14 ms·

Google Analytics Opt Out

206 points by sturza 6y ago

Bella-Xiang 6y ago
The link is showed "404 error"
- sturza 6y ago
  Did you get it to work eventually? The idea is that there is a google browser extension to stop all google analytics, for most of the browsers available
- aleksi 6y ago
  It works for me. https://pasteboard.co/JFaFhgI.png https://pasteboard.co/JFaFhgI.png
veeti 6y ago
Universal analytics opt out: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock
- x3ro 6y ago
  Analytics opt out for your entire network: https://pi-hole.net/ https://pi-hole.net/ /scnr
  - przmk 6y ago
    Except Pi-Hole has some serious limitations as it only acts as a DNS server. I haven't been able to block Youtube ads on my tv for example.
    - filipn 6y ago
      You can set your router with a firewall NAT rule to capture all DNS requests and redirect them to use Pi-Hole. Your tv will think it talks to 8.8.8.8 when in reality it will talk to your server.
      - throwaway2048 6y ago
        doesn't stop dns over https, which stuff like chromecast employs
        kuschku 6y ago
        And that's why DNS over HTTPS was created in the first place, to get rid of ad blocking on Chromecast and Android. On Android now Proxies don't apply anymore to apps like YouTube, and as these apps also use DoH, there's no way to block ads anymore. All talk of "security" and "privacy" is false, as always it was all about profit. I honestly wonder if the people at Google working on DoH even knew why management supported their project, or if they genuinely believed they did something good while management secretly realised the potential profits from DoH
        dbrgn 6y ago
        Well, it's not like they were forced to do name resolution over DNS before... They could just as well deploy their own custom name resolvers and talk to them via IP from applications like YouTube for Android. The scenario you're describing (DNS-level blocks) could always be circumvented. On the other hand, if you live in the US and don't override the ISP's name servers, most probably they will spy on you and sometimes even do things like injecting ads into third party websites. This was the thing DoH was meant to solve.
        kuschku 6y ago
        > They could just as well deploy their own custom name resolvers and talk to them via IP from applications like YouTube for Android. The Chromecast has 8.8.8.8 hardcoded, but recently an ISP started integrating ad-blocking via DNS filtering (with 8.8.8.8 MitM) in their ISP routers. That case actually went to court. It'll always be possible to do the filtering as prosumer, but the current state of the art of "it just works" ad blockers is something Google is fighting against (also see Manifest v3)
        6y ago
    - m463 6y ago
      youtube-dl for that
    - fouc 6y ago
      Seems like you would need a pi-hole alternative that acts like a proxy. I imagine there is something like that out there, just not familiar with the choices.
      - joosters 6y ago
        There is privoxy - https://www.privoxy.org/ https://www.privoxy.org/ However, as most sites are https nowdays, privoxy is effectively limited to just blocking domains, making it pretty similar to pihole ...
        fouc 6y ago
        Yeah would need a proper MITM setup to deal with the https
    - 1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago
      The easiest way to avoid YouTube ads is to avoid using the YouTube website and its "Javascript player" to play videos. The Google Video download URLs to watch the video, without any ads, are right there in the hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxxxx webpage. I use a tiny shell script of only 97 characters to extract them. The truth is, where YouTube ads are concerned, neither a modified dnsmasq plus RPi so-called "Pi-Hole" nor any browser extension "ad blocker" is required. No user needs to run Javascript to play videos just like no user needed to run Adobe Flash to play videos. Flash and Javascript are useful, maybe even essential, for tracking and advertising, but are unnecessary for playing video.
      - bogomipz 6y ago
        >"I use a tiny shell script of only 97 characters to extract them." Would you mind sharing the script?
        hazeii 6y ago
        For something like Firefox, pulling them out of exported bookmarks is as simple as:- grep "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=" /tmp/bookmarks.html | cut -b22-64
        1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago
        Typo. 997 characters according to wc -c.
        account42 6y ago
        Why not just use https://youtube-dl.org/ https://youtube-dl.org/
      - sunsetMurk 6y ago
        I would love to observe you browsing and consuming web content for a day. Sounds like this sort of thing would make it much more laborious. That being said.. could be a good thing for me to not spend so much time watching dumb YouTube videos, and reading "fun" articles.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - luag 6y ago
      If you use android TV, you can install https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTubeNext https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTubeNext
      - kamyarg 6y ago
        that does not support casting as far as I have tried unfortunately.
        foepys 6y ago
        No app can accept casts. When your are using Google Cast, you don't stream from your device to the TV/Chromecast. Your device sends a package containing the app name you want to open and some basic configuration data and then the TV/Chromecast downloads a web app from Google's severs and opens it with the configuration you provided. Then your device can interact with it.
    - freebuju 6y ago
      Short of installing a third-party application like smartyoutube or vanced, you are not going to be successful in blocking YouTube ads. YouTube caught up with dns filtering ad-blockers and started placing their ads in the same domain as the video content.
      - gibspaulding 6y ago
        Ublock Origin seems to be working for me. I don't use YouTube that often, but I've never seen an add that I can remember. Edit: I guess maybe you're just talking about on a smart TV.
