5 ms·

I do love the double standards in tech. Can you imagine the uproar if Microsoft did something like this. for all users of active directory enable tracking for

I do love the double standards in tech. Can you imagine the uproar if Microsoft did something like this. for all users of active directory enable tracking for all action anywhere on the web. Even better its not going to share the "helpful tracking" with the admin. (yes teams has spyware, but thats admin configurable) If Facebook even tried half of this, there would be literal shitfits.

Nextgrid 5y ago
> If Facebook even tried half of this, there would be literal shitfits. Facebook will just track you without explicitly letting you know by turning something back on.
rez9x 5y ago
People are surprised when I tell them I don't use most Google products. Unfortunately, I still use YouTube, as that's where I consume most of my media / entertainment. The fallacy that other search engines don't work as well or that Gmail is the best email really inhibits 'normies' from escaping Google. I'll admit, Google Maps is a great service, but you can still get from A to B without it. I just print out all my navigation on MapQuest (/s).
- nathias 5y ago
  a lot of youtube can be avoided with odysee and browser plugin that redirects you from youtube to their version if one exists
  - Nextgrid 5y ago
    Invidious can be used to proxy YouTube.
- cyberlurker 5y ago
  Apple Maps has significantly improved in recent years. I actually get better navigation most of the time from it. That was not the case 5 years ago. And in other countries Google Maps can sometimes be useless compared to local competitors.
  - wartijn_ 5y ago
    Unfortunately it's still way worse than Google maps in the few European countries that I've tried it. The routing is worse. Searching for a type of shop (e.g. "supermarket") doesn't work well and it doesn't have accurate opening hours of shops. And in The Netherlands it doesn't support cycling, which makes it pretty much useless for the many people who use that as their mode of transport. I install Apple Maps every once in a while to see if it has become useful, but always remove the app after a few days because it hasn't.
stuu99 5y ago
lupire 5y ago
This is not what the article is about at all. This is about your Gmail search history.
- greyhair 5y ago
  Knee jerkers are going to jerk their knees. To do otherwise would require too much reading.
misnome 5y ago
Of course Microsoft would never do something like this. Mainly because they wouldn’t give you an off switch for them to toggle back of.
jasonjayr 5y ago
Microsoft just forced all Minecraft users to switch to Microsoft accounts. Some of security options require you to enter a cell # for account verification. Browsing reddit, a lot of folks are defending the switch. "Better account security". I really think that folks just don't care about their own privacy anymore.
- Loughla 5y ago
  I don't know that it's folks don't care, as much as they don't understand it. It's a cell phone number. That's essentially public - if you search your phone number, you will find your name and probably address attached to it in the results, if not even your family and friends. So, at that point, it doesn't matter. I guess it's the death by a thousand cuts. So instead of not caring, I think it's more of - If there are companies who publish this information that I literally have never interacted with and have zero control over, what does it matter if I give it to a company to get something I want in return?
  - generalpf 5y ago
    Where are you searching that you're getting the owner's name back for a cell number? I get nothing of the sort. I remember this being the case back in the landline days when you had to pay not to be in the phone book.
    - lotsofpulp 5y ago
      searchpeoplefree.com
- Agamus 5y ago
  "Folks" never did care about their privacy. I've been trying to open people's eyes since forever, and it just doesn't work, because, you know, weeeeeeeeee!
- BoxOfRain 5y ago
  I've been really shafted by this, I signed up for Minecraft donkey's years ago and don't have access to the email address I used any more so I can't link it to my Microsoft account which I got very grudgingly in the first place. There's security questions but I don't remember what my favourite author was one month over a decade ago or whatever else they want.
PedroBatista 5y ago
Have you been using Windows 10? Every time there’s a major update, half the tracking stuff comes back on.
spaetzleesser 5y ago
Goggle cultivated a “good guy” image for a long time. It takes a while for people to realize that they aren’t the good guys anymore.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

Nextgrid 5y ago

> If Facebook even tried half of this, there would be literal shitfits. Facebook will just track you without explicitly letting you know by turning something back on.

rez9x 5y ago

People are surprised when I tell them I don't use most Google products. Unfortunately, I still use YouTube, as that's where I consume most of my media / entertainment. The fallacy that other search engines don't work as well or that Gmail is the best email really inhibits 'normies' from escaping Google. I'll admit, Google Maps is a great service, but you can still get from A to B without it. I just print out all my navigation on MapQuest (/s).

nathias 5y ago
a lot of youtube can be avoided with odysee and browser plugin that redirects you from youtube to their version if one exists
- Nextgrid 5y ago
  Invidious can be used to proxy YouTube.
cyberlurker 5y ago
Apple Maps has significantly improved in recent years. I actually get better navigation most of the time from it. That was not the case 5 years ago. And in other countries Google Maps can sometimes be useless compared to local competitors.
- wartijn_ 5y ago
  Unfortunately it's still way worse than Google maps in the few European countries that I've tried it. The routing is worse. Searching for a type of shop (e.g. "supermarket") doesn't work well and it doesn't have accurate opening hours of shops. And in The Netherlands it doesn't support cycling, which makes it pretty much useless for the many people who use that as their mode of transport. I install Apple Maps every once in a while to see if it has become useful, but always remove the app after a few days because it hasn't.

stuu99 5y ago

lupire 5y ago

This is not what the article is about at all. This is about your Gmail search history.

greyhair 5y ago
Knee jerkers are going to jerk their knees. To do otherwise would require too much reading.

misnome 5y ago

Of course Microsoft would never do something like this. Mainly because they wouldn’t give you an off switch for them to toggle back of.

jasonjayr 5y ago

Microsoft just forced all Minecraft users to switch to Microsoft accounts. Some of security options require you to enter a cell # for account verification. Browsing reddit, a lot of folks are defending the switch. "Better account security". I really think that folks just don't care about their own privacy anymore.

Loughla 5y ago
I don't know that it's folks don't care, as much as they don't understand it. It's a cell phone number. That's essentially public - if you search your phone number, you will find your name and probably address attached to it in the results, if not even your family and friends. So, at that point, it doesn't matter. I guess it's the death by a thousand cuts. So instead of not caring, I think it's more of - If there are companies who publish this information that I literally have never interacted with and have zero control over, what does it matter if I give it to a company to get something I want in return?
- generalpf 5y ago
  Where are you searching that you're getting the owner's name back for a cell number? I get nothing of the sort. I remember this being the case back in the landline days when you had to pay not to be in the phone book.
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    searchpeoplefree.com
Agamus 5y ago
"Folks" never did care about their privacy. I've been trying to open people's eyes since forever, and it just doesn't work, because, you know, weeeeeeeeee!
BoxOfRain 5y ago
I've been really shafted by this, I signed up for Minecraft donkey's years ago and don't have access to the email address I used any more so I can't link it to my Microsoft account which I got very grudgingly in the first place. There's security questions but I don't remember what my favourite author was one month over a decade ago or whatever else they want.

PedroBatista 5y ago

Have you been using Windows 10? Every time there’s a major update, half the tracking stuff comes back on.

spaetzleesser 5y ago

Goggle cultivated a “good guy” image for a long time. It takes a while for people to realize that they aren’t the good guys anymore.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]