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My list of degooglifying actions: * switch default search engine to DuckDuckGo (can still use !s bang when one wants to see what Google has) * use tracking bl

by FabHK 8y ago

My list of degooglifying actions: * switch default search engine to DuckDuckGo (can still use !s bang when one wants to see what Google has) * use tracking blocker (uBlock origin, BlockBear on iOS) * use anonymous/private/porn mode browsing most of the time (except for sites I actually want to be logged in permanently) * use Zoho as a replacement for shared Google docs * use Youtube either in private window, and/or download content with youtube-dl * use Apple Maps or OpenStreetMaps instead of Google maps, though still revert to Google maps sometimes. It's good. (But never log in, and don't use the apps). * long ago switched to different email for main email, and forwarded gmail account to it (nobody uses it anymore). (In fact, I use a catch-all domain now (very easy to set up), and a fresh email for basically every account. Quite handy.) * for contacts, photos, etc. I use Apple's built-in stuff. I do trust Apple a bit more (and it's a different business model; quite evidently unfortunately when you look at recent iPhone prices.) All in all, I think a fairly degooglified life is eminently possible.

teekert 8y ago
Same here, but I added Nextcloud in the basement for dropbox/google-drive/caldav/carddav/webmail. I do still have an Android phone (Lineage), I tried without play services... I gave up after 1 day.
ultimoo 8y ago
Great list! You forgot to mention the browser, I personally use FF and have grown to like it though I miss Chrome occasionally. >long ago switched to different email for main email, and forwarded gmail account to it (nobody uses it anymore). Neat! How do you set up auto forwarding with gmail?
- jumelles 8y ago
  You can set up a filter to match all emails and have them forwarded to another address. There may even be a specific forwarding setting somewhere in Gmail.
- swiley 8y ago
  Either Firefox is awful on windows or Chrome has something really great that I've totally missed. Chrome on Linux is just all kinds of unpleasant, it's not even possible to use it at all with my current distro. I don't understand how everyone seems to like it so much.
  - HeWhoLurksLate 8y ago
    When I first started using Linux day-to-day, Firefox, at least for me, was an absolute nightmare and didn't run well. I've switched to Vivaldi (Chromium-based, very power-user / I-never-want-to-move-my-hand-to-the-other-input-device friendly) for the moment, but I might just switch to Firefox again, I hadn't heard about the Multi-Account-Container feature, and that might just push me over the edge.
- m-ee 8y ago
  I've switched to FF and am mostly happy but for some reason it's terrible for videos. I'll get long hangups that never happen if I watch the same video on chrome
pyr0hu 8y ago
> * use anonymous/private/porn mode browsing most of the time (except for sites I actually want to be logged in permanently) instead of this, I just use Firefox and use the Multi-Account Container function to separate my browsing
- FabHK 8y ago
  Interesting idea. I should give Firefox another try. (I'm also using Fluid for self-contained Facebook browsing, I suppose that would then become unnecessary).
  - pyr0hu 8y ago
    There is a separate Facebook Container extension if you only need to contain FB browsing (that's basically a single container extension)
  - Bogdanp 8y ago
    If you use Chrome, none of the steps you listed matter as far as protecting yourself from Google. I used to use Chrome until it really struck home with me what the incentives are for the world's biggest web advertising company to own the world's most popular web browser in a world where over-the-wire auto-updates are commonplace.
    - FabHK 8y ago
      yeah, it's a pity, I hear Chrome is a good browser, but since it's from Google, there's just no way I'd touch it.
      - throwmeback 8y ago
        There's Chromium (ungoogled Chrome, or rather the other way around I think?) and Chromium-based forks. E.g. Brave is pretty good.
- Pxtl 8y ago
  Firefox is great on desktop, but I've found it too slow and clumsy on mobile, sadly.
maximtheory 8y ago
don't forget about fingerprinting: https://amiunique.org/fp https://amiunique.org/fp
- FabHK 8y ago
  Any defence possible, short of using Tor permanently?
sandov 8y ago
* Replace stock android with LineageOS if your phone is on the list of supported devices [1]. It has worked great for me. [1]https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/ https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/
- swiley 8y ago
  That's nice but a huge chunk of android has been moved into google's closed source "play services." It's pretty much impossible for the average person to have a functioning phone without that, they don't even maintain the open source mail client any more.
  - sandov 8y ago
    I've used it for a year without Google play services. The basic OS utilites (camera, SMS, file manager, "phone" app, etc) are part of the Lineage base and don't need play services. You can also install f-droid which has a good variety of open source apps, including mail clients. I even installed Whatsapp (downloaded the apk from whatsapp's website), which doesn't require play services. Now, I don't think LineageOS is for the "average person", its for people who care about their privacy and like having control of their device, but you don't need to be some sort of long-bearded hacker to be able to use it.
    - 29083011397778 8y ago
      > I even installed Whatsapp This just switches being tracked by Google to being tracked by Facebook. They now have names, times, numbers, etc of people you talk to/interact with, as well as your rough location via IP, access point, or cell tower (which are shared with people who have location services enabled).
      - bubblethink 8y ago
        That's fine. The point the parent is making is that you can use whatsapp without google play services if you want to. This is not a given for a lot of other apps.
newscracker 8y ago
> * use tracking blocker (uBlock origin, BlockBear on iOS) You could also use Firefox Focus in iOS. It comes with a built-in ad/content/tracker blocker. Since content blockers are common to all browsers on iOS (everything using Safari/WebKit underneath), it would help other browsers too.
kirion25 8y ago
> use Youtube either in private window, and/or download content with youtube-dl You can play youtube directly in major video players (mpv, vlc), at least on linux. Although, afaik, they use youtube-dl in the background.