        simcop2387 6y ago
        ublock origin can do url based filtering, which can't be done via something like pihole where it's only at the dns level.
        gibspaulding 6y ago
        Thanks for the clarification. I've been using UBO for a long time and sort of take it for granted. It's pretty amazing how thorough it is. The school system I work for pushes out Addblock to all of their Chrome devices, and it doesn't even come close.
    - Majestic121 6y ago
      There's another solution to avoid ads that people seem to skip : get yourself a youtube premium membership. You can spread the cost across your family, and you'll stop playing cat and mouse (at least on youtube) Note that I'm not against ad blocking in general, but if you use a website a lot, it seems fair to me to remunerate it one way or another, and at least paying for membership is not a business model based on selling your data.
      - ajsnigrutin 6y ago
        But it costs you, and they still collect your data and will sell it for ads elsewhere. Ublock on PC, youtube vanced on android!
        YinglingLight 6y ago
        Not a stretch to assume the data on one who pays for Youtube Premium is more desired than one who does not. 'Whales' to use a term in the mobile gaming market.
    - jchook 6y ago
      Some routers allow you to change the DNS server. If you have or buy a configurable router, it should work.
      - jannes 6y ago
        Or disable builtin DHCP for that matter...
    - dontblink 6y ago
      Why not pay for premium?
    - loufe 6y ago
      This is the one hole I haven't been able to fill. Between guilt about not contributing to people's channels which I genuinely enjoy and the ads on the tv, I commited to buying premium next year.
  - contravariant 6y ago
    While that works it's not quite as sophisticated as u-Block's method of replacing the offending javascript with a dummy to avoid breaking webpages.
    - 1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago
      Is that approach needed to disable Google Analytics.
      - contravariant 6y ago
        Not necessarily but it helps prevent errors from JavaScript that depends on google analytics.
  - stock_toaster 6y ago
    Use both!
- ignoramous 6y ago
  Not that quick. Third-party analytics masquerading as first-party analytics is a thing: https://github.com/SukkaW/cloudflare-workers-async-google-analytics https://github.com/SukkaW/cloudflare-workers-async-google-an...
  - rcMgD2BwE72F 6y ago
    Still far more efficient that Google's opt out tool.
    - studius 6y ago
      And the most efficient would be not opting out. Analytics are actually beneficial as they drive support for the type of browser and OS used. I'd like to understand how opting-out of Google Analytics would spare you much from the massive big data tracking done via other JS libraries, ads, and especially mobile app use. Go onto any large news site, ecommerce platform, realty/home search site, etc. and look at the network tab in your Web Developer view. Commerce may in good part "run" the world, but that traffic will expand as bandwidth expands; what data will they want to track next? => using cameras and audio everywhere to determine what your mood is, what you're talking about, what you say you want. Anything with a mic or camera could be doing this today, in theory, but the bandwidth isn't there to support it. How can we avoid this? Should we stop WiFi and just wire our homes well, then plug-in and enable cellular data only when we sit down or really need it? It seems almost unavoidable, and that we've become too reliant on these things if privacy is the goal. And the bureaucratic EU policies on privacy seem like a simple game of chess for big data companies; we're responsible for this.
      - djsumdog 6y ago
        I don't run any analytics on my personal site. I just use awstats and web logs.
  - kawsper 6y ago
    > Recently cloudflare-workers-async-google-analytics has been blocked by EasyList. Great Job though. So I am going to play a cat & mouse game now. It was blockable, but the author decided to rename the file to jquery.js.
- crazypython 6y ago
  Add https://github.com/yourduskquibbles/webannoyances https://github.com/yourduskquibbles/webannoyances to get rid of cookie banners, sticky headers, dickbars, app banners, social icons, modal popups, and more.
- earthboundkid 6y ago
  Just for lazy devs. :-) Use https://github.com/jehna/ga-lite https://github.com/jehna/ga-lite to add Google Analytics to your page JS bundle and then proxy calls to the magic pixel so they look like they're first party. Nobody does this I guess because the rate of analytic blocking is low enough that it's not worth caring, but it's pretty easy to do.
- SmokeyHamster 6y ago
  That just blocks common Javascript ad scripts and trackers. It doesn't block sites tracking analytics via server logs.
freebuju 6y ago
Not a bad idea. Wonder how long they have hidden this add-on since this is the first time I'm hearing about it having been in existence for over an year now. Though for some reason I still don't trust Google to keep their word. I think uBlock is more than adequate in blocking these & so much more trackers which are so prevalent.
- mritchie712 6y ago
  That's the reason you haven't heard about it, it's irrelevant considering there are over a dozen better extensions for this that do more than block GA.
rightbyte 6y ago
Permission: "Access your data for all websites" according to its Firefox plugin site. How about no ... Why would you install this if you already don't trust Google with your data.
- mrjin 6y ago
  Cannot agree more. uBlock or piHole would be much better.
  - Rebelgecko 6y ago
    I believe uBlock requires the same permission
- vntok 6y ago
  "Access your data for all websites" is just a label, it does not imply what you think in the context of this addon. You can actually read the entire code, it's very concise.
  - LordDragonfang 6y ago
    You'd think the people who read this site would be more internet literate.
