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Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by justinzollars on Sunday April 22, 2018 @01:40PM (#16897319)
Concerned that google has so much info (https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity) I visited https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols to turn off Web & App Activity, but left Voice & Audio Activity on.

This breaks my google home.

I do not want Google to save 20 years of search history so I can use a stupid google home. For the first time I'm considering Apple's device.

This is a dark pattern Google

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by freehunter on Sunday April 22, 2018 @01:48PM (#16897366)
This has been my stance for about five years now. I don’t want to give all this info to companies I don’t trust. Apple devices might cost more, but Apple only makes money from you when you give them money. Google and Facebook make money when you give them money and then make money when you give them information too. There’s a perverse incentive, they want you to use it more and give them more information because they make more money from selling you rather than selling to you.

If you want that to change, you have to be willing to offset that price difference from your own wallet.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jacksmith21006 on Monday April 23, 2018 @09:00AM (#16902993)
What? Apple handed over ALL their user data in China over to the government for a buck versus Google fought back and left.

'Campaign targets Apple over privacy betrayal for Chinese iCloud users"

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/03/apple-privacy...

Then removed the VPN software and cut their users off at the knees from being able to protect themselves. While the way to keep your data private in China is use Google Fi.

"Using Project Fi in China: Say goodbye to VPNs"

https://www.androidauthority.com/using-google-fi-in-china-85...

Have to look past marketing and what is real.

My biggest grip is Apple terms allow them to have a ton of your data but there is no transparency like with Google.

Google provides a dashboard with everytthing in one place were you can remove and download. Nothing similar from Apple.

So when I share my location with imessages how do I remove that? Where can I see it? Google is far better.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by alfongj on Monday April 23, 2018 @02:33AM (#16900978)
Apple has ads. Have you read their ToS / privacy policy?
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Bombthecat on Sunday April 22, 2018 @04:31PM (#16898411)
I'm pretty sure that one day Apple will also use / sell your data.

Why? Because it makes them even more money...

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by georgebarnett on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:36PM (#16898735)
What evidence do you have for this baseless accusation?

Apple have been hammering Google on privacy for many years and they have an incredible track record on privacy when they’ve had their feet held to the fire with the FBI.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Dibes on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:49PM (#16898788)
To play devil's advocate, I can see a world in which Apple as a publicly traded company is hard pressed into returning stronger results for its investors and turns to data as a way to expand. Not saying it will happen as there is no indicator that they need or want to. However, it is important to note that it isn't outside the realm of possibility at all.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by deepbreath on Sunday April 22, 2018 @07:46PM (#16899373)
It's happened before, with Microsoft, too. They've transitioned from an OS where you pay with cash (win7), to a spyware OS where you pay with cash and your data (win10).
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Karunamon on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:33PM (#16899869)
Keep in mind, Apple is the company that told a few angry shareholders that they should “get out of this stock” if they were upset about Apple’s environmental initiatives.

Granted, that’s only a CEO change or two away, but the culture very much appears to be one where short term profit isn’t the be all end all.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by hnzix on Sunday April 22, 2018 @07:37PM (#16899338)
Apple are pushing privacy as a key differentiator and also to justify their premium price tag. Selling out on privacy would torpedo that USP. Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets.

Yes in a world of infinite possibilities anything can happen, but realistically Apple is incentivized to maintain their privacy position.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by mcny on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:15PM (#16899795)
(the following is pure speculation as usual)

This is what the current leadership believes. Tim Cook is a clearly brilliant manager. I have no hesitation in endorsing his record on privacy (and genuineness and truthfulness). However, he is mortal. The next CEO might see things differently. The unique selling point you mentioned will be on the table. There will be analysts who will crunch the numbers on what portion of prospective Apple customers will refrain from buying Apple for some particular transgression and how much such transgression will bring in additional revenue.

Apple can fend off these questions today because it has a huge chunk of the high end phone market. It would be stupid to ask Apple to do this not because it is immoral but rather because it will distract Apple from doing what it does very well: selling $1k iPhones.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jacksmith21006 on Monday April 23, 2018 @10:03AM (#16903454)
Pushing is different than reality though.

