Scary

[Garno]

A few days ago my new computer arrived due to my laptop being very close to packing in.

Today whilst Mrs Garno is out and about visiting relatives I thought it would be good to put all my old programs onto the new machine. Not being a fan of the microsoft Edge browser I thought I would change it to a browser I have used in the past. The browser I chose was Chrome, mainly due to the fact I had tried it a few years ago and never really had any problems.

I downloaded and installed it, it then promptrd me to sign in with either google or facebook. Due to the fact that I do not have a facebook account I chose the google option. Now for the scary bit ... when the browser opened it had all of my previous bookmarked websites, it has been over 3 years since I have used Chrome or even had it on my old computer, and it also had all of the old passwords I used to use for all the different sites etc.

I really do not know if I should feel happy about this or angry, I have nothing to hide and do not bookmark important sites like the bank or anything financial. I now really believe big brother is most definately out there watching us all. I have spent the day changing every one of my passwords on everything I can think of, maybe I'm just being a little paranoid, oe even more scary is the thought that maybe I'm not. :shock: :shock:

 

[RogerS]

A few days ago my new computer arrived due to my laptop being very close to packing in.

Today whilst Mrs Garno is out and about visiting relatives I thought it would be good to put all my old programs onto the new machine. Not being a fan of the microsoft Edge browser I thought I would change it to a browser I have used in the past. The browser I chose was Chrome, mainly due to the fact I had tried it a few years ago and never really had any problems.

I downloaded and installed it, it then promptrd me to sign in with either google or facebook. Due to the fact that I do not have a facebook account I chose the google option. Now for the scary bit ... when the browser opened it had all of my previous bookmarked websites, it has been over 3 years since I have used Chrome or even had it on my old computer, and it also had all of the old passwords I used to use for all the different sites etc.

I really do not know if I should feel happy about this or angry, I have nothing to hide and do not bookmark important sites like the bank or anything financial. I now really believe big brother is most definately out there watching us all. I have spent the day changing every one of my passwords on everything I can think of, maybe I'm just being a little paranoid, oe even more scary is the thought that maybe I'm not. :shock: :shock:

Google knows everything :shock: Seriously, don't fret too much. Chrome is part of Google and all the stuff you've used with Chrome is out there in the Google 'cloud' patiently waiting for you to come along and fire up Chrome again. I won't use Chrome on my iMac (unless forced to because of a quirk in a specific website) because it loads 'secret squirrel' software (probably does the same on your PC as well) which keeps wanting to call home to Google Galactic HQ to check for updates. Stealing my CPU cycles and electricity. You can't stop it. The only thing you can do (which I do after using Chrome) is to kill all the files.

 

[selectortone]

Google always asks you if you want it to save your username and password when you register yourself on a website. If you don't like it just say no.

You can remove all your saved logins; just google (or use an alternative search engine) "how to remove your saved passwords from google".

Of course, the tinfoil helmet brigade will say "Ah, but do they really delete them?" :mrgreen: (I have more important things to worry about)

 

[Geoff_S]

You mean to say that Google knows that I visit www.ukworkshop.co.uk? Just what are the ramifications?

 

[thetyreman]

google save everything you've ever searched for on a server, I prefer firefox myself and find it performs a little bit faster, it's worth watching the latest dispatches programme about amazon, you need to be blocking background ads on everything to stand a chance of them NOT knowing about you.. for example they can find out you are mentally ill just through searches you perform even on other websites by placing cookies onto your computer, then amazon can 'market' books aimed at people with whatever your illness is that you typed into a search engine thinking you were safe.

It's arguable that this shouldn't be allowed in 2019, very little is being done to update the law in line with modern technology and there are many issues I have with just simply using the internet, it is nowhere near as safe as people realise, once you open the pandoras box you won't see it as this great thing that's come to save us all, we have exchanged privacy for convenience every time we get something for 'free' such as a new social media platform or app.

 

[selectortone]

There is no privacy on the internet. If you can't accept that then turn off your computer and walk away from the screen. I don't do social media so it doesn't really bother me overmuch. What is real privacy anyway? It's not as if google are peeping in my window. (I suppose that will come when Google Earth improves its resolution and works in realtime. I'll be pushing up daisies before then...)

 

[Trainee neophyte]

It's not as if google are peeping in my window.

It's worse than that - people are buying cameras attached to Alexa and friends to actively beg to have their privacy invaded. People are weird.

Must get one to put in the bedroom!

 

[Bm101]

Garno.
A contentious issue will always raise various viewpoints.
If it concerns you, and I believe it should concern any reasonable person enough for them to have legitimate issues with how ownership of private and personal information is used as a saleable asset for a corporate entity, an easy alternative is duckduckgo.
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/duckduckg ... ch-engine/

There are more secure options. VPNs etc. Unless you are trawling the dark web with tor browsers etc it should be enough. :wink:

I only really use the net for very basic purposes. Doesn't mean I want my information used as currency.
No thanks.

 

[sploo]

A few days ago my new computer arrived due to my laptop being very close to packing in.

Today whilst Mrs Garno is out and about visiting relatives I thought it would be good to put all my old programs onto the new machine. Not being a fan of the microsoft Edge browser I thought I would change it to a browser I have used in the past. The browser I chose was Chrome, mainly due to the fact I had tried it a few years ago and never really had any problems.

I downloaded and installed it, it then promptrd me to sign in with either google or facebook. Due to the fact that I do not have a facebook account I chose the google option. Now for the scary bit ... when the browser opened it had all of my previous bookmarked websites, it has been over 3 years since I have used Chrome or even had it on my old computer, and it also had all of the old passwords I used to use for all the different sites etc.

