The Associated Press, after conceding that reports that Google is generally up front about its privacy settings, reports that Google may be tracking you even when you tell it not to.

Here's the link: http://www.startribune.com/ap-exclus...not/490698071/

Here's an excerpt. The story itself is rather long and detailed and I recommend reading the whole thing:

I saw the news too today.

I seems with 2 disabled options Google do not store your location.

This must be fake news...Google's motto is don't be evil. LOL. Time to bring back the monopoly busters me thinks.

Oh wait, they dropped that motto, looks like they are evil now: https://gizmodo.com/google-removes-n...rom-1826153393

That startribune link hit me with a "subscribe to read" popup.
But I found the article on the AP site here: https://apnews.com/828aefab64d4411bac257a07c1af0ecb

Is anybody surprised ?. I went through the "turn everything off" rigmarole and I still have to go back and do it as they add more "features". I have no history, I have location off, and I ignore all the nagging I get.

Of course, what cell tower you are using and the fact almost everyone (not me) broadcasts for wifi and bluetooth connections continuously pinpoints us all pretty well anyway.
In some countries you are required to use a government issued SIM that does an even better job - even tourists have to use them.

hardly "news", but i'm glad the mainstream is taking (more and more) notice of these things.

When I load up Google, I assume this is what people are talking about: "Choose the privacy settings that are right for you" - "Take your Privacy Checkup" ?

I didn't, but I really don't care if Google knows my location, etc. I would load it up through tor and/or use Tails if I was worried...

The government already has my information, and I don't give a rats arse what they think of me, they are a bunch of morons anyways... they are also completely useless too, but that's another story...

^ now where have i heard this line of argumentation before....

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I'm wondering why it even lets you turn it off in the first place. I really don't think it's unreasonable for a device to stop tracking you if it prompts to do so. I think that ordinary people would agree, which makes me think Google is definitely wrong here. It's not even that I have to go find an RMS essay to support this, either.

(Yea, yeah, that way it can see who it should *really* be watching! Spare me.)

Maybe the better question is; do they really want you to be able to "turn it off" ? It seems to me that it's not in Google's interest to stop tracking people. Why would it be?

Also, I'd be more worried about ISP level tracking. Wouldn't that be far more effective for the government? I'm sure the NSA for one (but not limited to) has done/is already doing that...

I use Dogpile web search anymore.

http://www.dogpile.com/

I'll just throw this in here since it relates to the topic in this thread.

https://www.lifewire.com/safety-privacy-4102606

It is semi current as of the date of my post.

This article from Sunday's New York Time magazine seems relevant to this thread. It details efforts on the part of three individuals to attempt to legislate curbs on Silicon Valley's spynet:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/14/m...vacy-data.html

it's a long and interesting article; i didn't finish it, but i wish that mctaggart all the best.

currently my "company" has to concern itself with (electronic) data protection, and it seems that task will be largely mine because i'm the only "expert", so i do a lot of reading and first-hand-experiencing atm.

there seems to be a lot of misinformation going around; i have a feeling it is seeded in america, and maybe even by those 2 big companies...

one thing i do know: google does its worst to

• appear "safe" - hence no need for data protection
• obfuscate the differences between the internet and the googleverse

i'm on a timetable right now, but i'd like to finish that article and continue discussing these things with y'all.

I sometimes adjust my privacy settings in my google account, BUT it's hard to tell if my privacy settings are working or they are transparently being ignore.