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Duckduckgo...better than Google, but...

OK then give us your bank acct passwords. :cool:

I get what you're saying, but I'm not that defeatist. I try to minimize the damage any way I can.
 
Yeah it's more private than Google and now it often gives better results as Google tries to answer the question it knows I really wanted to ask instead. Not so much fuzzy logic but beard dragging on floor.
Opera browser has a built in Vpn, which helps.
 
Blue Mountain said:
Privacy may be dead to you, but for me in Canada and people in the EU it is very much alive. I take steps to protect my privacy and my identity online. Just because you don't care doesn't mean nobody else does.
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Oh believe me, I care. Which is why I'm not going to be giving @bigred my bank account details. I just don't see that I can do much about it.

Think about it like this. I lock my front door when I leave the house. This deters casual and opportunistic burglars just fine. But if someone really wants to get into my house specifically, the deadlock on my front door and my security screen won't stop them, because they'll just break a window. They'll climb over my back fence. They'll bust open my keysafe.

Taking steps to protect your online privacy are just fine. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be doing them. But if someone really wants your data, specifically, do you really think you're going to be able to stop them?
 
It's also FUD. One of the complaints is that after clicking on a DDG search link, the site you browse to still gets your IP address and can query your browser installation. Which is how the internet works.

Judging from the titles of the rest of the site's entries, it was a waste of time even reading it.
 
Beelzebuddy said:
It's also FUD. One of the complaints is that after clicking on a DDG search link, the site you browse to still gets your IP address and can query your browser installation. Which is how the internet works.

Judging from the titles of the rest of the site's entries, it was a waste of time even reading it.
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The bolded ^ It's rather obvious disguising your search is of limited value. I prefer Duckduckgo because I get fewer commercial results for my search. On a rare occasion I do have to switch to Google because there are more results than Duck...
 
For all the info they are supposedly collecting on me, it doesn't seem to be doing them much good. I don't get spammed or see ads, and my searches are generally by proxy, soooo... what exactly are they doing with this vast trove of my data?

Although that story about an AI that threatened to blackmail its programmer was a little unnerving.
 
Thermal said:
For all the info they are supposedly collecting on me, it doesn't seem to be doing them much good. I don't get spammed or see ads, and my searches are generally by proxy, soooo... what exactly are they doing with this vast trove of my data?

Although that story about an AI that threatened to blackmail its programmer was a little unnerving.
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You don't search for ... I don't know, lawnmowers, and then get ads for lawnmowers on random third sites?
 
Me either. And my email is great at blocking spam...heck I rarely even get spam in my spam folder.
 
I put minimal effort into managing my online presence but I understand why people do it. I'm damn near endorsed by Google at this point. I have multiple chromecasts, both the wife and I use Pixel's, I have youtubeTV, and up until recently I used Google Fi as my cell carrier along with my handful of Gmail accounts. I'm sure there is a ton of my data being bought, sold, etc. but, much like Thermal, I don't know that it really has an impact in my life. All of my credit reports are frozen so no one can possibly get a loan using my information. My emails are all 2FA'd, I use complex passwords that I change annually, etc. I just honestly don't have any fear of being compromised so I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.
 
arthwollipot said:
Oh believe me, I care. Which is why I'm not going to be giving @bigred my bank account details. I just don't see that I can do much about it.

Think about it like this. I lock my front door when I leave the house. This deters casual and opportunistic burglars just fine. But if someone really wants to get into my house specifically, the deadlock on my front door and my security screen won't stop them, because they'll just break a window. They'll climb over my back fence. They'll bust open my keysafe.

Taking steps to protect your online privacy are just fine. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be doing them. But if someone really wants your data, specifically, do you really think you're going to be able to stop them?
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Roofs are pretty weak.

Lifting a metal sheet, or moving a few tiles, are both trivial.

I've hear of steel mesh being installed in the ceiling space because of that issue.

(A retirement village that was enduring a spate of 'roof entry' crime.)
 
Thermal said:
For all the info they are supposedly collecting on me, it doesn't seem to be doing them much good. I don't get spammed or see ads, and my searches are generally by proxy, soooo... what exactly are they doing with this vast trove of my data?
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There is still a certain amount of security in obscurity. "They" have millions, probably billions of records, and mine is just one of them.

Olmstead said:
You don't search for ... I don't know, lawnmowers, and then get ads for lawnmowers on random third sites?
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I don't find that particularly disturbing and I don't quite understand why other people do.
 
novaphile said:
Roofs are pretty weak.

Lifting a metal sheet, or moving a few tiles, are both trivial.

I've hear of steel mesh being installed in the ceiling space because of that issue.

(A retirement village that was enduring a spate of 'roof entry' crime.)
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Even worse in some terrace housing in the UK that share a roof space.
 
EHocking said:
Even worse in some terrace housing in the UK that share a roof space.
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I recall about 50 years ago someone had broken into a house up the street but were disturbed and the police called. The burglar went into the attic of the house he was in which then had the police running up and down the terrace trying to guess which house the burglar would try and get out of because there was access to all the attics in the terrace. Afterwards I went up and went exploring.
 
Years back, I used to bet a security system installer that I could beat any of his systems on our new homes, with no damage at all to the property (as in, no broken windows or obvious B&E signs). He put his business card with a handwritten message on it in the middle of the master bed floor, and I had to present it the next day to win without tripping the system. I only had the advantage of knowing that as a matter of design, he didn't put motion detectors or pressure pads in bedroom areas where people might get up at night to use a bathroom. One was particularly tough, so I went up on the second story roof in the morning, pulled a few shingles, and with a cordless saw, cut myself an access and dropped into the attic, went over to the access panel and dropped right into the unmonitored bedroom areas hallway. Then back out and patched the hole. We argued about leaving evidence because I did leave a little bit of mess on the brand new carpet behind me, but I argued that with people living in the home, it would not have been distinguishable from household debris.
 
Olmstead said:
You don't search for ... I don't know, lawnmowers, and then get ads for lawnmowers on random third sites?
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Correction to my earlier reply: I searched for a particular style of siding on my Chromebook laptop instead of my more commonly used android phone. You were right, ads all over for that oddball siding on the edges of unrelated pages.
 
I invariably click on "reject all cookies" or anything else that sounds like "◊◊◊◊ off", but Chrome seems to feel the same way about my preferences.
 
Thermal said:
For all the info they are supposedly collecting on me, it doesn't seem to be doing them much good. I don't get spammed or see ads, and my searches are generally by proxy, soooo... what exactly are they doing with this vast trove of my data?

Although that story about an AI that threatened to blackmail its programmer was a little unnerving.
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I have that with Google. Who doesn't filter ads?
 
Thermal said:
I invariably click on "reject all cookies" or anything else that sounds like "◊◊◊◊ off", but Chrome seems to feel the same way about my preferences.
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Yeah...of course they can always play the "mandatory cookies" and that little box is ghosted out (or similar).

I never expect to have total privacy, but I think it's worth it to try to minimize what I can. Also if I am required to create an account and/or provide PII for something, like a purchase or to join a site, and esp if they ask for something they have no need of like my DOB, I simply lie. :)
 
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