Stopped using Google

jawlie

I heard recently that google keeps records on each of us of every time we use one of it services, the search engine, Youtube, google earth and so forth. Evidently, there are no laws which prevent them using, selling or in other ways, the information about us, either individually or as a group, or passing it on to others, beit in this country, or in any country.

Even if there were laws to prevent it in Ireland, or across the EU, there is no way that they can be effective as the information could all be kept in Texas or Tierra del fuego, or Shanghai. Irish or EU law would have no remit there.

I know it sounds a little like I am being alarmist, but I also think that I read that a chinese dissident was located because of computer records handed over by either goodle or yahoo to the chinese authorities, when it was demanded.

Anyone else nervous about the big brother aspect of all this?

CptSternn

All ISPs in America and the UK are required to keep all logs and records of everything. Every Irish internet connection goes through our main link through London. This means all Irish traffic is already being logged, monitored, and tracked.

It doesn't matter if you use google or not, everything you do is already being monitored on a much higher level than what most people know about.

constellation

You could try Tor

http://tor.eff.org/

In theory it should make it difficult (though not impossible) for anyone to snoop on your browsing habits.

Black Swan

constellation wrote:

You could try Tor

http://tor.eff.org/

In theory it should make it difficult (though not impossible) for anyone to snoop on your browsing habits.

Well, in theory Tor would make it a bit more difficult to track your online habits. But in practice, Tor has peak times that slow you down so much that I lose patience, and sometimes am timed-out because of the Tor delays. You could also use an IP randomizer programme, or always logon in a free wifi hotspot where the ISP IDs the hotspot and the IP address shown is their router?

Oracle

Anyone using Firefox can install the CustomiseGoogle Extension, it has an option to anonymise the Google User ID, I think that prevents the built up of info about you while using Google. Very useful extension besides that, for example it removes ads, suggests search alternatives, remembers your preferences etc....

Victor

Oracle wrote:

remembers your preferences

What else does it remember?

Oracle

All the features in CustomizeGoogle are optional and set by the user, but like all Firefox Extensions, it's written by an independent developer not by Mozilla, so judgement and caution should be used.

Mint Sauce

Oracle wrote:

Anyone using Firefox can install the CustomiseGoogle Extension, it has an option to anonymise the Google User ID, I think that prevents the built up of info about you while using Google. Very useful extension besides that, for example it removes ads, suggests search alternatives, remembers your preferences etc....

but would earasing your cookies do the same thing

<unsure>

Oracle

Yes removing your cookies would do that as well but would also remove useful preferences you've set for Google, so then you'd have to reset them. There's more about this on the CustomiseGoogle web site.

Capt'n Midnight

Lets not forget that about 1/3 of world data traffic goes through the US and the NSA can legally look at it. Not that they haven't being doing it before, just now its legal.

Apart from traffic to other Irish ISP's most of the traffic would go via the UK or US and from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON we know they've recorded and analysed all voice traffic for decades so its a safe bet that data traffic is processed similarily. Also a lot of "Irish" ISP's are foreign owned and some of the traffic may pass through the UK too.

cast_iron

I'm not sure why people really care if google (or anyone else for that matter) know what you are looking at. What are people here worried about being found looking at?

Personally, I don't give a damn if google know more about me than I do myself.

Blowfish

I don't particularly see what the fuss is about either, I'd imagine it's common practice among all search engines. I'd trust google not to sell the info more than some of the others tbh.

constellation

cast_iron wrote:

I'm not sure why people really care if google (or anyone else for that matter) know what you are looking at. What are people here worried about being found looking at?

"If I'm not doing anything wrong, then you have no cause to watch me." - Bruce Schneier.

Back in the old days when all communications was on HF (short wave radio), agencies used to be alerted to "interesting activity" by changes in duration in transmissions. they then diverted their resources into decoding this traffic.

The way round that was to "Pad out" the communication time slot with general news, all encryped as well.

With the internet today the "interesting activity" would amount to a minute amount of the traffic, just think of the filtering needed to remove the legimitate traffic before the agencies look at the interesting stuff.

Most likely your internet activities are being recorded & logged but not investigated unless it hits the "interesting activity" filter.

Capt'n Midnight

Deleted User wrote:

Back in the old days when all communications was on HF (short wave radio), agencies used to be alerted to "interesting activity" by changes in duration in transmissions. they then diverted their resources into decoding this traffic.

It was the French started traffic analysis in World War one.

Any back on topic. The royal mail was granted a monopoly on delivering letters, so only the King could snoop on the traffic. And not much has changed since.

blackgold>>

Doesn't matter what you do.
They have sniffers installed on all isp's anyway.

http://www.privacycom.net/2004/11/23/enfopol-the-european-fbi/

European Union’s surveillance system ENFOPOL.

the_syco

cast_iron wrote:

Personally, I don't give a damn if google know more about me than I do myself.

You don't mind if they know your name, address, bank account and password? That's nice. Untill someone makes a fake ID, takes out a large loan, all your money from the account, and f**ks off.

Then you'll care.

CptSternn

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Apart from traffic to other Irish ISP's most of the traffic would go via the UK or US and from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON we know they've recorded and analysed all voice traffic for decades so its a safe bet that data traffic is processed similarily. Also a lot of "Irish" ISP's are foreign owned and some of the traffic may pass through the UK too.

ALL Internet connections in Ireland route through London. That means ALL traffic can be monitored by the UK. The same was true until just a few years ago for all phone service here - the brits monitored all traffic on the net and on the phones in Ireland - looking for Republicans.

Now that the brits and yanks have teamed up for the 'War On Terror', you can bet they are jointly monitoring all Irish traffic right now.

cast_iron

the_syco wrote:

You don't mind if they know your name, address, bank account and password? That's nice. Untill someone makes a fake ID, takes out a large loan, all your money from the account, and f**ks off.

Then you'll care.

Lol, till I clear up my student loans, no hope of anyone getting a penny more out of my bank.

Seriously though, I'm not sure why google would want to rob me like that. It's not really their style, now, is it? And they have no technical means of figuring out my PAC and pin numbers that I'm aware of.

ro2

CptSternn wrote:

ALL Internet connections in Ireland route through London. That means ALL traffic can be monitored by the UK.

That's not true.

kippy

Internet traffic is logged somewhere by some organisations and has been for many years. I dont see a problem with this, I have nothing to hide.
Generally there's no person able to sift through all these logs and view my private details unless they take the time out to do this. Thats why they use keywords to flag certain traffic- I have no problem with this either.
You gotta realise, that even though the "higher level" traffic is monitored on a massive scale, your internet habits are monitored far more closely while at work. IT polices in many companies are fairly strict we web browsing and this kind of monitoring could lead you to the lose of your job.
Personally I work in such an area and in general IT people will not spend any time checking through logs unless HR demand it or there is a degradation of network performance.
I think the posts above about someone stealing your Identy (ie the organisations that are responsible for thie monitoring) are a bit Sci-Fi, this has never been proven to have happened and their no reason why they would want to do this. Your much more likely to have your identity stolen the old fashioned way (stolen passport,skimmed cards etc).

iUseVi

ro2 wrote:

That's not true.

Agreed. It might be fair to say that a LOT of Irish traffic goes through this link, but over the years the Irish communication infrastructure has improved a lot, it would be naive to think there is a single point of failure in this way. Ie. the UK could cut our access with the rest of the world. I don't think so.

Capt'n Midnight

iUseVi wrote:

the UK could cut our access with the rest of the world. I don't think so.

your are right there, a lot of transatlantic fiber lands in Ireland , not sure now but bandwith to the states was a tiny fraction of the cost of bandwidth to donegal