    - byecomputer 6y ago
      "Download this browser extension so we won't track you without consent" isn't a very good proposition no matter how internet literate you are. I'd argue that the very concept of internet literacy is broken if any of this sounds normal to you.
      - vntok 6y ago
        > "Download this browser extension so we won't track you without consent" isn't a very good proposition no matter how internet literate you are. If said browser extension actually doesn't track you, this is a non-sequitur. Hard to argue an extension tracks you if the single only thing it ever does is print "Hello" on top of every page you visit... still that extension would need to be able to access and modify every site you visit by definition. The exact same thing is happening here.
mschmitz_ 6y ago
I don't know why i should install this other than criminal activity. GDPR requires you to opt-in, so I don't need to opt-out.
- nicbou 6y ago
  Because websites can't be trusted to follow GDPR
  - mschmitz_ 6y ago
    that's what I mean with criminal activity.
    - that_guy_iain 6y ago
      GDPR is a civil law not a criminal law. Secondly, not all websites fall until GDPR as it's an EU law and not a global one.
      - pxndxx 6y ago
        GDPR applies to any organisation operating within the EU, as well as any organisations outside of the EU which offer goods or services to customers or businesses in the EU.
        that_guy_iain 6y ago
        Yes, which is not all websites. And it's not just offering goods and services but having a large customer base. It was specifically designed not to apply to small companies in other countries. For example, if you're a local newspaper website in Ohio, then GDPR does not apply to you. And it only applies to EU cizitens, it's just that it's so hard to realise who is a EU ciziten when they're within the EU that it's easier to just apply the same measures to everyone.
        unilynx 6y ago
bzb6 6y ago
I’m so fucking tired of google using my geolocation instead of my browser settings to decide which language to use.
- that_guy_iain 6y ago
  I have a Google Suite account and literally it keeps defaulting things to German when I have changed multiple things back to English. For the love of god I still can't figure out how to make it default constantly to English.
  - Semaphor 6y ago
    At least non-Suite sites figured that out a while ago. I think you need to change your language in 3 different places though.
- ffpip 6y ago
  Adding ?hl=en at the end of the URL fixes the issues on most google pages
  - rcMgD2BwE72F 6y ago
    True. But still excruciating that Google refuse to let the users' configure that. You can't even save this settings on the browser's search engine.
- Viliam1234 6y ago
  Somewhere in Google: "Hey, what is this list of language codes that browsers send in the request? Could we use it somehow?" "Don't worry about it, we already use it to calculate fingerprints."
avian 6y ago
If anyone is curious, it seems all this does is add a <script> element that defies _gaUserPrefs on all pages. At least the Firefox version. Here is all the code in it: (function() { var a = document.createElement("script"); a.type = "text/javascript"; a.id = "__gaOptOutExtension"; a.innerText = 'window["_gaUserPrefs"] = { ioo : function() { return true; } }'; document.documentElement.insertBefore(a, document.documentElement.firstChild); })()
- chrismorgan 6y ago
  Any guesses on why it creates the script element rather than just executing the JavaScript directly? Surely nothing would actually be looking out for a __gaOptOutExtension element in the DOM? (… to say nothing of it creating an incorrect DOM by inserting the script element as an immediate child of the <html> element, rather than inside the head or body.) window["_gaUserPrefs"] = { ioo : function() { return true; } }
  - scottfr 6y ago
    Chrome Extension content scripts are evaluated in an isolated JavaScript environment which does not share variables with the page's JavaScript. By creating a script in the page itself, the "_gaUserPrefs" variable is made accessible to the Google Analytics script.
    - byecomputer 6y ago
      Having to circumvent your own extension policy that prevents tracking in order prevent the tracking you were doing is not the best way to look competitive.
      - resoluteteeth 6y ago
        It's not "circumventing" a "policy." Injecting html is what you're supposed to do in this situation because it's safer than allowing contentscripts to directly execute javascript in the page context. This is how all chrome extensions do it.
ffpip 6y ago
https://www.ublockorigin.com https://www.ublockorigin.com Just block it (and almost all other analytics) instead of opting out
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
parski 6y ago
I just find this extension insulting. I need less Google code running in my browser, not more.
- ulfw 6y ago
  The whole idea is ridiculous that I am supposed to install a Google extension so Google doesn't track me, which I never wanted or agreed to anyway.
  - pas 6y ago
    The real question is, is it really Google that's tracking your or the site you're visiting? (The EU GDPR doesn't care, it says it's the responsibility of the site to get informed consent, which necessarily has to define what the chosen data processor does and can do with your data.) So what Google does with that data? To me it seems GA is just the free incentive to get sites to start using their "marketing platform", it's the entry point for their upsell conversion funnel to selling you Google Ads. The real thing. And GA is a great way to get you to get vendor-locked-in early.
    - Mauricebranagh 6y ago
      Have you seen the cost for other analytics platforms like adobe cost!
      - xd1936 6y ago
        https://blog.cloudflare.com/free-privacy-first-analytics-for-a-better-web/ https://blog.cloudflare.com/free-privacy-first-analytics-for... https://usefathom.com/ https://usefathom.com/ https://plausible.io/ https://plausible.io/ https://simpleanalytics.com/ https://simpleanalytics.com/ Some cost-effective alternatives off the top of my head
