this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
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Privacy

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Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

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[–] [email protected] 148 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Time to De-Google I guess. I will keep using Firefox and if or when I come across any website pulling this crap I won't hesitate to blast them to eternity. I suggest everyone else do the same please.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Time was a decade ago... But better now than never.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

With that kind of attitude, it's a wonder no one listened to you a decade ago!

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Lol. As soon as I heard someone upload their contacts to Google I thought "welp, I'm out." And yeah, no one listened then either.

Still, we got diaspora working finally. May the force be with you.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've been converting folks where I can! I work in IT for a huge corporation, so our computers all come pre-loaded with Firefox set as the default browser haha.

And with you!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Damn. How'd you swing that? Everyone I know is still stuck in the Microsoft/Chrome cycle.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

I don't give my users a choice at work and those computers are all locked down to where they'd need an admin to install Chrome.

As far as my personal life goes, I've just been the go-to guy for computer questions for friends and family most of my life, so they usually listen to my advice, but it also helps to just go into detail as to why the change is necessary (not recommended, but necessary). No one likes to hear that their web browser is making it impossible to block ads and is streamlining the ad experience so they get more ads. Everyone despises ads lol.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What's with the hostile attitude?

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I’m just going to stop using sites that implement this tech. Maybe I’ll even make a site and actually contribute to the web with all the free time I’ll have 😇

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (5 children)

It'll be next to impossible when those websites are your bank and Netflix etc.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Not using Netflix is very possible :) Even easier with the pricing they are up to lately.

(But I know you were just listing some examples)

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[–] [email protected] 77 points 1 year ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (6 children)

How do you "de-google" when most websites expect most browsers to use chromium and start requiring this to ensure ~~companies buying ad space get the best bang for their buck~~ security?

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Most websites? Haven't come across one yet (I am using Firefox on all devices and don't have any other browser installed) ... Do you have any examples?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeah I don't think this comment is accurate, the only website that gives you a subpar experience to incentivize you to use a Chromium-based browser that I've come across is, well, google.com on mobile.

Luckily you can download a plugin on Firefox to trick google.com to show you the Chromium experience, or you can just use something like startpage.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Firefox and ublock origin to start. Site requires Chromium? Buh bye now.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I’ve been de-Googled for 6 months now and the internet works just fine on Firefox and Safari. No significant differences.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We do to google what we should have done to Microsoft: we stop visiting those sights

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I agree it is an uphill battle, but it must start somewhere. Else, it only gets worse, and then movements against such abuses will get easily crushed. As I like to say, "the hardest part of a journey is the first step", but also "the future belongs to those who prepare now".

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[–] [email protected] 72 points 1 year ago (3 children)

It's small, but here's a real actionable item that you can do to help:

Put a gentle "Use Firefox" (or any other non-Chromium-based browser) message on your website. It doesn't have to be in-your-face, just something small. I've taken my own advice and added it to my own website: https://geeklaunch.io/ (Only appears in Chromium-based browsers.)

We can slowly turn the tide, little by little.

Copy and paste:

<p>
    This site is designed for <a href="https://firefox.com/">Firefox</a>,
    a web browser that respects your privacy.
</p>

(I also posted this on the HN discussion.)

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Your browser supports Web-DRM. Some features might not be available.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

One way to hide it for Firefox users.

<p class="not-firefox-warning">
    This site is designed for <a href="https://firefox.com/">Firefox</a>,
    a web browser that respects your privacy.
</p>
<style>
@-moz-document url-prefix() {  .not-firefox-warning { display: none; }}
</style>
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[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

IE in the 2000's called, it wants it's dream back.

Between this, hobbling adblockers and performing enough monopolistic acts to warrant swift government action, I really see this more as Chrome dying than the web itself.

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

That's bleak

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Honestly this won't effect me a ton, though I wouldn't be surprised if I have to boot up a windows virtual machine just to check my bank in a few years cause my bank doesn't know what Linux is and doesn't want go trust it. I'm mad about it but given slowly but surely I've been replacing everything with FOSS stuff. I just fear one day they will force you to use corpo approved software to use WiFi , or get cell service

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It will likely not work inside a VM. Haven't looked into the implementation, but they will probably want to use the hardware DRM manufacturers have been sneaking into the CPUs and GPUs.

So you will be required to use "approved" CPU, "approved" OS and "approved" browser to access certain websites, as it is already the case with online streaming. You can kiss foss goodbye.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (10 children)
[–] [email protected] 56 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You will use the web as google said or you won't use it at all.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Google is underestimating my ability to drink all day and forget the internet entirely.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Ah but what you don't remember is when you're drunk you go on the Internet and stumble around and talk incoherently

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How to kill 3% of your userbase: implement DRM

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Sadly likely close to the truth...

But this is the 3% that sets trends. I am sure most of us were biggest google simps 10-15 years ago... no so nowadays.

Maps and youtube are only products i have not kicked... yet

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

DRM for the web.

Basically, if your browser modifies a web page in any way (such as by blocking ads, applying a theme, disabling javascript, whatever), the server would be able to detect this and deny access.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Google is pushing some bullshit that would allow websites to check if a client (you, your browser, your device) is on the okie-dokey list. If yes, you may enter e. g. Youtube, if not the you're out. It's like a bouncer for websites and of course Google would be that bouncer. So you might stand out in the rain if you are using one of the following:

  • VPN

  • Adblock

  • Non-Chromium browser like Firefox

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

At that point they will just have the Google internet and either you're in it or you are not.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

WEI checks your browser, your extensions and your OS to ensure that a site is not tampered with. Officially it's to make sure that sites don't have to deal as much with bots.

Too bad that many of us use adblockers to protect us from malicious ads or remove ads to make a website bearable. Google also happens to distribute ads which makes the fact that adblockers likely won't work anymore a very concenient coincidence they totally didn't have in mind.

It's also possible that non-Chromium browsers (for example Firefox) will stop working due to them either not supporting WEI or not being considered legitimate by whoever will do the checks.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Website: Hello, Name and ID
Chrome: Hello! I'm Chrome by Google and here's my ID
Website: OK, you are allowed in.
Adblocker: Get Lost Ads!
Website: You leave right now, Goodbye

Although it's not just adblockers it's also uncertified browsers

Website: Hello, Name and ID.
Firefox: Hello I am Firefox and here's my ID.
Website: Your not on our list, GET LOST!

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

So this is a problem for all browsers based on Chromium right???

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, it is a problem for all browsers, present and future, period.

The point is that major websites, even government ones might decide to be only available on Chrome.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Question for anyone with more understanding of the implementation…

Doesn’t this still presume the browser tells the truth to the third party attester? Could we not build something that just straight up lies to the attester? Says I’m a good Google chrome user with no extensions please serve me ads sir?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

My understanding was that the browser vendor itself would be the attester. So if Google says it's Google Chrome, it probably is. Unless you somehow reverse engineer how Google decides that it's Google Chrome and spoof that or something...

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can you explain to someone not so tech savy what this means?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (6 children)

No more add blockers. No more accessibility tools. Only what google wants you to see.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Is there anything a person can do about it, other than using Firefox and degoogling?

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