5 ms·

If you don't want Google giving your data to the FBI, then don't use google. Oh - wait - Google is gonna get your data no matter what. Google Analytics.

by andyl 13y ago

w1ntermute 13y ago
http://www.ghostery.com/ http://www.ghostery.com/
- qwertzlcoatl 13y ago
  Is this getting downvoted because of advertising or because of the integrity of the software?
  - jlgreco 13y ago
    Currently, the comment's font color is black. It appears gray for you because you have visited that site.
    - eightyone 13y ago
      Why is the text so small?
      - jlgreco 13y ago
        Are you using chrome on android? It does that for some idiotic reason.
        eightyone 13y ago
        Nope, I was using Safari on the latest version of iOS. I'm on my laptop now and it looks normal.
        bluetooth 13y ago
        For some reason, comments on HN appear with seemingly random font sizes when viewed on mobile. I've seen it on both android and iOS.
        maskedinvader 13y ago
        +1 i see the same behavior on my android, but don't see the issue on the desktop !
        robbiep 13y ago
        I always thought it was due to a comment being of less than a certain number of characters, as a way of diminishing throwaway comments that may generally not add much to a debate. I guess not?
  - Terretta 13y ago
    The software works well and the company has been very open.
- Steko 13y ago
  I found blocking GAnalytics broke too many websites (although that may be poor design of those sites). There's an opt out[1] which I'm sure is carefully worded that if enough people used it they could still track us but at least websites load. [1] https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
  - throwaway2048 13y ago
    Both Ghosterly and NoScript have a built in ability to unbreak sites that have tight Google Analytics integration. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5182359 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5182359 not sure if this applies to Chrome versions, but if you are using Chrome, and dont trust Google, im not really sure what you are thinking.
kyllo 13y ago
Doesn't Google Analytics just collect metadata that you're sending in your HTTP requests anyway? And basic tracking cookies for distinguishing unique users/visits? I don't think there's really a reasonable expectation of privacy for that sort of data. You're already sharing it with every other website you visit.
DominikR 13y ago
You could also stop using the internet altogether, because someone is going to provide an analytics service, even if Google didn't.
- DominikR 13y ago
  What I was trying to say is that the problem is not some company, but the government itself.
SquareWheel 13y ago
Google Analytics doesn't profile users - it's aggregate data for webmasters.
- josephlord 13y ago
  Can you prove that Google doesn't gather that data for themselves?
- throwaway2048 13y ago
  if it doesn't profile users, how is it able to supply you with the demographics of your visitors?
- pyvek 13y ago
  You just see some pretty statistics but you don't know (and possibly can't) what happens behind the scenes.
pavs 13y ago
How to be completely Anonymous on the internet: http://www.slashgeek.net/2012/06/15/how-to-be-completely-anonymous-online/ http://www.slashgeek.net/2012/06/15/how-to-be-completely-ano...
easong 13y ago
https://disconnect.me/ https://disconnect.me/ Also blocks as many other tracking scripts as can be found. I've found it to be faster than ghostery etc.
afhof 13y ago
This is isn't specific to Google, and I would go further and say that ISPs are a much juicier target than Google. ISPs have the raw access to all your traffic and wilt more easily when pressed by law enforcement (eg Carnivore). I don't think there is an easy way to solve this. From law enforcement's perspective, big tech companies have already done the hard work of getting users' data; all they need is a warrant or a NSL or any other magic ticket. That is the problem we should solve. Disclaimer: I work on Google Analytics.
- dragonwriter 13y ago
  > This is isn't specific to Google, and I would go further and say that ISPs are a much juicier target than Google. This statement probably would have made more sense when Google wasn't an ISP.
angryasian 13y ago
I don't even understand the ignorance of this comment every major tech company had been cited as participating and especially the isp's. Google analytics is nothing in comparason to what the isp's know
gelnior 13y ago
Yeah there are plenty alternatives now like Cozy Cloud or Owncloud. https://www.cozycloud.cc&#x2F https://www.cozycloud.cc/ http://owncloud.org&#x2F http://owncloud.org/