    - lmkg 6y ago
      Google Analytics consultant here. A plain-vanilla GA installation does not connect GA data to any of Google's data. Google is a Processor under GDPR & Service Provider under CCPA, meaning that the data "belongs" to the site owner and Google has no legal rights to use it for their own purposes. BUT A key feature of Google Analytics is integration with the rest of the Google ecosystem, including Google Ads (formerly AdWords) and Display & Video (formerly DoubleClick). It is extremely easy to connect GA data with Google's data. Configurations that give Google legal access to the data are easy and common. (If you remarket using GA, Google is not just a service provider.) From a GDPR perspective using Google Analytics is still problematic because of Schrems II. Any data transfer to a US-controlled entity is troublesome, because the EU has declared that US does not adequately safeguard user data (the main sticking point is the lack of accountability of law enforcement & intelligence agencies to request access to the data). But that's about the US, not about Google specifically.
byecomputer 6y ago
Browser extension? Equivalent to being told that all I need to do in order to get someone to stop following me is to let them in my house one more time
godelmachine 6y ago
Can I opt out of Google AMP? I stopped using Chrome only because of AMP and made FF my primary.
- Inversechi 6y ago
  Is there anything in Firefox that makes it as easy as chrome for translating pages?
  - cx0der 6y ago
    I have been using this https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/google-translator-for-firefox https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/google-transl...
  - godelmachine 6y ago
    AMP, as the name suggests is supposed to make sites load faster, but it’s a nasty experience for me, since I cannot select and copy anything.
vijaybritto 6y ago
The site design looks like early 2000s. I wonder if this exists just to get around some regulations? I use uBlock and the browsing experience is much better. Cannot stand pages with ads anymore.
import 6y ago
Great design. The page seems like 2010 Google scam websites. Why no shiny material elements blah blah design Google?
- mojuba 6y ago
  Even earlier... the button immediately made me think how I don't miss the Netscape 4 era Internet.
einszwei 6y ago
A cynical part of me thinks that this is another attempt by Google to say - Look now users decide if they want to be tracked using GA.
- rcMgD2BwE72F 6y ago
  1. This is not new 2. Users do not decide to be tracked. They can only opt out by installing more stuff made by an advertising company.
- ourcat 6y ago
  This will likely be their get-out, when it comes to UK data privacy post-actual-Brexit on Jan 1st. (Also probably relates to Google and Facebook moving all UK users to USA Ts & Cs.)
freakynit 6y ago
So, install google provided addon to opt-out of a google service? No thank you.
kulesh 6y ago
'Hey, I've got an idea! Let's learn more about those privacy geeks. We'll come up with a dumb-simple cross-browser extension and track them before and after extension is downloaded and installed!' 'Brilliant idea!' 'Here, I've already written the script for you, let's push it to production and keep gobbling on data.'
ricardo81 6y ago
(Deliberately?) poor implementation surely. Any requests to the Google Analytics URL could be cancelled before any network activity, rather than grabbing the file and doing nothing with it.
panpanna 6y ago
I would rather have standard browser or web server attributes to opt out of analytics (google and others) and other annoying crap. That would have been much more efficient than those GDPR banners and dialogs, but will never happen since it will be "too easy" to opt out just like the http "do not track" extension failed for being too powerful.
achairapart 6y ago
Just to let you note that this extension has been around since ages, here's a thread on HN from ~11 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1378004 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1378004 Also, as a little personal trivia, I'd like to add that in all these years I never seen this installed on any browser by anyone.
- ShakataGaNai 6y ago
  Clearly that tools webpage hasn't been updated in the intervening 11 years.
  - jmull 6y ago
    gtag.js is pretty new, isn’t it. IIRC analytics.js is much newer than 11 years as well.
- SmokeyHamster 6y ago
  Interesting. Does anyone know if it even works anymore?
blindm 6y ago
Should be opt-in. The whole opt-out thing is a dark pattern. And if you need to opt out of more services: https://simpleoptout.com/ https://simpleoptout.com/
beervirus 6y ago
I opted out of google analytics by disabling JavaScript.
- speedgoose 6y ago
  How does it feel to have mostly broken websites and no interactivity?
  - beervirus 6y ago
    Most websites work just fine. And I enable it selectively on the ones that don’t work that I care about.
    - speedgoose 6y ago
      Good for you that you can deal with that. I tried for 1 month and I gave up. It was too annoying to me.
      - beervirus 6y ago
        It takes a little bit of time up front as you add sites to the whitelist. After that though, everything pretty much just works fine.
anotheryou 6y ago
And it doesn't work on mobile. Which means if you want to be GDPR compliant you need to write your own opt-out anyways.
- paradoja 6y ago
  If GDPR is a concern, it has to be opt-in, so it wouldn't be compliant in any case.
dragosmocrii 6y ago
I use uBlock in Chrome, and Blokada on my Android phone. Works great and highly recommend
ComputerGuru 6y ago
Notably not available on mobile, where all the action is these days.
6gvONxR4sf7o 6y ago
As someone who doesn't admin any sites with GA, what is generally being tracked with it that this would block?
amelius 6y ago
Why do I need to trust and install a browser extension for this? Why can't the same thing be achieved by using HTTP headers. E.g. like the do-not-track header was supposed to work? Or by blocking dns lookups or an ip-range?

