spending the extra brain power for this, I'm just too lazy.
ProjectDA
grapheneOS has partnered with motorola to release their version of android on a phone natively. uts expected next year.