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You can not build everything on your own.
The only possibility is to not create data/information about you, or at least minimize it.
So decide if the comfort of the technology you use is worth the uncertainty and if in doubt just don't use it. It's not easy, but it's the only option.
If people wouldn't buy products that invade their privacy, companies wouldn't build them. But most people are too lazy to do it this way and take what's there, and this supports the current path to ignore and invade privacy.
Sadly, politics all over the world support the data mining activities of companies. Like our german chancellor once said "Data/Information is the ressource of the 21st century" and "Privacy protection must not prevail". Stupidity is very popular these days. -
@ddephor the problem is not that people are lazy, it's the they don't understand privacy. Whenever they hear Privacy they just think "well, I've got nothing to hide".
If somehow the public could get educated (especially the governments) that would be great.
Also, it's not so much about "creating" information about yourself, it's just about knowing which user you are. Imo it makes a ton of sense to have targeted ads. I don't want ads for shops in New York when I live in the Netherlands. Not happy about what else is being done with the data though. -
Because VPN and stuff: I'm using my server (vps 1gb/s 20ms ping) as a VPN. Don't feel any delay and there are no logs. Guaranteed!
Phone?: I compiled my own lineageOS which comes without google apps by default (pretty sure they still have spyware somewhere else in their source) but I actually don't use my phone. Only for devRant on the go
Google at all: the only thing I'm using google for is gmail for spam mail addresses to register at unserious webpages and stuff. But they've got no actual info about me. Maybe they know that ive been playing tennis in my childhood but I don't care because they can't connect my name from the news articles and stuff to my accounts (different names)
But tbh I don't really care thaaat much about privacy. If a company asks for personal info I just quit or enter fake data. But I mean. If others want to tell Facebook a story about every poopshit they've been doing in their life why not. I really like the idea with living in the woods. I've been thinking -
@b3b3 what kind of hardware on your phone do you have.
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@FMashiro Targeted ads don't work the slightest bit. Whatever algorithms are used they are either simple as fuck or bullshit.
Whenever I bought something online I get tons of ads about the thing I already bought. So how many additional washing machines do I need when I just bought one?
And I get stuff based on geo information of my IP. So when I'm on vacation several websites show me information I don't care about, because I don't stay in this area more than a few days.
All this is silly bullshit. Everybody is talking big shit about AI and complex algorithms, but all I see is such crap that obviously depends on one or two mostly insignificant input values. -
@skprog what do you mean? Some armv7 quad core... Idk
Its a nexus 5 (ew google. But I got it from my father so why not) -
@ddephor they work pretty well actually. It knows you're interested in a washing machine, so it shows you that instead of penis enlargement ads, or the magical thing your dentist doesn't want you to know about.
The only problem is that the ad service doesn't get a notification that you already bought the item, so it can't actually know.
And I agree with geolocation, it should be able to figure out what your home-base is (country for example) -
@ddephor they work pretty well actually. It knows you're interested in a washing machine, so it shows you that instead of penis enlargement ads, or the magical thing your dentist doesn't want you to know about.
The only problem is that the ad service doesn't get a notification that you already bought the item, so it can't actually know.
And I agree with geolocation, it should be able to figure out what your home-base is (country for example) -
@FMashiro No, it's not working. With the purchase of a washing machine I'm no longer interested in washing machines.
And I don't care what service gets which information. If they assume things on the wrong basis it will end with the wrong result. That's exactly what happens here.
It's not hard to figure that out, even I can, but obviously the advertisement industry still doesn't care much if they show you the "right" ads.
For me this is already such a big issue, that I usually use the privacy mode of my browser on the product search before the purchase, because I truly hate it to be chased for weeks by useless ads about products I already own or maybe just searched for out of curiosity. -
@ddephor did you read what I said? I said that the only problem is the fact that webshops don't tell ad services that you bought the item you searched for.
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@FMashiro Webshops usually don't tell ad services anything directly. It's all gathered through the pages the ads are embedded.
But again, I don't care who shares which information with whom, that's not my job, it's the advertisers job. And they make such a poor job that I am pissed by their behaviour that much that I am forced to change my behaviour, or else I would become angry.
To really show me ads that target me, they should not ask a website I'm loading into my browser, the website doesn't know anything about me. They would have to read my mind, but luckily that's not yet possible
when your code is a mess but everything work out in the end
Privacy is a legend
So, I've been seeing a lot of people concerned about privacy around here lately.
I completely understand it, and I too, don't want all my data to be available for anyone at any given time. I get it.
However, the only way to get privacy, is to build it yourself.
Buying a phone? Who says (apart from the company itself) that it doesn't have some integrated chip, or that the os lies to you or w/e
When using your phone, who says your Sim provider isn't intercepting all your traffic with a man in the middle attack?
These sound like conspiracies, however, if you really want privacy, either build it yourself (or with other privacy activists) or let go of the comforts of technology (i know, you're not the only source of info about yourself, the only way to shield yourself is to go into the woods and live a simple life.)
It's pretty sad that these are the two options, but I've yet to find a better one.
(ps, I used to have a "no logs, no ip, no anything" VPN provider, and as soon as some agency requested info, they got it, so I wouldn't easily trust the promise of 3rd parties anymore.)
rant
frustration
privacy