Google & Apple

webecedarian · Yesterday, 10:44 AM

I don't understand why so many people use Google in the first place. I find Bing works so much better. And, as a company, Google has shows itself to be so creepy.

How Companies Like Google Control Our Privacy
This Is Why Google Paid Billions for Apple to Change a Single Setting
By Zeynep Tufekci

Companies expect users to accept what they’re given, not know their options or not have the constant vigilance required to keep track of the available options, however limited they may be. Since the power in the industry is concentrated among few gatekeepers, and the technology is opaque and its consequences hard to foresee, default settings are some of the most important ways for companies to keep collecting and using data as they want.
So, how much are default settings worth?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/20/o...e-privacy.html

Would You Still Use Google if It Didn't Pay Apple $20 Billion to Get on Your iPhone?
Wired
https://www.wired.com/story/google-p...n-your-iphone/

TenFour · Yesterday, 08:51 PM

Of course it is trivial to just change the default settings and use whichever search engine you want to. For example, even though I use Google Chrome I have my default search engine set to DuckDuckGo. If you find Google creepy, why not Microsoft and Bing? They also track everything you do for targeted advertising. Frankly, you can't get away from online data collection without extraordinary effort. But, that doesn't mean you have to purchase junk based on ads you see, does it? When I go to the supermarket I know that the center isles are full of products often based on what companies have paid for the space, but that doesn't mean I have to purchase the junk food being sold there.

Bamb0 · Today, 05:46 AM

My search page is bing if I search from address bar but I just usually use Google.. (And make sure to clear cookies afterwards)

n5bb · Today, 08:03 AM

I switched to DuckDuckGo years ago. I don't know anyone who likes to be tracked, and the average person has no idea how much of their personal information is scraped by the big search services.

Bill

TenFour · Today, 08:06 AM

Quote:

I don't know anyone who likes to be tracked, and the average person has no idea how much of their personal information is scraped by the big search services.

Depends on who you know. I have worked with associations and other nonprofits with thousands of members for many years (decades) and not once, not a single time, has any constituent asked us how we protect their privacy or what data we track. The average person just doesn't care.

Bamb0 · Today, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by n5bb
I don't know anyone who likes to be tracked, and the average person has no idea how much of their personal information is scraped by the big search services

Yesterday, 10:44 AM	#1
webecedarian Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 485	Google & Apple I don't understand why so many people use Google in the first place. I find Bing works so much better. And, as a company, Google has shows itself to be so creepy. How Companies Like Google Control Our Privacy This Is Why Google Paid Billions for Apple to Change a Single Setting By Zeynep Tufekci Companies expect users to accept what they’re given, not know their options or not have the constant vigilance required to keep track of the available options, however limited they may be. Since the power in the industry is concentrated among few gatekeepers, and the technology is opaque and its consequences hard to foresee, default settings are some of the most important ways for companies to keep collecting and using data as they want. So, how much are default settings worth? https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/20/o...e-privacy.html Would You Still Use Google if It Didn't Pay Apple $20 Billion to Get on Your iPhone? Wired https://www.wired.com/story/google-p...n-your-iphone/

Yesterday, 08:51 PM	#2
TenFour Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: USA Posts: 1,749	Of course it is trivial to just change the default settings and use whichever search engine you want to. For example, even though I use Google Chrome I have my default search engine set to DuckDuckGo. If you find Google creepy, why not Microsoft and Bing? They also track everything you do for targeted advertising. Frankly, you can't get away from online data collection without extraordinary effort. But, that doesn't mean you have to purchase junk based on ads you see, does it? When I go to the supermarket I know that the center isles are full of products often based on what companies have paid for the space, but that doesn't mean I have to purchase the junk food being sold there.

Today, 05:46 AM	#3
Bamb0 Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: USA Posts: 1,876	My search page is bing if I search from address bar but I just usually use Google.. (And make sure to clear cookies afterwards)

Today, 08:03 AM	#4
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 8,929	I switched to DuckDuckGo years ago. I don't know anyone who likes to be tracked, and the average person has no idea how much of their personal information is scraped by the big search services. Bill