by FabHK 8y ago

teekert 8y ago

Same here, but I added Nextcloud in the basement for dropbox/google-drive/caldav/carddav/webmail. I do still have an Android phone (Lineage), I tried without play services... I gave up after 1 day.

ultimoo 8y ago

Great list! You forgot to mention the browser, I personally use FF and have grown to like it though I miss Chrome occasionally. >long ago switched to different email for main email, and forwarded gmail account to it (nobody uses it anymore). Neat! How do you set up auto forwarding with gmail?

jumelles 8y ago
You can set up a filter to match all emails and have them forwarded to another address. There may even be a specific forwarding setting somewhere in Gmail.
swiley 8y ago
Either Firefox is awful on windows or Chrome has something really great that I've totally missed. Chrome on Linux is just all kinds of unpleasant, it's not even possible to use it at all with my current distro. I don't understand how everyone seems to like it so much.
- HeWhoLurksLate 8y ago
  When I first started using Linux day-to-day, Firefox, at least for me, was an absolute nightmare and didn't run well. I've switched to Vivaldi (Chromium-based, very power-user / I-never-want-to-move-my-hand-to-the-other-input-device friendly) for the moment, but I might just switch to Firefox again, I hadn't heard about the Multi-Account-Container feature, and that might just push me over the edge.
m-ee 8y ago
I've switched to FF and am mostly happy but for some reason it's terrible for videos. I'll get long hangups that never happen if I watch the same video on chrome

pyr0hu 8y ago

> * use anonymous/private/porn mode browsing most of the time (except for sites I actually want to be logged in permanently) instead of this, I just use Firefox and use the Multi-Account Container function to separate my browsing

FabHK 8y ago
Interesting idea. I should give Firefox another try. (I'm also using Fluid for self-contained Facebook browsing, I suppose that would then become unnecessary).
- pyr0hu 8y ago
  There is a separate Facebook Container extension if you only need to contain FB browsing (that's basically a single container extension)
- Bogdanp 8y ago
  If you use Chrome, none of the steps you listed matter as far as protecting yourself from Google. I used to use Chrome until it really struck home with me what the incentives are for the world's biggest web advertising company to own the world's most popular web browser in a world where over-the-wire auto-updates are commonplace.
  - FabHK 8y ago
    yeah, it's a pity, I hear Chrome is a good browser, but since it's from Google, there's just no way I'd touch it.
    - throwmeback 8y ago
      There's Chromium (ungoogled Chrome, or rather the other way around I think?) and Chromium-based forks. E.g. Brave is pretty good.
Pxtl 8y ago
Firefox is great on desktop, but I've found it too slow and clumsy on mobile, sadly.

maximtheory 8y ago

don't forget about fingerprinting: https://amiunique.org/fp https://amiunique.org/fp

FabHK 8y ago
Any defence possible, short of using Tor permanently?

sandov 8y ago

* Replace stock android with LineageOS if your phone is on the list of supported devices [1]. It has worked great for me. [1]https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/ https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/

swiley 8y ago
That's nice but a huge chunk of android has been moved into google's closed source "play services." It's pretty much impossible for the average person to have a functioning phone without that, they don't even maintain the open source mail client any more.
- sandov 8y ago
  I've used it for a year without Google play services. The basic OS utilites (camera, SMS, file manager, "phone" app, etc) are part of the Lineage base and don't need play services. You can also install f-droid which has a good variety of open source apps, including mail clients. I even installed Whatsapp (downloaded the apk from whatsapp's website), which doesn't require play services. Now, I don't think LineageOS is for the "average person", its for people who care about their privacy and like having control of their device, but you don't need to be some sort of long-bearded hacker to be able to use it.
  - 29083011397778 8y ago
    > I even installed Whatsapp This just switches being tracked by Google to being tracked by Facebook. They now have names, times, numbers, etc of people you talk to/interact with, as well as your rough location via IP, access point, or cell tower (which are shared with people who have location services enabled).
    - bubblethink 8y ago
      That's fine. The point the parent is making is that you can use whatsapp without google play services if you want to. This is not a given for a lot of other apps.

newscracker 8y ago

> * use tracking blocker (uBlock origin, BlockBear on iOS) You could also use Firefox Focus in iOS. It comes with a built-in ad/content/tracker blocker. Since content blockers are common to all browsers on iOS (everything using Safari/WebKit underneath), it would help other browsers too.

kirion25 8y ago

> use Youtube either in private window, and/or download content with youtube-dl You can play youtube directly in major video players (mpv, vlc), at least on linux. Although, afaik, they use youtube-dl in the background.