"Campaign targets Apple over privacy betrayal for Chinese iCloud users"

Apple sold all their users data in China. Should that not count?

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jacksmith21006 on Monday April 23, 2018 @10:02AM (#16903444)
Is Apple not handing over all their user data in China not an example of Apple already doing this?

I meant if they did not they have to leave China like Google chose to do. It was for a buck versus Google thought the bucks to give up their users data not worth it.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by wl78393 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:25PM (#16899834)
Apple to US FBI: We will never unlock a device for you! See you in court!

Apple to China: What can we do for you, comrades?

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Karunamon on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:35PM (#16899875)
The FBI doesn’t have the power to ban Apple from the US. There’s no legal framework to dissolve a corporation for a dispute about searches.

China, on the other hand...

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by rock_hard on Monday April 23, 2018 @01:12AM (#16900685)
Still, Tim Cook needs to stop being such a fucking hypocrite!

Not wanting to comply with a FBI request but then storing the iMessage private keys in Beijing.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by SmirkingRevenge on Sunday April 22, 2018 @08:10PM (#16899480)
I'd say its more a question of incentives. Taking strong stands on privacy are convenient today, when they are a juggernaut of lifestyle computing hardware, but if a strong future competitor is eating into Apple's growth... they will monetize what they can - and they have a lot of data on their users - probably approaching google in scope, in many areas.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by textmode on Monday April 23, 2018 @12:53AM (#16900610)
Is Apple collecting the minimum amount of user data possible?

Do purchasers of Apple hardware decide which "features" Apple should offer?

Do these purchasers decide what tradeoffs will be made between (a) not collecting user data (maximum privacy by design) and (b) collecting user data with the justification that a "feature" requires it (sacrafice user privacy as required by manufacturer's design)?

Apple's CEO calls privacy a "fundamental human right".

If by its design Apple hardware encourages or requires that right to be abridged (e.g. AppleID, AppStore, etc.), who makes the determination that the purchasers absolute fundamental right (hardware only, no data collection) is outweighed by the need to provide "features" that encourage or necessitate privacy tradeoffs (pre-installed software, ongoing "services", licenses to compile and install software, etc.).

Who decides when the "fundamental right" to privacy should be diminished to support a "feature" chosen by the manufacturer?

If there is (a) one type of hardware/software company that collects user data and sells advertisement, (b) a second type of hardware/software company that collects user data but does not sell advertisement, then is there (c) a third type of hardware/software company that does not collect user data?

What would be the most ideal company for the privacy-conscious consumer: (a), (b) or (c)?

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by parthdesai on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:18PM (#16899803)
>What evidence do you have for this baseless accusation?

China.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by coretx on Monday April 23, 2018 @03:39AM (#16901255)
Means, motive and opportunity. There is so much money to be made out of privacy infringement that it's safe to assume at least the border of crime will be touched. Either that, or a CEO will be wiped by the shareholders. Ergo, the accusation above is not so baseless at all.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jacksmith21006 on Monday April 23, 2018 @09:09AM (#16903063)
Agree. Plus out of all the big tech companies Apple has the worse record of selling user data than anyone. By far.

"Campaign targets Apple over privacy betrayal for Chinese iCloud users"

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/03/apple-privacy...

They sold all their customers data in China to the government so they could stay in China. Versus Google did NOT and instead chose to leave instead of selling the data.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by eksemplar on Monday April 23, 2018 @12:29AM (#16900524)
Isnt Apple already using our data to make money? Their approach is just different, they collect anonymous data and they ask you if you want to participate.

My Apple health data is being used for science for instance, but I decided to opt-in and the data isn’t actually linked to me.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by peterburkimsher on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:19PM (#16899805)
What data are you worried about them selling? I made a model of Facebook Likes data, but it passed unnoticed. I guess there's no market for it.

https://github.com/peterburk/sortlikes

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by traek on Monday April 23, 2018 @01:34AM (#16900749)
In what way is this Github repo of yours a “model of Facebook likes data”?
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by rapnie on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:40PM (#16898106)
There are all kinds of such dark patterns. If you switch from Chrome to Firefox on Android you find all kinds of features missing, like in image search.