206 points by sturza 6y ago

Bella-Xiang 6y ago

The link is showed "404 error"

sturza 6y ago
Did you get it to work eventually? The idea is that there is a google browser extension to stop all google analytics, for most of the browsers available
aleksi 6y ago
It works for me. https://pasteboard.co/JFaFhgI.png https://pasteboard.co/JFaFhgI.png

veeti 6y ago

Universal analytics opt out: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock

x3ro 6y ago
Analytics opt out for your entire network: https://pi-hole.net/ https://pi-hole.net/ /scnr
- przmk 6y ago
  Except Pi-Hole has some serious limitations as it only acts as a DNS server. I haven't been able to block Youtube ads on my tv for example.
  - filipn 6y ago
    You can set your router with a firewall NAT rule to capture all DNS requests and redirect them to use Pi-Hole. Your tv will think it talks to 8.8.8.8 when in reality it will talk to your server.
    - throwaway2048 6y ago
      doesn't stop dns over https, which stuff like chromecast employs
      - kuschku 6y ago
        And that's why DNS over HTTPS was created in the first place, to get rid of ad blocking on Chromecast and Android. On Android now Proxies don't apply anymore to apps like YouTube, and as these apps also use DoH, there's no way to block ads anymore. All talk of "security" and "privacy" is false, as always it was all about profit. I honestly wonder if the people at Google working on DoH even knew why management supported their project, or if they genuinely believed they did something good while management secretly realised the potential profits from DoH
        dbrgn 6y ago
        Well, it's not like they were forced to do name resolution over DNS before... They could just as well deploy their own custom name resolvers and talk to them via IP from applications like YouTube for Android. The scenario you're describing (DNS-level blocks) could always be circumvented. On the other hand, if you live in the US and don't override the ISP's name servers, most probably they will spy on you and sometimes even do things like injecting ads into third party websites. This was the thing DoH was meant to solve.
        kuschku 6y ago
        > They could just as well deploy their own custom name resolvers and talk to them via IP from applications like YouTube for Android. The Chromecast has 8.8.8.8 hardcoded, but recently an ISP started integrating ad-blocking via DNS filtering (with 8.8.8.8 MitM) in their ISP routers. That case actually went to court. It'll always be possible to do the filtering as prosumer, but the current state of the art of "it just works" ad blockers is something Google is fighting against (also see Manifest v3)
        6y ago
  - m463 6y ago
    youtube-dl for that
  - fouc 6y ago
    Seems like you would need a pi-hole alternative that acts like a proxy. I imagine there is something like that out there, just not familiar with the choices.
    - joosters 6y ago
      There is privoxy - https://www.privoxy.org/ https://www.privoxy.org/ However, as most sites are https nowdays, privoxy is effectively limited to just blocking domains, making it pretty similar to pihole ...
      - fouc 6y ago
        Yeah would need a proper MITM setup to deal with the https
  - 1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago
    The easiest way to avoid YouTube ads is to avoid using the YouTube website and its "Javascript player" to play videos. The Google Video download URLs to watch the video, without any ads, are right there in the hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxxxx webpage. I use a tiny shell script of only 97 characters to extract them. The truth is, where YouTube ads are concerned, neither a modified dnsmasq plus RPi so-called "Pi-Hole" nor any browser extension "ad blocker" is required. No user needs to run Javascript to play videos just like no user needed to run Adobe Flash to play videos. Flash and Javascript are useful, maybe even essential, for tracking and advertising, but are unnecessary for playing video.
    - bogomipz 6y ago
      >"I use a tiny shell script of only 97 characters to extract them." Would you mind sharing the script?
      - hazeii 6y ago
        For something like Firefox, pulling them out of exported bookmarks is as simple as:- grep "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=" /tmp/bookmarks.html | cut -b22-64
      - 1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago
        Typo. 997 characters according to wc -c.
      - account42 6y ago
        Why not just use https://youtube-dl.org/ https://youtube-dl.org/
    - sunsetMurk 6y ago
      I would love to observe you browsing and consuming web content for a day. Sounds like this sort of thing would make it much more laborious. That being said.. could be a good thing for me to not spend so much time watching dumb YouTube videos, and reading "fun" articles.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - luag 6y ago
    If you use android TV, you can install https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTubeNext https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTubeNext
    - kamyarg 6y ago
      that does not support casting as far as I have tried unfortunately.
      - foepys 6y ago
        No app can accept casts. When your are using Google Cast, you don't stream from your device to the TV/Chromecast. Your device sends a package containing the app name you want to open and some basic configuration data and then the TV/Chromecast downloads a web app from Google's severs and opens it with the configuration you provided. Then your device can interact with it.
