9 ms·

How do you unGoogle? They have my phone, my email. Amazon now follows my grocery shopping at Whole Foods. I doubt Visa and Amex are far behind, it's free money

How do you unGoogle? They have my phone, my email. Amazon now follows my grocery shopping at Whole Foods. I doubt Visa and Amex are far behind, it's free money for them so there is no point in canning Master. What a disaster! Ad supported Internet is the root of the problem.

anothergoogler 8y ago
re: Whole Foods, I've never heard of a place that was a food desert but for Whole Foods. You should take your business somewhere else if you don't want Amazon to have data on your grocery purchases.
- PNWChris 8y ago
  Funny anecdote, my fiance used to live in midtown Detroit near the Whole Foods. At the time the groceries situation was worse, it was more-or-less a food desert other than that Whole Foods [0]. I don't know how folks who can't afford a car would get groceries (an hour round trip on the bus, I guess), but that can be said about nearly everything in Michigan. The whole wealth bootstrapping problem is really unsolved out there, you can't get started on anything without like $5k for a car and car-related expenses. [0]: https://www.google.com/maps/search/midtown+detroit+groceries/@42.3446326,-83.0652096,14z/data=!3m1!4b1 https://www.google.com/maps/search/midtown+detroit+groceries...
toomuchtodo 8y ago
> Amazon now follows my grocery shopping at Whole Foods. Shop at Aldi. https://aldi.us/stores/ https://aldi.us/stores/
- losteric 8y ago
  Or pay cash!
earenndil 8y ago
You can use ios or lineageos. You can use an email such as protonmail (although I personally find them just a touch shady, they're no doubt miles better than gmail) or host your own. Don't shop at whole foods. Pay with cash.
- boling11 8y ago
  Just out of curiosity, what feels shady about ProtonMail?
  - ardy42 8y ago
    I believe a competitor of theirs has been actively trying to spread distrust of them on HN. I don't remember the details well, but I think they allege that ProtonVPN and ProtonMail aren't independent from each other when they claim they are.
    - protonmail 8y ago
      There is a smear campaign going on, but not about precisely this. The smear campaign is that since ProtonVPN is free, it must be doing something nefarious. ProtonMail and ProtonVPN are legally separate, but they are both part of the Proton family of projects which originated from CERN.
    - earenndil 8y ago
      I'm not sure what competitor you're referring to, I don't think they have many of those (tutanota, maybe? Or startmail?) but I assure you I don't work for one of those. There's not another email provider I have significantly more trust in or that I think does everything right while protonmail does everything wrong, there's just a minor sticky feeling that I have using them.
- pointillistic 8y ago
  Thank you, I am aware of the alternatives but it's an uphill battle to fight a monopoly, i.e. I have only Comcast here as Internet option, etc.
nostromo 8y ago
You could move to Apple and use Apple Pay Cash to buy purchases you'd rather not be tracked and sold to Google (and a million other companies).
- ilove_banh_mi 8y ago
  [correction: Apple Pay Cash should indeed be a workable shield.] Using Apple Pay [not the "Cash" feature] only hides your details from the retailer, not from the credit card company nor evidently from Google.