It's some time ago I checked, but I want to do a comparison and report to some naming & shaming site. Anyone knows a good one?

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jeswin on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:59PM (#16898849)
> If you switch from Chrome to Firefox on Android you find all kinds of features missing, like in image search.

I've been on Firefox nightly Android for eight months now. While generally the browsing is better than chrome thanks to ad blocking, the Google services are pared down versions for no reason. Search, finance, news, so many. This is a clear case of abusing market dominance - and not due to Firefox missing any feature. If not for the revenue from Google, Mozilla would have sued I think.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by vvanders on Monday April 23, 2018 @12:23AM (#16900508)
I found that FF on Android just isn't up to par yet. Even on a OnePlus 3T, HN stutters when scrolling.

It's a shame because I'd love to ditch chrome.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by hetspookjee on Monday April 23, 2018 @01:22AM (#16900706)
It's weird cause I'm using FF on an far inferior phone, Huawei p10 lite, and it works out great for HN .
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by rapnie on Monday April 23, 2018 @03:45AM (#16901289)
Same experience here. On average 40 tabs open, Privacy Badger installed. No problems anywhere (except for the dark patterns). Runs like a Swiss clock :)
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by mattmanser on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:47PM (#16898145)
Also try turning location off on your android phone so it only gets it when requested. The nagging, whining, breaking and pleading various google services do is confusing and annoying.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by pca on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:47PM (#16898780)
If you revoke location permissions, Google still guesses it accurately, for me at least, "from your search history", as it says at the bottom of the search results page - even when you're not signed in (screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/wU8EZUA). I wouldn't mind if they just used the IP address to locate me, but why use the search history? If I wanted Google to know my exact location, I wouldn't have revoked the permissions for it.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by bhnmmhmd on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:58PM (#16898204)
Also, try to visit google.com by Edge/Safari/Firefox. It keeps nagging why you're not using Chrome and shows the banner constantly.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by haZard_OS on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:59PM (#16899964)
I have been using FF Nightly on Android for quite some time. In addition, I have uninstalled or disabled every Google app I can find on my device. Last year, I switched to unlimited mobile data and (almost) never use WiFi, even when easily available. I use DDG instead of Google.

  Consequently, I am never nagged by Google apps or social media apps. I just don't have any problems like what I hear other people experience. Particularly amusing is seeing that my inferred location is way off.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by mattmanser on Monday April 23, 2018 @05:39AM (#16901895)
Yeah, I've switched to DDG on my mobile too as a result.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by sundvor on Sunday April 22, 2018 @08:43PM (#16899661)
Write a blog post and share it here?
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by product50 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @02:50PM (#16897809)
Yeah - you want to make use of Google services (search, maps, youtube, Photos etc.) for free and don't want to give anything in return. #entitlement

Also, most likely you turning off tracking will impact your Google experience.

Google is different than Facebook in that they offer real value services without which you can't survive a day on the web. Just count how many times you rely on a Google service in a day. The least you can do is to support them in maintaining their ad ecosystem in return. Or be ready to pay for their servuces. Unlike Facebook, Google has never had a data breach/trust issue.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by sfotm on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:14PM (#16897947)
"they offer real value services without which you can't survive a day on the web"

This is just not true.

There are viable competitors in about every space that Google is in. Use local documents and sync via a different storage provider. Alternate email providers exist. The only place where they have a distinct advantage is search, and even then, DuckDuckGo is usually enough (and if it's not, just pass a !g flag).