  - freebuju 6y ago
    Short of installing a third-party application like smartyoutube or vanced, you are not going to be successful in blocking YouTube ads. YouTube caught up with dns filtering ad-blockers and started placing their ads in the same domain as the video content.
    - gibspaulding 6y ago
      Ublock Origin seems to be working for me. I don't use YouTube that often, but I've never seen an add that I can remember. Edit: I guess maybe you're just talking about on a smart TV.
      - simcop2387 6y ago
        ublock origin can do url based filtering, which can't be done via something like pihole where it's only at the dns level.
        gibspaulding 6y ago
        Thanks for the clarification. I've been using UBO for a long time and sort of take it for granted. It's pretty amazing how thorough it is. The school system I work for pushes out Addblock to all of their Chrome devices, and it doesn't even come close.
  - Majestic121 6y ago
    There's another solution to avoid ads that people seem to skip : get yourself a youtube premium membership. You can spread the cost across your family, and you'll stop playing cat and mouse (at least on youtube) Note that I'm not against ad blocking in general, but if you use a website a lot, it seems fair to me to remunerate it one way or another, and at least paying for membership is not a business model based on selling your data.
    - ajsnigrutin 6y ago
      But it costs you, and they still collect your data and will sell it for ads elsewhere. Ublock on PC, youtube vanced on android!
      - YinglingLight 6y ago
        Not a stretch to assume the data on one who pays for Youtube Premium is more desired than one who does not. 'Whales' to use a term in the mobile gaming market.
  - jchook 6y ago
    Some routers allow you to change the DNS server. If you have or buy a configurable router, it should work.
    - jannes 6y ago
      Or disable builtin DHCP for that matter...
  - dontblink 6y ago
    Why not pay for premium?
  - loufe 6y ago
    This is the one hole I haven't been able to fill. Between guilt about not contributing to people's channels which I genuinely enjoy and the ads on the tv, I commited to buying premium next year.
- contravariant 6y ago
  While that works it's not quite as sophisticated as u-Block's method of replacing the offending javascript with a dummy to avoid breaking webpages.
  - 1vuio0pswjnm7 6y ago
    Is that approach needed to disable Google Analytics.
    - contravariant 6y ago
      Not necessarily but it helps prevent errors from JavaScript that depends on google analytics.
- stock_toaster 6y ago
  Use both!
ignoramous 6y ago
Not that quick. Third-party analytics masquerading as first-party analytics is a thing: https://github.com/SukkaW/cloudflare-workers-async-google-analytics https://github.com/SukkaW/cloudflare-workers-async-google-an...
- rcMgD2BwE72F 6y ago
  Still far more efficient that Google's opt out tool.
  - studius 6y ago
    And the most efficient would be not opting out. Analytics are actually beneficial as they drive support for the type of browser and OS used. I'd like to understand how opting-out of Google Analytics would spare you much from the massive big data tracking done via other JS libraries, ads, and especially mobile app use. Go onto any large news site, ecommerce platform, realty/home search site, etc. and look at the network tab in your Web Developer view. Commerce may in good part "run" the world, but that traffic will expand as bandwidth expands; what data will they want to track next? => using cameras and audio everywhere to determine what your mood is, what you're talking about, what you say you want. Anything with a mic or camera could be doing this today, in theory, but the bandwidth isn't there to support it. How can we avoid this? Should we stop WiFi and just wire our homes well, then plug-in and enable cellular data only when we sit down or really need it? It seems almost unavoidable, and that we've become too reliant on these things if privacy is the goal. And the bureaucratic EU policies on privacy seem like a simple game of chess for big data companies; we're responsible for this.
    - djsumdog 6y ago
      I don't run any analytics on my personal site. I just use awstats and web logs.
- kawsper 6y ago
  > Recently cloudflare-workers-async-google-analytics has been blocked by EasyList. Great Job though. So I am going to play a cat & mouse game now. It was blockable, but the author decided to rename the file to jquery.js.
crazypython 6y ago
Add https://github.com/yourduskquibbles/webannoyances https://github.com/yourduskquibbles/webannoyances to get rid of cookie banners, sticky headers, dickbars, app banners, social icons, modal popups, and more.
earthboundkid 6y ago
Just for lazy devs. :-) Use https://github.com/jehna/ga-lite https://github.com/jehna/ga-lite to add Google Analytics to your page JS bundle and then proxy calls to the magic pixel so they look like they're first party. Nobody does this I guess because the rate of analytic blocking is low enough that it's not worth caring, but it's pretty easy to do.
SmokeyHamster 6y ago
That just blocks common Javascript ad scripts and trackers. It doesn't block sites tracking analytics via server logs.