  - nostromo 8y ago
    I said Apple Pay Cash, and yes, it does. https://applepaycash.greendot.com/privacy/ https://applepaycash.greendot.com/privacy/
    - ilove_banh_mi 8y ago
      Sorry I didn't realize the distinction you were making! you are right that seems to be an electronic equivalent to cash.
  - mr_toad 8y ago
    https://applepaycash.greendot.com/termsconditions/ https://applepaycash.greendot.com/termsconditions/ It appears that Apple Pay cash doesn’t share much, although they do say ‘We may disclose information that is not personally identifiable for other purposes.’ What they mean exactly by ‘personally identifiable’ is open to interpretation.
foolrush 8y ago
Unfettered, profit-at-all-costs is the problem. Paying for something brings no shred of chance that your data isn't being harvested. Zero. Most people pay for credit cards by way of yearly fees, they track you. Purchase music? Your music is cross referenced in the name of discoverability. Hardware? Same. Some of those things might be helpful in some contexts, and in others not. That fuzzy line is the discourse. With all of that said, to cite the locus of all evil as “ad supported” as the problem is a logical fault line.
remir 8y ago
For email, there's Fastmail, which is great and the web UI is clean, simple and fast. If your phone is supported, you can install LineageOS on it without any Google apps.
- abawany 8y ago
  A couple of years ago, I decided to go with Runbox for email along with some self-hosted solutions. It has been great - Gmail over IMAP is relegated to newsletter subscriptions. I also use LineageOS on my phones and tablets.
chiefalchemist 8y ago
Did you read Chaos Monkeys? What about Dragnet Nation? Both (of which are not new) peek behind the curtains you're concerned about. Both are recommended, and freightening. It's only going to get worse. https://www.antoniogarciamartinez.com/chaos-monkeys/ https://www.antoniogarciamartinez.com/chaos-monkeys/ http://juliaangwin.com/dragnet-nation-available-now/ http://juliaangwin.com/dragnet-nation-available-now/
- redwards510 8y ago
  Borrowed Chaos Monkeys from the library based on this post. Thanks for the recommendation, it's very engaging so far.
  - chiefalchemist 8y ago
    The best bit - relevant to this HN privacy discussion - is about two-thirds in. It's where FB cracks the code (breaks the back of privacy) and heads for advertisers' nirvana. And that was 5+ yrs ago. And yes, his style is very entertaining. I hope you enjoy it.
auslander 8y ago
It is vital to unGoogle, to protect your data. Totally possible. 1. Switch everything to Apple, hardware company. iPhone, Mac OS 2. Use myname@icloud.com email, create few email aliases. Forward your gmail to it, and finally delete gmail accounts. 3. Don't use any of Googles software, like Chrome. Install adbocker extention/app and use Private Browsing windows by default 4. Buy a VPN subscription and set up your phone and Mac to always use it (on-demand).
- icebraining 8y ago
  What makes you think your VPN company isn't selling your net usage data to Google?
  - auslander 8y ago
    I carefully selected it :) Even if it does, there are other benefits: - ISP has no clue what you do - Your IP is hidden, major feature for fingerprinting you by websites, trackers and Google.