YouTube is also a thing, but I've never felt that having an account really gave me anything over just bookmarking channels.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by murukesh_s on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:26PM (#16898012)
Bing is good in search, I switched to bing after google search showed a result directly in the top of search results after parsing an amazon shipment email. I realised they are tracking too much. Every company who depends on ad will do or eventually do that unless there are regulations in place. As a user it's up to you how much you want to share your data with third parties and advertisers.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by stjohnswarts on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:16PM (#16900036)
use startpage.com google search without the tracking
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by product50 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:21PM (#16897986)
Well - there are competitors but they aren't nearly as good. Usage and popularity of these alternate products tell a story.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by rapnie on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:58PM (#16898206)
Unfamiliarity also goes a long way. I recently switched to DuckDuckGo. In the beginning I would compare my search queries with results from Google.. found there wasn't all that much difference.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by randomsearch on Sunday April 22, 2018 @04:35PM (#16898438)
+1 for DDG. I’ve been experimenting with it as default in Safari and it’s so similar I often find myself wondering “when did google change their layout?”
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by rapnie on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:20PM (#16898652)
I just heard someone mentioning above that it was based on Google, which I wasn't aware of.. I will do a search on that :)
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by stjohnswarts on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:16PM (#16900042)
checkout startpage and searx as well. better results than DDG
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by downandout on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:28PM (#16898021)
For the HN crowd, this may be an option. The general public doesn't really care about privacy, and is not going to use DuckDuckGo or any other service whose primary selling point is privacy. The best search engine will win the market, and the best search engine will tend to be the one that can generate the most money to invest in its service.

Even if someone comes in and beats Google at some point, they will do it by hiring a massive number of talented people and buying large quantities of data centers and servers. Those things can only be paid for through advertising and tracking, as few people will directly pay for search services. I suppose a socialist/communist government somewhere in the world might have the resources to build a search engine of Google quality that doesn't rely on advertising, but they would have their own hostile agenda - that would be far worse than having to put up with Nike trying to sell you some shoes while you search.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by sfotm on Sunday April 22, 2018 @07:14PM (#16899237)
Sure, I agree that switching email providers or cloud storage services solely for the sake of privacy isn't going to be something that the average person will do.

I was just objecting to the sentiment that opening a Google account is a requirement for being productive on the internet.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by rapnie on Sunday April 22, 2018 @04:01PM (#16898232)
I got a number of people to switch to DuckDuckGo by sending DDG query url's to them: "Hey, there is a ton of info on this subject!" (sends DDG query)
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Bombthecat on Sunday April 22, 2018 @04:33PM (#16898427)
DDG uses Google.

If they grow too big Google will just switch them off..

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by amf12 on Monday April 23, 2018 @02:54PM (#16906333)
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by ekovarski on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:50PM (#16899939)
Curious if there is a source for this; I was just looking at this the other day and couldn't confirm they use Google but they did state that they use over 400 sources. Thx
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by kwoff on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:11PM (#16898613)
Exactly why Google needs to be reined in.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by unicornwizard on Monday April 23, 2018 @05:55AM (#16901954)
I stopped using DDG a few days ago, when I noticed the !g flag is not encrypting traffic to google anymore, it just redirects to google.com. Do you know what is up with that? Using startpage now.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by zeta0134 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @02:54PM (#16897828)
Okay actually, I would pay to use most of Google's good services. I expect them to do advertising and they do not (!) need that kind of data on me for their search result advertising to be relevant. They have my search term; that should be enough in isolation.

I would pay handsomely for Google Maps, but I have no such option. Again though, that is a service that works just fine without my individual data; they have my location and my search term, and any business that pops up is inherently relevant due to simple proximity.

Please do not call this entitlement. Please understand that my privacy is valuable to me. Please understand that I would gladly pay to keep it.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by modeless on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:46PM (#16898137)
> actually, I would pay to use most of Google's good services.

A lot of people say this. You already can pay for Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Photos, and YouTube. Are you paying for them?

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by larkeith on Sunday April 22, 2018 @07:26PM (#16899279)
Does paying for these products disable tracking and provide strong privacy controls?
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by modeless on Sunday April 22, 2018 @07:34PM (#16899317)
For G Suite, "Google does not sell your data to third parties, there is no advertising in G Suite, and we never collect or use data from G Suite services for any advertising purposes."

Also "G Suite's compliance with ISO/IEC 27018:2014 affirms our commitment to international privacy and data protection standards. ISO 27018 guidelines include not using your data for advertising, ensuring that your data in G Suite services remains yours, providing you with tools to delete and export your data, protecting your information from third-party requests, and being transparent about where your data is stored."

https://gsuite.google.com/security

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by larkeith on Sunday April 22, 2018 @08:32PM (#16899603)
Oh, huh. I might have to look into paying for that then.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by dingaling on Monday April 23, 2018 @04:22AM (#16901510)
> You already can pay

Where 'you' is a minority subset of the Internet population.