freebuju 6y ago

Not a bad idea. Wonder how long they have hidden this add-on since this is the first time I'm hearing about it having been in existence for over an year now. Though for some reason I still don't trust Google to keep their word. I think uBlock is more than adequate in blocking these & so much more trackers which are so prevalent.

mritchie712 6y ago
That's the reason you haven't heard about it, it's irrelevant considering there are over a dozen better extensions for this that do more than block GA.

rightbyte 6y ago

Permission: "Access your data for all websites" according to its Firefox plugin site. How about no ... Why would you install this if you already don't trust Google with your data.

mrjin 6y ago
Cannot agree more. uBlock or piHole would be much better.
- Rebelgecko 6y ago
  I believe uBlock requires the same permission
vntok 6y ago
"Access your data for all websites" is just a label, it does not imply what you think in the context of this addon. You can actually read the entire code, it's very concise.
- LordDragonfang 6y ago
  You'd think the people who read this site would be more internet literate.
  - byecomputer 6y ago
    "Download this browser extension so we won't track you without consent" isn't a very good proposition no matter how internet literate you are. I'd argue that the very concept of internet literacy is broken if any of this sounds normal to you.
    - vntok 6y ago
      > "Download this browser extension so we won't track you without consent" isn't a very good proposition no matter how internet literate you are. If said browser extension actually doesn't track you, this is a non-sequitur. Hard to argue an extension tracks you if the single only thing it ever does is print "Hello" on top of every page you visit... still that extension would need to be able to access and modify every site you visit by definition. The exact same thing is happening here.

mschmitz_ 6y ago

I don't know why i should install this other than criminal activity. GDPR requires you to opt-in, so I don't need to opt-out.

nicbou 6y ago
Because websites can't be trusted to follow GDPR
- mschmitz_ 6y ago
  that's what I mean with criminal activity.
  - that_guy_iain 6y ago
    GDPR is a civil law not a criminal law. Secondly, not all websites fall until GDPR as it's an EU law and not a global one.
    - pxndxx 6y ago
      GDPR applies to any organisation operating within the EU, as well as any organisations outside of the EU which offer goods or services to customers or businesses in the EU.
      - that_guy_iain 6y ago
        Yes, which is not all websites. And it's not just offering goods and services but having a large customer base. It was specifically designed not to apply to small companies in other countries. For example, if you're a local newspaper website in Ohio, then GDPR does not apply to you. And it only applies to EU cizitens, it's just that it's so hard to realise who is a EU ciziten when they're within the EU that it's easier to just apply the same measures to everyone.
        unilynx 6y ago

bzb6 6y ago

I’m so fucking tired of google using my geolocation instead of my browser settings to decide which language to use.

that_guy_iain 6y ago
I have a Google Suite account and literally it keeps defaulting things to German when I have changed multiple things back to English. For the love of god I still can't figure out how to make it default constantly to English.
- Semaphor 6y ago
  At least non-Suite sites figured that out a while ago. I think you need to change your language in 3 different places though.
ffpip 6y ago
Adding ?hl=en at the end of the URL fixes the issues on most google pages
- rcMgD2BwE72F 6y ago
  True. But still excruciating that Google refuse to let the users' configure that. You can't even save this settings on the browser's search engine.
Viliam1234 6y ago
Somewhere in Google: "Hey, what is this list of language codes that browsers send in the request? Could we use it somehow?" "Don't worry about it, we already use it to calculate fingerprints."

avian 6y ago

If anyone is curious, it seems all this does is add a <script> element that defies _gaUserPrefs on all pages. At least the Firefox version. Here is all the code in it: (function() { var a = document.createElement("script"); a.type = "text/javascript"; a.id = "__gaOptOutExtension"; a.innerText = 'window["_gaUserPrefs"] = { ioo : function() { return true; } }'; document.documentElement.insertBefore(a, document.documentElement.firstChild); })()

chrismorgan 6y ago
Any guesses on why it creates the script element rather than just executing the JavaScript directly? Surely nothing would actually be looking out for a __gaOptOutExtension element in the DOM? (… to say nothing of it creating an incorrect DOM by inserting the script element as an immediate child of the <html> element, rather than inside the head or body.) window["_gaUserPrefs"] = { ioo : function() { return true; } }
- scottfr 6y ago
  Chrome Extension content scripts are evaluated in an isolated JavaScript environment which does not share variables with the page's JavaScript. By creating a script in the page itself, the "_gaUserPrefs" variable is made accessible to the Google Analytics script.
  - byecomputer 6y ago
    Having to circumvent your own extension policy that prevents tracking in order prevent the tracking you were doing is not the best way to look competitive.
    - resoluteteeth 6y ago
      It's not "circumventing" a "policy." Injecting html is what you're supposed to do in this situation because it's safer than allowing contentscripts to directly execute javascript in the page context. This is how all chrome extensions do it.

ffpip 6y ago

https://www.ublockorigin.com https://www.ublockorigin.com Just block it (and almost all other analytics) instead of opting out

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

parski 6y ago

I just find this extension insulting. I need less Google code running in my browser, not more.

ulfw 6y ago
The whole idea is ridiculous that I am supposed to install a Google extension so Google doesn't track me, which I never wanted or agreed to anyway.
- pas 6y ago
  The real question is, is it really Google that's tracking your or the site you're visiting? (The EU GDPR doesn't care, it says it's the responsibility of the site to get informed consent, which necessarily has to define what the chosen data processor does and can do with your data.) So what Google does with that data? To me it seems GA is just the free incentive to get sites to start using their "marketing platform", it's the entry point for their upsell conversion funnel to selling you Google Ads. The real thing. And GA is a great way to get you to get vendor-locked-in early.
  - Mauricebranagh 6y ago
    Have you seen the cost for other analytics platforms like adobe cost!
    - xd1936 6y ago
      https://blog.cloudflare.com/free-privacy-first-analytics-for-a-better-web/ https://blog.cloudflare.com/free-privacy-first-analytics-for... https://usefathom.com/ https://usefathom.com/ https://plausible.io/ https://plausible.io/ https://simpleanalytics.com/ https://simpleanalytics.com/ Some cost-effective alternatives off the top of my head
  - lmkg 6y ago
    Google Analytics consultant here. A plain-vanilla GA installation does not connect GA data to any of Google's data. Google is a Processor under GDPR & Service Provider under CCPA, meaning that the data "belongs" to the site owner and Google has no legal rights to use it for their own purposes. BUT A key feature of Google Analytics is integration with the rest of the Google ecosystem, including Google Ads (formerly AdWords) and Display & Video (formerly DoubleClick). It is extremely easy to connect GA data with Google's data. Configurations that give Google legal access to the data are easy and common. (If you remarket using GA, Google is not just a service provider.) From a GDPR perspective using Google Analytics is still problematic because of Schrems II. Any data transfer to a US-controlled entity is troublesome, because the EU has declared that US does not adequately safeguard user data (the main sticking point is the lack of accountability of law enforcement & intelligence agencies to request access to the data). But that's about the US, not about Google specifically.