anothergoogler 8y ago

re: Whole Foods, I've never heard of a place that was a food desert but for Whole Foods. You should take your business somewhere else if you don't want Amazon to have data on your grocery purchases.

PNWChris 8y ago
Funny anecdote, my fiance used to live in midtown Detroit near the Whole Foods. At the time the groceries situation was worse, it was more-or-less a food desert other than that Whole Foods [0]. I don't know how folks who can't afford a car would get groceries (an hour round trip on the bus, I guess), but that can be said about nearly everything in Michigan. The whole wealth bootstrapping problem is really unsolved out there, you can't get started on anything without like $5k for a car and car-related expenses. [0]: https://www.google.com/maps/search/midtown+detroit+groceries/@42.3446326,-83.0652096,14z/data=!3m1!4b1 https://www.google.com/maps/search/midtown+detroit+groceries...

toomuchtodo 8y ago

> Amazon now follows my grocery shopping at Whole Foods. Shop at Aldi. https://aldi.us/stores/ https://aldi.us/stores/

losteric 8y ago
Or pay cash!

earenndil 8y ago

You can use ios or lineageos. You can use an email such as protonmail (although I personally find them just a touch shady, they're no doubt miles better than gmail) or host your own. Don't shop at whole foods. Pay with cash.

boling11 8y ago
Just out of curiosity, what feels shady about ProtonMail?
- ardy42 8y ago
  I believe a competitor of theirs has been actively trying to spread distrust of them on HN. I don't remember the details well, but I think they allege that ProtonVPN and ProtonMail aren't independent from each other when they claim they are.
  - protonmail 8y ago
    There is a smear campaign going on, but not about precisely this. The smear campaign is that since ProtonVPN is free, it must be doing something nefarious. ProtonMail and ProtonVPN are legally separate, but they are both part of the Proton family of projects which originated from CERN.
  - earenndil 8y ago
    I'm not sure what competitor you're referring to, I don't think they have many of those (tutanota, maybe? Or startmail?) but I assure you I don't work for one of those. There's not another email provider I have significantly more trust in or that I think does everything right while protonmail does everything wrong, there's just a minor sticky feeling that I have using them.
pointillistic 8y ago
Thank you, I am aware of the alternatives but it's an uphill battle to fight a monopoly, i.e. I have only Comcast here as Internet option, etc.

nostromo 8y ago

You could move to Apple and use Apple Pay Cash to buy purchases you'd rather not be tracked and sold to Google (and a million other companies).

ilove_banh_mi 8y ago
[correction: Apple Pay Cash should indeed be a workable shield.] Using Apple Pay [not the "Cash" feature] only hides your details from the retailer, not from the credit card company nor evidently from Google.
- nostromo 8y ago
  I said Apple Pay Cash, and yes, it does. https://applepaycash.greendot.com/privacy/ https://applepaycash.greendot.com/privacy/
  - ilove_banh_mi 8y ago
    Sorry I didn't realize the distinction you were making! you are right that seems to be an electronic equivalent to cash.
- mr_toad 8y ago
  https://applepaycash.greendot.com/termsconditions/ https://applepaycash.greendot.com/termsconditions/ It appears that Apple Pay cash doesn’t share much, although they do say ‘We may disclose information that is not personally identifiable for other purposes.’ What they mean exactly by ‘personally identifiable’ is open to interpretation.

foolrush 8y ago

Unfettered, profit-at-all-costs is the problem. Paying for something brings no shred of chance that your data isn't being harvested. Zero. Most people pay for credit cards by way of yearly fees, they track you. Purchase music? Your music is cross referenced in the name of discoverability. Hardware? Same. Some of those things might be helpful in some contexts, and in others not. That fuzzy line is the discourse. With all of that said, to cite the locus of all evil as “ad supported” as the problem is a logical fault line.

remir 8y ago

For email, there's Fastmail, which is great and the web UI is clean, simple and fast. If your phone is supported, you can install LineageOS on it without any Google apps.

abawany 8y ago
A couple of years ago, I decided to go with Runbox for email along with some self-hosted solutions. It has been great - Gmail over IMAP is relegated to newsletter subscriptions. I also use LineageOS on my phones and tablets.

chiefalchemist 8y ago

Did you read Chaos Monkeys? What about Dragnet Nation? Both (of which are not new) peek behind the curtains you're concerned about. Both are recommended, and freightening. It's only going to get worse. https://www.antoniogarciamartinez.com/chaos-monkeys/ https://www.antoniogarciamartinez.com/chaos-monkeys/ http://juliaangwin.com/dragnet-nation-available-now/ http://juliaangwin.com/dragnet-nation-available-now/

redwards510 8y ago
Borrowed Chaos Monkeys from the library based on this post. Thanks for the recommendation, it's very engaging so far.
- chiefalchemist 8y ago
  The best bit - relevant to this HN privacy discussion - is about two-thirds in. It's where FB cracks the code (breaks the back of privacy) and heads for advertisers' nirvana. And that was 5+ yrs ago. And yes, his style is very entertaining. I hope you enjoy it.

auslander 8y ago

It is vital to unGoogle, to protect your data. Totally possible. 1. Switch everything to Apple, hardware company. iPhone, Mac OS 2. Use myname@icloud.com email, create few email aliases. Forward your gmail to it, and finally delete gmail accounts. 3. Don't use any of Googles software, like Chrome. Install adbocker extention/app and use Private Browsing windows by default 4. Buy a VPN subscription and set up your phone and Mac to always use it (on-demand).

icebraining 8y ago
What makes you think your VPN company isn't selling your net usage data to Google?
- auslander 8y ago
  I carefully selected it :) Even if it does, there are other benefits: - ISP has no clue what you do - Your IP is hidden, major feature for fingerprinting you by websites, trackers and Google.