I really do not know if I should feel happy about this or angry, I have nothing to hide and do not bookmark important sites like the bank or anything financial. I now really believe big brother is most definately out there watching us all. I have spent the day changing every one of my passwords on everything I can think of, maybe I'm just being a little paranoid, oe even more scary is the thought that maybe I'm not. :shock: :shock:

This entirely depends on your point of view; you can use Chrome without signing into any account. If you sign into Chrome using your Google account then getting all your bookmarks is a feature - you can get up and running again quickly on a new PC without having to manually transfer across details as that info is linked to your Google account.

So, my $0.02 is that it's a useful and positive feature; given that you're not forced to provide Chrome with a login. Obviously Google, Facebook, Instawotsit, all your phone apps, the government, and next door's cat, are spying on your every move anyway, so you might as well get free storage of your bookmarks out of it :wink:

 

[Trevanion]

If you want true privacy you need to get rid of the computer, the phone, the TV, the microwave, and all those gadgets, move to Mars and live in a tin-foil house and wear a tin-foil hat every time you go outside. It helps to have a hat on earth but it's not a 100% effective piece of equipment anymore, there are workarounds.

Many houses are controlled by apps too, like boiling the kettle and turning on the heating remotely from your phone, imagine if some 'terrorist' (for a lack of a better term) organization figured out how to exploit these and turn everything up to 11 and burn down every home with such a device in?

It's not worth worrying about, they're watching.

 

[porker]

Interesting discussion. The most damage I have seen done to people is what they post onto their social media platforms of there own free will. I have know relationship issues, jobs lost and even criminal proceedings with people I have worked with because of what they have posted online. I am extremely careful if I ever post anything because as I say to my kids - whatever is posted there is pretty much permanently there.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Brave is a variant of chrome with built in privacy, ad protection etc. It may work for you: https://brave.com/

 

[Trevanion]

Does anyone remember this?

[youtube]MK0SrxBC1xs[/youtube]

With the rise of self-driving cars and all-electric cars, it makes you wonder what dangerous exploits that we can't control will we have in the future?

 

[Garno]

Garno.
A contentious issue will always raise various viewpoints.
If it concerns you, and I believe it should concern any reasonable person enough for them to have legitimate issues with how ownership of private and personal information is used as a saleable asset for a corporate entity, an easy alternative is duckduckgo.
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/duckduckg ... ch-engine/

There are more secure options. VPNs etc. Unless you are trawling the dark web with tor browsers etc it should be enough. :wink:

I only really use the net for very basic purposes. Doesn't mean I want my information used as currency.
No thanks.

I genuinely don't know if it does actually bother me or not.

I was taken aback when it happened, had someone told me this could happen I would of been dubious to say the least, but now ...

I have no social media accounts and don't even have a mobile phone, I am told I am missing out but I don't really buy into that either. The reason I don't have them is because I really don't see the need for them. As for privacy I am at an age where it does not bother me, if anyone wanted to spy on myself and Mrs Garno in our yearly amorous romps then they should be warned, it will be an image burned into their brains for eternity, it is not a pretty sight :shock:

 

[Andy Kev.]

I've always felt that the threat to privacy etc. does not come from governments - at least it doesn't if you live in a western-style democracy - but rather from the big multinational IT-driven corporations. Governments are only a problem in so far as they haven't got a grip of the corps e.g. they should have introduced a complete ban on the trading of people's data. What does happen is half-hearted: you cannot fail to have noticed all the current stuff which begins with "we value your privacy" and then you have to click "I agree" in order to proceed. Legislators should IMO have insisted on an option which reads, "no but I do wish to continue to use the website".

The most sensible thing one can do is to conduct as little of one's life as possible online.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I've always felt that the threat to privacy etc. does not come from governments - at least it doesn't if you live in a western-style democracy - but rather from the big multinational IT-driven corporations. Governments are only a problem in so far as they haven't got a grip of the corps e.g. they should have introduced a complete ban on the trading of people's data. What does happen is half-hearted: you cannot fail to have noticed all the current stuff which begins with "we value your privacy" and then you have to click "I agree" in order to proceed. Legislators should IMO have insisted on an option which reads, "no but I do wish to continue to use the website".

The most sensible thing one can do is to conduct as little of one's life as possible online.

The multinational IT driven corporations are the government, inasmuch as they write the new laws, lobby (bribe) the politicians, and fund the political parties on both sides. The half-hearted control is purely lip-service for appearances.

The media is controlled by a very, very few people, who work hand in glove with the politicians (or more accurately the politicians work hand in glove with the media), so corporate control is pretty much complete in most Western nations.

For a random current example, the OPCW's investigation of chemical weapons in Syria has been shown to be completely compromised for political purposes, but you probably won't hear much about it on the BBC. https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/the- ... 32903f22a2

In other words, there were never any chemical weapons used in Syria, the American bombing Syria in retaliation for not using chemical weapons was illegal, and probably a war crime.

Need to be careful, because someone might be listening in...I'm out of tin foil!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

... I am extremely careful if I ever post anything because as I say to my kids - whatever is posted there is pretty much permanently there.

My neighbour told me his lad (who is 17, mine 18) has been going out with a girl for four or five months and hadn't got past kissing her. He said we'd have had her in bed inside a month years ago, but girls now are so scared of anything they've done being put on line they are more careful than they've ever been.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

May I just thank Garno for thanking me for posting. Very polite of you, especially as I normally write nonsense.

 

[selectortone]

A timely article in The Guardian this morning:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... vacy-fears

 

[worn thumbs]

A few years ago I was advised by an IT professional that disabling javascript can reduce the amount of snooping and make it much more difficult for malware and viruses to infiltrate a computer.Consequently I run Firefox with the excellent NoScript add on -and one or two others.If you run Windows, there is a very useful free utility called CCleaner that will hunt out and eliminate trackers too.For information,this is a what is on this page.