You make some good points, but also demonstrate the level to which google is embedded in software development. In recommending ways to get away from google's tracking, you mentioned compatibility with Android, which renders all efforts to afford the problem meaningless. Tracking that is baked into the OS affects all apps running within that OS, so you have to stop using android.
Also stop mentioning it. Not that I'm the best example of this, writing from my gmail account. Another example of OS-level integration is systemd. systemd defaults to google's nameservers when no others are provided. It's a fallback mechanism if standard DNS configuration fails, and is implemented at compile time. Like you mentioned, it's more than just IP tracking, you need to start rejecting entire chunks of your OS stack if you want to actually get away from google's profile building. It's pretty disgusting these days. Distros like Debian and Ubuntu working behind the scenes to sell out the community. Even Mozilla links up with all those API's, making a weak claim that their use for tracking is totally different from everyone else's. They still send data to google servers... This has been a pretty long standing thread and I haven't read all the > responses but this is some good and disturbing information that raises a > few questions for me. > Why is ip tracking itself such a concern? I tend to focus on the EFF's surveillance self-defense recommendations of apps and general internet use practices. I don't see information regarding IP Tracking by EFF with the exception of an article on Do Not Track Policy. https://www.eff.org/dnt-policy I've used the uBlock Origin and HTTPS Everywhere browser plugins for a few years based on some reviews I read, but I honestly don't know exactly how they work and who effective they are. However, the rub is when you're trying to communicate with friends, family and other orgs via digital medial. As far as Google's services. I wouldn't say that I rely on them, but they're convenient and work well for my needs. I often use Duck Duck Go or log out of Google when I do Internet searches. However, I consume a lot of content on Youtube. General Internet VPN services are ubiquitous these days. Is this the best solution for dealing w. ip tracking? This might be an interesting PLUG Talk Topic. _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list [email protected] http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
