Privacy is dead, get over it.<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.documentary24.com/privacy-is-dead-get-over-it--317/">http://www.documentary24.com/privacy-is-dead-get-over-it--317/</a><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Charles Ulrich <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:charles@bityard.net">charles@bityard.net</a>></span> wrote:<br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div class="im">Stanley C. Mortel wrote:<br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> As many of you probably know, Google is watching us and stockpiling data about our on-line activities. Here is a partial list of information Google stockpiles (from a TechRepublic article) if you use their services:<br> </blockquote> <br></div> While I agree that Google has been less than forthcoming about how much data they ultimately store[1], it's worth pointing out that if you're really that worried about it, the best option is not to use Google. :) Or, use Google but mix in other competing services so that nobody has a reasonably complete profile of your online activity. (E.g. Microsoft for maps, Yahoo for email, etc.)<br> <br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> * Search results<br> <<a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/another-step-to-protect-user-privacy.html" target="_blank">http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/another-step-to-protect-user-privacy.html</a>><div class="im"> <br> that you ask for and click on.<br></div> * Directions <<a href="http://maps.google.com/" target="_blank">http://maps.google.com/</a>> to places that you query<br> Google Maps for.<br> * Using Analytics <<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Analytics" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Analytics</a>>,<div class="im"><br> Google receives/retains information on visited Web sites.<br> </div></blockquote> <br> This is easily defeated by any number of proxies or browser extensions, like Adblock or Ghostly. But keep in mind that it's a website operator's choice to implement Analytics on their site, not Google's.<br> <br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> * Gmail <<a href="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/privacy.html" target="_blank">http://mail.google.com/mail/help/privacy.html</a>> membership<div class="im"><br> allows Google to retain the content of sent and received e-mail<br> messages.<br> * Enabling My Location<br></div> <<a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2009/07/blue-circle-comes-to-your-desktop.html" target="_blank">http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2009/07/blue-circle-comes-to-your-desktop.html</a>>,<div class="im"> <br> enables Google to track your position real-time.<br> </div></blockquote> <br> Only if you specifically opt-in for it.<br> <br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> * If Public DNS <<a href="http://code.google.com/intl/en/speed/public-dns/" target="_blank">http://code.google.com/intl/en/speed/public-dns/</a>><div class="im"><br> is used, Google can retain your DNS lookups.<br> </div></blockquote> <br> Google took a lot of heat for not explaining the privacy implications of this for the first few hours it was launched. If you believe them, however, they say that the only logging they do is strictly for performance and troubleshooting and that your IP is not kept for more than 48 hours. This is an opt-in service as well.<br> <br> <a href="http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/privacy.html" target="_blank">http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/privacy.html</a><br> <br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> Moxie Marlinspike <<a href="http://www.thoughtcrime.org/about.html" target="_blank">http://www.thoughtcrime.org/about.html</a>> has an app. called GoogleSharing that will anonymize personal information, preventing Google from tracking movement on the Internet. It intermingles Google user requests, and thus complicates making any association between the query and the requester’s personal information. It intercepts Google requests, redirecting them to the GoogleSharing proxy, which removes all identifying information, replacing it with a surrogate identity. The request is then forwarded to Google.<br> </blockquote> <br> I tried this when it came out and my biggest complaint was that there was no way to tell whether or not it was actually working. Moxie's pretty well-known in the hacker community, so chances are slim that he would do anything underhanded with the plugin. Unless it was really, really funny.<br> <br> Also, there's an older Google anonymous proxy called Scroogle that basically does the same thing. They have a number of browser search plugins (much more lightweight than an extension). The best feature, in my opinion, is that you can submit queries and receive results over SSL. Very nice if you suspect your local connection is being monitored or filtered and want a bit more privacy. The only downside is that you lose access to handy features like cached pages, similar results, etc.<br> <br> <a href="http://www.scroogle.org/" target="_blank">http://www.scroogle.org/</a><br> <br> <a href="https://ssl.scroogle.org/" target="_blank">https://ssl.scroogle.org/</a><br> <br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> Now, the interesting thing to me, considering you have to trust Marlinspike more than Google to use this, is that he has made the GoogleSharing software <<a href="http://www.googlesharing.net/server/googleshare-0.4.tar.gz" target="_blank">http://www.googlesharing.net/server/googleshare-0.4.tar.gz</a>> available for download. That way, you can create your own proxy. The GoogleSharing website has a FAQ page <<a href="http://www.googlesharing.net/faq.html" target="_blank">http://www.googlesharing.net/faq.html</a>> explaining how. Sounds like a GLLUG project to me. Topic for tomorrow?????<br> </blockquote> <br> It sounds like an excellent conversation, wish I could be there. :)<br> <br> Charles<br> <br> <br> 1. The tinfoil-hat guy inside me wouldn't be surprised if Google had a reasonably accurate profile of every person online since around 2000.<br><font color="#888888"> <br> -- <br> <a href="http://bityard.net" target="_blank">http://bityard.net</a></font><div><div></div><div class="h5"><br> _______________________________________________<br> linux-user mailing list<br> <a href="mailto:linux-user@egr.msu.edu" target="_blank">linux-user@egr.msu.edu</a><br> <a href="http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user" target="_blank">http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user</a><br> </div></div></blockquote></div><br></div>