Google and Facebook are watching our every move online

Re:Google and Facebook are watching our every move online by randomString1 on Wednesday January 31, 2018 @12:45PM (#16275755)

I wish that was enough. The articles that show up here on HN from time to time make me think they can cross-reference data and fingerprint you through many data sources and more advanced tracking (things that we discover from time to time like canvas, css). People that have you on their contact list, your e-mails that hit their servers even when you don't have a Gmail, DNS, CDN, cloud services, your phone unless you go full tin foil hat, data they acquire from other companies. I try to protect my privacy but I think it's all futile, they have too much power.

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Re:Google and Facebook are watching our every move online by confounded on Wednesday January 31, 2018 @12:57PM (#16275867)

> it's all futile

It’s not. While Facebook will exfiltrate and cross reference your name and number from associates’ address books, this wildly different than keeping a log of everywhere you travel, the time you wake and sleep, hundreds of tagged images of your face, all the news you read, and how readily you can be influenced. Primarily to influence your mind and behavior for profit, but all available to international governments to keep and eye on you, too.

I agree that Facebook and Google are too powerful, and that there should be much better protections around consumer data. Support the EFF, talk to your representatives.

Fatalism serves no one but Facebook and Google.

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Re:Google and Facebook are watching our every move online by shiftpgdn on Wednesday January 31, 2018 @03:03PM (#16277044)

The facebook tracking pixel absolutely fingerprints non-users.

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Re:Google and Facebook are watching our every move online by amelius on Wednesday January 31, 2018 @12:53PM (#16275832)

How difficult would it be to defeat fingerprinting by injection of noise? I.e. your browser configuration/characteristics change every now and then by a tiny amount.

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Re:Google and Facebook are watching our every move online by mediaserf on Wednesday January 31, 2018 @01:55PM (#16276452)

I use an extension called Canvas Defender that does this. You can have it create a new "fingerprint" every so often. It also pops up an alert when a site requests a fingerprint. I believe Facebook uses the fingerprint as part of the browser profile to help combat fraudulent logins, as I get many more "new browser" emails from them with this extension than I did prior to installing it.

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Re:Google and Facebook are watching our every move online by rapnie on Wednesday January 31, 2018 @06:28PM (#16278523)

unfortunately this will make you stand out more, probably

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Re:Google and Facebook are watching our every move online by johncarmichael3 on Wednesday January 31, 2018 @01:07PM (#16275977)

Other than adnauseum which people have already mentioned, you might like User-Agent Switcher[1]. Not sure how useful it really is, but it is fun to see the differences between how a website designed to be browser specific renders in a incorrect browser.

[1] https://useragentswitcher.org/

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Re:Google and Facebook are watching our every move online by twistiti on Wednesday January 31, 2018 @12:59PM (#16275883)

If not mistaken, this is the approach taken by adnauseam.io (Chrome Extension) or in a simpler form makeinternetnoise.com .

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Re:Google and Facebook are watching our every move online by amelius on Wednesday January 31, 2018 @01:01PM (#16275903)

Ok, interesting. Does it work? :)

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