byecomputer 6y ago

Browser extension? Equivalent to being told that all I need to do in order to get someone to stop following me is to let them in my house one more time

godelmachine 6y ago

Can I opt out of Google AMP? I stopped using Chrome only because of AMP and made FF my primary.

Inversechi 6y ago
Is there anything in Firefox that makes it as easy as chrome for translating pages?
- cx0der 6y ago
  I have been using this https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/google-translator-for-firefox https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/google-transl...
- godelmachine 6y ago
  AMP, as the name suggests is supposed to make sites load faster, but it’s a nasty experience for me, since I cannot select and copy anything.

vijaybritto 6y ago

The site design looks like early 2000s. I wonder if this exists just to get around some regulations? I use uBlock and the browsing experience is much better. Cannot stand pages with ads anymore.

import 6y ago

Great design. The page seems like 2010 Google scam websites. Why no shiny material elements blah blah design Google?

mojuba 6y ago
Even earlier... the button immediately made me think how I don't miss the Netscape 4 era Internet.

einszwei 6y ago

A cynical part of me thinks that this is another attempt by Google to say - Look now users decide if they want to be tracked using GA.

rcMgD2BwE72F 6y ago
1. This is not new 2. Users do not decide to be tracked. They can only opt out by installing more stuff made by an advertising company.
ourcat 6y ago
This will likely be their get-out, when it comes to UK data privacy post-actual-Brexit on Jan 1st. (Also probably relates to Google and Facebook moving all UK users to USA Ts & Cs.)

freakynit 6y ago

So, install google provided addon to opt-out of a google service? No thank you.

kulesh 6y ago

'Hey, I've got an idea! Let's learn more about those privacy geeks. We'll come up with a dumb-simple cross-browser extension and track them before and after extension is downloaded and installed!' 'Brilliant idea!' 'Here, I've already written the script for you, let's push it to production and keep gobbling on data.'

ricardo81 6y ago

(Deliberately?) poor implementation surely. Any requests to the Google Analytics URL could be cancelled before any network activity, rather than grabbing the file and doing nothing with it.

panpanna 6y ago

I would rather have standard browser or web server attributes to opt out of analytics (google and others) and other annoying crap. That would have been much more efficient than those GDPR banners and dialogs, but will never happen since it will be "too easy" to opt out just like the http "do not track" extension failed for being too powerful.

achairapart 6y ago

Just to let you note that this extension has been around since ages, here's a thread on HN from ~11 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1378004 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1378004 Also, as a little personal trivia, I'd like to add that in all these years I never seen this installed on any browser by anyone.

ShakataGaNai 6y ago
Clearly that tools webpage hasn't been updated in the intervening 11 years.
- jmull 6y ago
  gtag.js is pretty new, isn’t it. IIRC analytics.js is much newer than 11 years as well.
SmokeyHamster 6y ago
Interesting. Does anyone know if it even works anymore?

blindm 6y ago

Should be opt-in. The whole opt-out thing is a dark pattern. And if you need to opt out of more services: https://simpleoptout.com/ https://simpleoptout.com/

beervirus 6y ago

I opted out of google analytics by disabling JavaScript.

speedgoose 6y ago
How does it feel to have mostly broken websites and no interactivity?
- beervirus 6y ago
  Most websites work just fine. And I enable it selectively on the ones that don’t work that I care about.
  - speedgoose 6y ago
    Good for you that you can deal with that. I tried for 1 month and I gave up. It was too annoying to me.
    - beervirus 6y ago
      It takes a little bit of time up front as you add sites to the whitelist. After that though, everything pretty much just works fine.

anotheryou 6y ago

And it doesn't work on mobile. Which means if you want to be GDPR compliant you need to write your own opt-out anyways.

paradoja 6y ago
If GDPR is a concern, it has to be opt-in, so it wouldn't be compliant in any case.

dragosmocrii 6y ago

I use uBlock in Chrome, and Blokada on my Android phone. Works great and highly recommend

ComputerGuru 6y ago

Notably not available on mobile, where all the action is these days.

6gvONxR4sf7o 6y ago

As someone who doesn't admin any sites with GA, what is generally being tracked with it that this would block?

amelius 6y ago

Why do I need to trust and install a browser extension for this? Why can't the same thing be achieved by using HTTP headers. E.g. like the do-not-track header was supposed to work? Or by blocking dns lookups or an ip-range?