I am in the UK and use Google Search and YouTube. The only way to pay is with my data.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by randomsearch on Sunday April 22, 2018 @04:36PM (#16898447)
How do I pay?
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by modeless on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:18PM (#16898641)
G Suite for Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar + phone support + other stuff: https://gsuite.google.com/pricing.html

Or, Drive storage by itself, which applies to most products with storage quotas such as Gmail and Photos: https://www.google.com/drive/pricing/

For YouTube, YouTube Red: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6305537

Another interesting experiment in the willingness of users to pay to remove ads is Google Contributor: https://contributor.google.com/

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by scrollaway on Sunday April 22, 2018 @06:23PM (#16898984)
To add to this, since I've started using GSuite for my personal account, I feel a hundred thousand times more comfortable with Google.

1. My Google identity is now my real email, the one tied to my real domain that I myself own. That's so much better. I can comfortably sign in/sign up with Google to other sites, have them tied to that email instead of my @gmail.com one.

2. I feel way more comfortable sharing every single detail of my life to Google. In fact, it turns what initially comes off as really creepy, into a useful life service because I'm now using things such as my map activity etc as a service I have a paid contract with Google for. And if I don't like it, I can hard disable the entire service.

3. I have access to a lot of stuff that regular free Google doesn't offer. Things such as undelete email/drive (which has been useful on a couple of accidental occasions), and, get this, support. Live chat and phone!

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by randomsearch on Monday April 23, 2018 @08:42AM (#16902859)
This is pretty good. I've been considering moving over to Apple for everything to avoid Google, but this offers a partial solution.

If only I could pay a monthly fee to include search and maps!

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by RandomException on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:19PM (#16897973)
You would now, but what if they had cost money in the first place? Like, you wouldn't have got used to their services for free for years? This is something people often forget when they are saying "of course I would pay money".

The world would be a whole lot different place (not necessarily any better) if Google services cost money instead of gathering data and selling it forwards.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by bowlich on Sunday April 22, 2018 @04:08PM (#16898278)
I already pay them $5 a month so I can use [email protected] for e-mail (I believe this also exempts my inbox from their ad-based data mining, but I could be wrong) I would gladly up that to $10 or $15 a month to extend that across all of Google's products (Youtube, Search, Maps etc.) and have advertising stripped from the whole thing and my "peronalization" data sandboxed so it doesn't get leaked to the "free" version.

The difference that I see between FB and Google is that I would trust Google to get that right. I would expect FB to say they sandboxed or protected my data and then have it turn out in court in ten years that they did no such thing...

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by stjohnswarts on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:22PM (#16900060)
can i just use "[email protected]" rather than some company name? I'd really just be paying for the knowledge that google isn't plowing through my data and sending it to 3rd parties. My company name is already associated with another host provider.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by product50 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:05PM (#16897888)
That is totally fair. My main point here was the users have to pay one way or the other. Either via more seeing more targeted ads, which sacrifices their privacy, or via real $$.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by murukesh_s on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:28PM (#16898026)
I think it's time a model will come up where you have an option to choose between an ad supported and paid version.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by downandout on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:34PM (#16898063)
Take a keyword like "mesothelioma". Are you going to personally reimburse Google for the $100 that an advertiser would pay them for your click that they will lose by not showing you an ad with this keyword?
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by cube2222 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:01PM (#16898557)
The average click is worth much less though. And the main idea of subscription based flat-priced services is that in average, you profit.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by stjohnswarts on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:22PM (#16900061)
try 1 cent.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by joshuamorton on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:53PM (#16900169)
While most Google searches aren't that valuable, there are specific searches (mesothelioma might be one, but I've heard local bail bonds and injury lawers) that have cpc in the range of $50-100. There's articles about this floating around.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by mayniac on Monday April 23, 2018 @04:09AM (#16901448)
I really don't mind Google as much when it comes to data collection.

