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Google tracks most users by them simply being logged in everywhere. I was working in this space a while back when FLoC was the next thing and the joke was that

Google tracks most users by them simply being logged in everywhere. I was working in this space a while back when FLoC was the next thing and the joke was that FLoC was just for the rest of us. Google always holds all the cards

TekMol 3y ago
logged in everywhere Where? I doubt Google can track you because you are logged into HN.
- digitcatphd 3y ago
  ~ 80% of browsers are Chrome, by my observation, they still track you even in 'incognito'
  - izzydata 3y ago
    So if I use Firefox and almost never encounter a website that uses a Google login then they aren't tracking me most of the time? It seems like they must have more tricks up their sleeve than that.
    - AlexandrB 3y ago
      > It seems like they must have more tricks up their sleeve than that. Maybe, maybe not. Firefox market share is trivial at this point. I doubt Google invests a lot of time in figuring out how to track Firefox users specifically. Safari, especially on mobile, is a far more juicy target.
    - capitainenemo 3y ago
      How about people using gstatic fonts and js? People embedding google calendars or youtube videos? People using google captcha? People monetising their site with google ads? Combine that with standard fingerprinting techniques.
    - renegat0x0 3y ago
      Are tracking pixels still a thing? If so it allows to fingerprint you, and track you down across sites.
      - red-iron-pine 3y ago
        definitely still a thing
  - Thorrez 3y ago
    >Chrome, by my observation, they still track you even in 'incognito' Can you explain this? I don't thinks this is the case. Disclosure: I work at Google but not on Chrome.
    - renegat0x0 3y ago
      https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/01/01/google-settles-lawsuit-over-tracking-people-in-incognito-mode https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/01/01/google-settles-laws...
      - ahahahahah 3y ago
        This was the dumbest lawsuit ever. Like, users would go in incognito mode, sign into google while in incognito mode, and then be surprised that google as a company would track that activity. It's such a twist of logic to say that the incognito mode messaging would apply to google as a company rather than to the behavior of the browser itself.
      - Thorrez 3y ago
        >sites using Google Analytics or Ad Manager collected information from browsers in Incognito mode, including web page content, device data, and IP address. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/google-agrees-to-settle-in-chrome-incognito-mode-class-action-lawsuit/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/google-agrees-to... That doesn't sound like any sort of tracking backdoor in Chrome. That sounds like that same type of tracking would happen in Firefox private browsing mode. Well, maybe not because I think Firefox private mode has some sort of code that tries to strip out trackers. But if you disable that feature in Firefox, it sounds like Google would track Firefox private mode users the same as Chrome incognito users. I guess then you could consider the lawsuit to be complaining that Chrome doesn't have a feature to strip out trackers in incognito mode. Is that a realistic feature expectation?

TekMol 3y ago

logged in everywhere Where? I doubt Google can track you because you are logged into HN.

digitcatphd 3y ago
~ 80% of browsers are Chrome, by my observation, they still track you even in 'incognito'
- izzydata 3y ago
  So if I use Firefox and almost never encounter a website that uses a Google login then they aren't tracking me most of the time? It seems like they must have more tricks up their sleeve than that.
  - AlexandrB 3y ago
    > It seems like they must have more tricks up their sleeve than that. Maybe, maybe not. Firefox market share is trivial at this point. I doubt Google invests a lot of time in figuring out how to track Firefox users specifically. Safari, especially on mobile, is a far more juicy target.
  - capitainenemo 3y ago
    How about people using gstatic fonts and js? People embedding google calendars or youtube videos? People using google captcha? People monetising their site with google ads? Combine that with standard fingerprinting techniques.
  - renegat0x0 3y ago
    Are tracking pixels still a thing? If so it allows to fingerprint you, and track you down across sites.
    - red-iron-pine 3y ago
      definitely still a thing
- Thorrez 3y ago
  >Chrome, by my observation, they still track you even in 'incognito' Can you explain this? I don't thinks this is the case. Disclosure: I work at Google but not on Chrome.
  - renegat0x0 3y ago
    https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/01/01/google-settles-lawsuit-over-tracking-people-in-incognito-mode https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/01/01/google-settles-laws...
    - ahahahahah 3y ago
      This was the dumbest lawsuit ever. Like, users would go in incognito mode, sign into google while in incognito mode, and then be surprised that google as a company would track that activity. It's such a twist of logic to say that the incognito mode messaging would apply to google as a company rather than to the behavior of the browser itself.
    - Thorrez 3y ago
      >sites using Google Analytics or Ad Manager collected information from browsers in Incognito mode, including web page content, device data, and IP address. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/google-agrees-to-settle-in-chrome-incognito-mode-class-action-lawsuit/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/google-agrees-to... That doesn't sound like any sort of tracking backdoor in Chrome. That sounds like that same type of tracking would happen in Firefox private browsing mode. Well, maybe not because I think Firefox private mode has some sort of code that tries to strip out trackers. But if you disable that feature in Firefox, it sounds like Google would track Firefox private mode users the same as Chrome incognito users. I guess then you could consider the lawsuit to be complaining that Chrome doesn't have a feature to strip out trackers in incognito mode. Is that a realistic feature expectation?