4 ms·

I don't understand how you conclude that Google is everywhere whereas Facebook is only on Facebook.com. I'm not disagreeing that Google is everywhere, but I'd a

I don't understand how you conclude that Google is everywhere whereas Facebook is only on Facebook.com. I'm not disagreeing that Google is everywhere, but I'd argue that so is Facebook. Are you making this distinction mainly because of Android and its market share? From the privacy angle, Facebook is also on Instagram, WhatsApp (this to a limited extent) and on most websites that use Facebook for comments and/or have Facebook Like buttons. I don't have links right now, but I've read that Facebook also engages and buys data from large online tracking and profiling companies.

lucideer 9y ago
You're right about WhatsApp and Instagram, but they're similarly opt-in. On the in-website comments/like buttons - this is also true, but quite trivial to block (most blocking extensions will do it out of the box, some browsers are even doing it as a built-in feature). Such blockers will also block some subset of Google stuff - e.g. Google Analytics - but miss the vast majority of it. Google provides DNS - handling every domain look-up for anyone using it. This setting is often at a router or even ISP level. Google hosts the TLS verification databases used by browsers to bulk-verify the lists of HTTPS sites you visit. Google Analytics is not just in websites, it's embedded in many non-web apps you use, even some CLI ones. Even excluding the ever-pervasive Google Analytics, Google also provides myriad services to 90% of individual websites you visit. StackOverflow relies on HTTP requests to Google servers for all posting/commenting/interactive functionality. Google (or Apple) own and control your mobile phone. They track your every move, wherever you go. They can see every app you open, and often how long you spend in it, regardless of who developed that app. They read the contents of most of the emails you send, regardless of who you host your own emails with (because not only are most personal emails on Gmail, a significant quantity of @corporatedomain ones are too). Google measures the physical location of the WiFi router you have in your house from other people's Android's as they walk by (and from Google StreetView cars). With Facebook you can choose not to sign up to Facebook/WhatsApp or Instagram. Apart from not buying an Android phone, most of the above is not trivial to avoid, and the website stuff I mentioned in particular is only the tip of the iceberg.

lucideer 9y ago

You're right about WhatsApp and Instagram, but they're similarly opt-in. On the in-website comments/like buttons - this is also true, but quite trivial to block (most blocking extensions will do it out of the box, some browsers are even doing it as a built-in feature). Such blockers will also block some subset of Google stuff - e.g. Google Analytics - but miss the vast majority of it. Google provides DNS - handling every domain look-up for anyone using it. This setting is often at a router or even ISP level. Google hosts the TLS verification databases used by browsers to bulk-verify the lists of HTTPS sites you visit. Google Analytics is not just in websites, it's embedded in many non-web apps you use, even some CLI ones. Even excluding the ever-pervasive Google Analytics, Google also provides myriad services to 90% of individual websites you visit. StackOverflow relies on HTTP requests to Google servers for all posting/commenting/interactive functionality. Google (or Apple) own and control your mobile phone. They track your every move, wherever you go. They can see every app you open, and often how long you spend in it, regardless of who developed that app. They read the contents of most of the emails you send, regardless of who you host your own emails with (because not only are most personal emails on Gmail, a significant quantity of @corporatedomain ones are too). Google measures the physical location of the WiFi router you have in your house from other people's Android's as they walk by (and from Google StreetView cars). With Facebook you can choose not to sign up to Facebook/WhatsApp or Instagram. Apart from not buying an Android phone, most of the above is not trivial to avoid, and the website stuff I mentioned in particular is only the tip of the iceberg.