Primary difference between them and Facebook is that I feel Google has a lot more transparency with what data they hold on you. With Google I just deleted all my account activity which is older than a week. Facebook gave me no such option, I even had to write a fucking 600 line python script using OCR to spam click delete buttons on timeline because there's no way to delete activity using the API.

I also agree with you that Google actually provides a service that Facebook doesn't. There's dozens of Google services I use on a weekly basis. I deleted my FB account because of privacy issues but leave my location on my Android for Google Timeline, despite them keeping a log of where I've been every second of my life I a) trust them more with that data than I trust FB to know my hair colour and b) I actually use that feature and think the payoff is worth it.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by lozenge on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:13PM (#16897939)
I just want to set my alarms and do some searches by voice. Why does this require my web browsing history?
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by skinnymuch on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:36PM (#16898732)
Do you really think everyone relies on Google that much? I don’t have some vendetta against Google but I don’t count on their stuff much. Besides Gmail which I havent given the time to at least partially migrate from (only because I have multiple emails and would rather they be with multiple providers), I use the calendar for syncing and YouTube. Neither gmail nor calendars is something I need from google. It’s just I’ve never changed.

I’m sure the majority of people do rely on Google quite a bit. But not everyone.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by bleachedsleet on Sunday April 22, 2018 @06:07PM (#16898890)
It would seem, based on the numbers, that you are the exception here. Just look at how being precluded from Google’s services and apps can be a death sentence for some companies: One of the biggest reasons Windows Phone failed was that Google chose to ignore the platform. Google is perhaps the most pervasive tech company to date and it is nearly impossible to escape for the average user.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by stjohnswarts on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:15PM (#16900032)
I wouldn't mind them using aggregate anonymous information, but they don't need to know my every move, so I turn off google everything and use alternatives.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by isthatart on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:47PM (#16898144)
Yeah I want to have a similar experience as with Linux. If they can't deliver that, and they can't, then they are only one more company holding us back.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by throw2016 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @04:33PM (#16898424)
Untrue, people are paying serious money for their Android phones. OEMs too pay Google. So customers are not 'demanding' anything for free.

But that doesn't stop Google's insatiable need for personal data and stalking people. Android is designed to leak like a sieve.

And this is yet another example for those who continue to make the false argument that if customers paid surveillance would go away. On the contrary companies will then make money from both sources.

This 'free' is not demanded by anybody but is the business model of some startups to gain market share. The fact that there are no regulations means they can operate without any ethical constraints.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by stjohnswarts on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:25PM (#16900069)
Android does not leak like a sieve. All you have to do is not use Google services. There are plenty of others if you're willing to pay a little bit. Or pay for GSuite and they turn the tracking off. Nothing in this world is free except a mother's love.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by blub on Monday April 23, 2018 @02:19AM (#16900931)
The only thing you have to do is uninstall the Google apps you mean, handicapping your phone.

The Android platform itself is designed to siphon as much data as possible: contacts, pictures, locations, wifi hotspot information, etc.

If you think that you can avoid Google's greed for data just by not using GMail you are way way behind in the game and your misleading comment is harming others which might now feel safe using what is essentially a very evolved spyware OS. Sure, Google are nice and won't steal your credit card number and purchase stuff with it. They just take every bit of info they can get their hands on.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by tmoravec on Sunday April 22, 2018 @01:56PM (#16897420)
I'd give them the benefit of the doubt here. It's probably just because of the voice control, which can be presumably used for web search. And they personalize the web search with your history.

It looks more like poor engineering than a dark pattern.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by amelius on Sunday April 22, 2018 @02:03PM (#16897485)
> It looks more like poor engineering than a dark pattern.

Poor engineering and sensitive data are a bad combination.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Dibes on Sunday April 22, 2018 @11:27PM (#16900303)
I am going to speculate that it isn't poor engineering per-say but more likely that they are solving for 95-99% use case and not spending the man-hours to make their systems work for the rest.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by mattmanser on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:49PM (#16898160)
I would buy that if they did that occasionally, but all their services behave badly when you try and take back some privacy.