If you don't want Google giving your data to the FBI, then don't use google. Oh - wait - Google is gonna get your data no matter what. Google Analytics.

by andyl 13y ago

If you don't want Google giving your data to the FBI, then don't use google. Oh - wait - Google is gonna get your data no matter what. Google Analytics.

w1ntermute 13y ago

http://www.ghostery.com/ http://www.ghostery.com/

qwertzlcoatl 13y ago
Is this getting downvoted because of advertising or because of the integrity of the software?
- jlgreco 13y ago
  Currently, the comment's font color is black. It appears gray for you because you have visited that site.
  - eightyone 13y ago
    Why is the text so small?
    - jlgreco 13y ago
      Are you using chrome on android? It does that for some idiotic reason.
      - eightyone 13y ago
        Nope, I was using Safari on the latest version of iOS. I'm on my laptop now and it looks normal.
        bluetooth 13y ago
        For some reason, comments on HN appear with seemingly random font sizes when viewed on mobile. I've seen it on both android and iOS.
        maskedinvader 13y ago
        +1 i see the same behavior on my android, but don't see the issue on the desktop !
        robbiep 13y ago
        I always thought it was due to a comment being of less than a certain number of characters, as a way of diminishing throwaway comments that may generally not add much to a debate. I guess not?
- Terretta 13y ago
  The software works well and the company has been very open.
Steko 13y ago
I found blocking GAnalytics broke too many websites (although that may be poor design of those sites). There's an opt out[1] which I'm sure is carefully worded that if enough people used it they could still track us but at least websites load. [1] https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
- throwaway2048 13y ago
  Both Ghosterly and NoScript have a built in ability to unbreak sites that have tight Google Analytics integration. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5182359 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5182359 not sure if this applies to Chrome versions, but if you are using Chrome, and dont trust Google, im not really sure what you are thinking.

kyllo 13y ago

Doesn't Google Analytics just collect metadata that you're sending in your HTTP requests anyway? And basic tracking cookies for distinguishing unique users/visits? I don't think there's really a reasonable expectation of privacy for that sort of data. You're already sharing it with every other website you visit.

DominikR 13y ago

You could also stop using the internet altogether, because someone is going to provide an analytics service, even if Google didn't.

DominikR 13y ago
What I was trying to say is that the problem is not some company, but the government itself.

SquareWheel 13y ago

Google Analytics doesn't profile users - it's aggregate data for webmasters.

josephlord 13y ago
Can you prove that Google doesn't gather that data for themselves?
throwaway2048 13y ago
if it doesn't profile users, how is it able to supply you with the demographics of your visitors?
pyvek 13y ago
You just see some pretty statistics but you don't know (and possibly can't) what happens behind the scenes.

pavs 13y ago

How to be completely Anonymous on the internet: http://www.slashgeek.net/2012/06/15/how-to-be-completely-anonymous-online/ http://www.slashgeek.net/2012/06/15/how-to-be-completely-ano...

easong 13y ago

https://disconnect.me/ https://disconnect.me/ Also blocks as many other tracking scripts as can be found. I've found it to be faster than ghostery etc.

afhof 13y ago

This is isn't specific to Google, and I would go further and say that ISPs are a much juicier target than Google. ISPs have the raw access to all your traffic and wilt more easily when pressed by law enforcement (eg Carnivore). I don't think there is an easy way to solve this. From law enforcement's perspective, big tech companies have already done the hard work of getting users' data; all they need is a warrant or a NSL or any other magic ticket. That is the problem we should solve. Disclaimer: I work on Google Analytics.

dragonwriter 13y ago
> This is isn't specific to Google, and I would go further and say that ISPs are a much juicier target than Google. This statement probably would have made more sense when Google wasn't an ISP.

angryasian 13y ago

I don't even understand the ignorance of this comment every major tech company had been cited as participating and especially the isp's. Google analytics is nothing in comparason to what the isp's know

gelnior 13y ago

Yeah there are plenty alternatives now like Cozy Cloud or Owncloud. https://www.cozycloud.cc&#x2F https://www.cozycloud.cc/ http://owncloud.org&#x2F http://owncloud.org/