Hiding From Google 228
penguinrecorder writes "Google offers Web users a simple trade-off: Let the search giant track a substantial portion of your comings and goings around the Web, and it will offer you a free, superior online experience. Now independent security researcher Moxie Marlinspike is making Web users a counter-offer: take Google's giveaways and keep your privacy too. On Tuesday, Marlinspike launched a service he calls GoogleSharing, a plug-in for Firefox designed to give users access to Google's online offerings while cloaking their identity from the company's data collection tools. By hosting a proxy server with a collection of Google 'identities,' the privacy software will allow users temporarily to route their traffic through another computer that masks their identity by mixing their online actions with those of other users. The system is totally transparent, with no special 'alternative' websites to visit. Your normal work flow should be exactly the same." GoogleSharing only works for those services not requiring a Google login; for the latter, no proxying is done.
Proxy is overkill (Score:5, Informative)
www.optimizegoogle.com Tick most stuff, especially remove click tracking.
There, now Google knows what I search for, but never which link I clicked.
Re:Who has to use Google? (Score:4, Informative)
Woody Woodpecker says, Use Tor + SSL! (Score:4, Informative)
Download, install, properly configure Tor:
https://www.torproject.org/ [torproject.org]
Certainly you should choose an open source and free operating system to
increase your security/privacy: http://www.distrowatch.com/ [distrowatch.com]
Use one of the many tools available to build your own Linux liveCD/DVD/USB
with Tor installed/configured and yank out all of your HDDs or unplug them
while using Tor via Linux liveCD/DVD/USB, then while running Tor:
Scroogle SSL:
https://ssl.scroogle.org/ [scroogle.org]
and for mail:
Safe-Mail:
No cookies, no script, no java, no flash required!
https://www.safe-mail.net/ [safe-mail.net]
In the words of Woody Woodpecker:
Hah ha ha HAH ha, Hah ha ha HAH ha, HAHAHAHHAHAHHAAH!
Fuck you corporations, fuck you snoopers, I do it MY WAY.
Re:Would you pay for Google ad-free? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:And we're trusting you because.... (Score:5, Informative)
Google is a proven risk, this guy's just a potential one.
This is misleading statement. Simple risk analysis: Google is a KNOWN risk with very substantial assets to lose if they screw up. This guy is an UNKNOWN risk with (presumably) a lot less to lose.
Re:Proxy is overkill (Score:3, Informative)
Thanks for that. I'd been using CustomizeGoogle since forever, and had missed the fact that it had been superceded by a newer extension (one that actually works). I have now updated.
On another note, I tried clicking on TFA (yes, I know) and got an interesting response that I hadn't seen before:
Page unavailable
Access Denied
Your request was denied because of its content categorization: "Proxy Avoidance"
Well, it's my workplace's internet connection, so I guess they can do what they like. No indication of which service they're using to identify "evil" sites like this, though.
Re:Would you pay for Google ad-free? (Score:5, Informative)
You dont have to pay, just have good enough Karma =)
Re:And we're trusting you because.... (Score:2, Informative)
A distributed service like has existed for years now, so there's not really a need for a replacement. It's called http://tor.eff.org/ [eff.org]
Stealing by any other name still stinks as much (Score:2, Informative)
Try Scroogle.org. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Woody Woodpecker says, Use Tor + SSL! (Score:3, Informative)
Or, you could save yourself a shitload of time and just realize that ...
NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOUR SEARCHES OR WHAT YOU DO ONLINE.
Seriously, give it a try, trust me, no one gives a shit about you so all the crap you suggest someone setup is just a waste of time.
Re:And we're trusting you because.... (Score:3, Informative)
"Unauthorized running of scripts on my computer"?
By visiting the site, you authorised it. If you don't want those scripts run, don't visit the site.
It's a bit like saying "unauthorised filming of me by CCTV when I walk into a branch of Sainsburys". If you don't like it, you can do the other thing.
Re:I Call Trojan (Score:1, Informative)
So I'm supposed to install this Proxy add on, then put my google account details, that has my google docs and google checkout account?
Ummm .... no
you should check things before making false claims......
Its just a plugin no need to pass on your "Google account details"