To me it feels like they're deliberately making it painful when you minimise what you share with them.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Draiken on Sunday April 22, 2018 @06:18PM (#16898954)
I'd have to agree with the parent post.

They create things for the 99.9999% that don't care about privacy and will never touch those settings. When you leave that massive group, that's when bugs will be way more common.

We could argue that they intentionally only care about UX when you give them your data but then again that's capitalism, right?

They might have to give you choice to turn those things off, but nobody can force them to give you the same experience. Imagine any executive saying he will focus on giving a great experience for the users that they can't make money out of. He'll be out of a job very quickly.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by mattmanser on Monday April 23, 2018 @05:30AM (#16901853)
99.9999% means only 1 in a 1,000,000 care, where's it's more like to be 1 in 10 or maybe 1 in 20. If you'd said 90% or 80% you'd be closer.

It's stupid to make such a wild proclamation, that, for example, only 70 odd people in the whole of the UK care.

For Google it's millions or 10s of millions of their consumers.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Buge on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:23PM (#16900062)
>They might have to give you choice to turn those things off, but nobody can force them to give you the same experience.

Isn't that basically what GDPR says? You have to be able to opt out of anything, without breaking things except when absolutely necessary.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by simfoo on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:00PM (#16897856)
They also do this with Google Maps on Android. Disabled Location History sharing with Google? Sorry, we cannot remember the last search term you entered in Google Maps ON THE SAME DEVICE. This is so infuriating
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by taneq on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:29PM (#16899850)
All just part of training people to think that the two options are "all of your data is stored permanently on Google's servers and they can use it for anything" or "your data is not stored anywhere ever and you have to type everything from scratch every time".

Store personal information on a device and not send it to the mothership? Unthinkable!

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by darren_ on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:14PM (#16900027)
That would be terrible if it was true, which it isn't.

Source: literally just tried it.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Terr_ on Sunday April 22, 2018 @11:47PM (#16900384)
Perhaps not that specific option which controls some smaller facet of sharing and recommendations, however but it's definitely the case when you turn off syncing "Web & App Activity" with the Google panopticon.

Where the history would usually be, there's just this nagging message:

> To see your home and work, past searches, and other suggestions tailed for you, turn on Web & App Activity.

...Which, as mentioned already, misleadingly implies that local-history features are difficult or nonstandard.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by taneq on Monday April 23, 2018 @12:45AM (#16900581)
I'd say it's more that it quite correctly implies that if you resist sharing your personal life with Google, they'll punish you.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by sf_rob on Monday April 23, 2018 @02:54AM (#16901042)
It likely was formerly true. Maps was very limited 2 years ago when I turned off Location History; it's gotten a lot better since.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by sf_rob on Monday April 23, 2018 @02:52AM (#16901037)
It used to be the case that Maps wouldn't search places that you starred on that device when you turned off Location History. They fixed that some time in the past year.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Normal_gaussian on Sunday April 22, 2018 @05:13PM (#16898623)
No saved places, and it also breaks time estimations for journeys
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by joeseeder on Sunday April 22, 2018 @06:57PM (#16899159)
Amazing, make me feel good about abandoning google ecosystem a few years ago

Best part is I don’t miss it at all, grew up before evil google, didn’t get to rely on their evil parts when switched away

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by stjohnswarts on Sunday April 22, 2018 @10:14PM (#16900028)
Use waze, it works better anyway and basically uses the same info backend as google maps
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by AJ007 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @01:47PM (#16897364)
I’m waiting for an answer to this: will the least invasive platforms end up the least intelligent?
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jes5199 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @02:04PM (#16897489)
what's so great about "intelligent" platforms? They're constantly doing something wrong or at least useless.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by lostlogin on Sunday April 22, 2018 @02:17PM (#16897584)
The level of frustration in trying to get Siri to do something when you can’t use your hands is quite something. I’d like something a bit better.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Eridrus on Sunday April 22, 2018 @02:27PM (#16897655)
Almost certainly, if they don't know anything about you they can at best show the median/average outcome.

Some of this can be counteracted with local processing, but that's not really hardware efficient, e.g. you wouldn't consider running a Google instance on everyone's phone.

Breakthroughs in how we do computation could change this, but it would need to be a significant breakthrough, e.g. in homomorphic encryption and differential privacy or huge progress in compute/storage price/density/energy usage.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by mattmanser on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:52PM (#16898180)
It's also counter to how our industry's gone, everything's cloud these days, not just because of their insatiable need to feast on our privacy, but also because it's easier to maintain, upgrade, etc. and effectively cuts piracy to nothing.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by ihm on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:08PM (#16897903)
Eventually, once various forms of fully homomorphic encryption become practical, we can have the best of both worlds.

That being said, using cryptography to protect information will probably always have some (albeit constant) overhead over unprotected computation, so it may be true that these platforms will still be the "least intelligent" even though they are intelligent enough.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by abvdasker on Sunday April 22, 2018 @04:08PM (#16898275)
If Google home were a free product it would make sense but for Google to use your data produced by using the product feels a lot like double dipping.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by TAForObvReasons on Sunday April 22, 2018 @01:56PM (#16897430)
> For the first time I'm considering Apple's device.

Apple does collect analytics, but those can be turned off in OSX at the very least. As a company, they are not currently geared towards data collection. They have publicly positioned themselves in favor of privacy.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by izacus on Sunday April 22, 2018 @02:45PM (#16897766)
Please don't forget the treasure trove of data Apple gets via iCloud services, which rival Googles if you're invested in their ecosystem - contacts, calendars, emails, location (Find my phone), all application data (backups), etc.

They don't also fully encrypt all of that information and give it to government on request.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jacksmith21006 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:27PM (#16898013)
Exactly and little transparency from Apple on what they collect and not dashboard like Google to delete or download.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jacksmith21006 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:26PM (#16898009)
The issue with Apple is transparency. I want a dashboard like Google provides to see what they are collecting, let me delete and download like Google does.

Both companies have basically the same terms with privacy.

https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww/ Legal - Privacy Policy - Apple

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Angostura on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:42PM (#16898115)
I believe Apple is adding something like this to iCloud fairly soon, as part of GDPR preparations.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jacksmith21006 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:45PM (#16898130)
Man I hope you are correct. I love google having all my devices with apps and permissions granted all in one place. I hope Apple copies exactly. Plus finally disclose what they are collecting and able to remove and download like Google.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by Angostura on Monday April 23, 2018 @07:42AM (#16902495)
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by jacksmith21006 on Monday April 23, 2018 @08:43AM (#16902870)
Thanks for the link! But I am in the US? Will Apple be transparent in the US like Google is?

More than anything I just want to be able to remove what Apple has on me as I want all my data in a single place when possible.

So I share my location with my family with Google Maps and do NOT want my location also to be at Apple for example.

But Apple is the worse like this. They are far less transparent than Google and that bugs me about Apple.

Plus considering Apple gave all their users data over to the China government versus Google fought the China government Apple has a horrible record with privacy and looks for a buck will give up your data.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by majidazimi on Sunday April 22, 2018 @02:30PM (#16897677)
I don't have problem if a company collects usage information. End of the day, they need it to improve the product. But for fuck's sake, DON'T sell it to others to increase revenue. Just use it for product development.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by crusader76 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @04:11PM (#16898294)
This is my problem too and they seem to be getting more bold. For example YouTube TV is $45 a month and you will still be hit with targeted commercials based on this accumulated data. For free services I'm kinda ok with it but if your paying? Not ok and not so entitled to expect separation.
Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by deltron3030 on Sunday April 22, 2018 @03:20PM (#16897980)
It's a luxury they can afford by being a vision and design centric company. They don't cater to demand, they create it.

By being quite generic and broad in their targeting themselves, they can get away with just collecting non personal "OS data", and they do it since the 80s.

Their biggest enemy are companies that create an easier market for developers and businesses by passing down data that those businesses can use to reach users. FB getting into hardware (they will be a future competitor with AR) is possibly causing them sleepless nights.

Re:After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? by pacomerh on Sunday April 22, 2018 @07:42PM (#16899359)
Apple's device relies on Siri, which is very much behind in the smart cylinder race, or maybe you're interested on its audio quality capabilities, for that it sure excels.