Chrome Browser is now in control of the Internet

[oui]

I know this has been posted about before.

But I have to let off some steam someplace

I just tried to log into my cell phone service account by using my computer.

I could not get it to log on.

I started a conversation with that online, click here for help, can we help you, person

After about 10 minutes of give and take messages.

I asked could my browsers cookie setting be causing this issue.

A short wait for an answer and I get back.

OH! you are using Firefox.

You need to be using Chrome browser to be able to log in!

Used Chome browser and logged in with no problem.

oh, Beautiful, FIREFOX and adepts wine !

FRIREFOX (and adepts) do exactly the same against SEAMONKEY and other brothers! Look at my 2 following Screenshots:

(how is Gmx? Gmx is the standard email provider out the time before Google domination. Gmx is coming from the town München, the town having transfered in the past the software from the town to Linux...)

[one]

Hi @oui,

I tested the combination seamonkey 2.53.16/gmx with some emails sent/received.

Used the link "to the mailbox with reduced functionality" in your second screenshot.
With this you have access to your emails using SM ...

Palemoon 32.3.1 gives you "full" functionality - whatever that means besides a fancy gui.

peace

[dcung]

I did a factory reset on my (android) mobile phone today. All data erased/formatted.
So, I had to re-install apps. And hence I had to login to google/play store.
And just by accident, I saw this "My activity" on the phone's Chrome browser. I clicked on it and it has almost a year of my activities, browsing history, etc, etc.

I'm sure that I always says 'no' (disabled) this on any devices.

I hopped on laptop(s), login to google and want to delete all this...but it's no where to be found. It said 'no activity' kept -> feature turned off/disable.
But on my hand, I have my phone showing these histories...and it tells me I can delete it 'anytime'. It looks like it collected from any PCs, laptops, whenever I used Chrome in the past one year. It 'sync' these activities from devices without permission.

Arghhh...I gave up!

[rockedge]

I'm sure that I always says 'no' (disabled) this on any devices.

Arghhh...I gave up!

I believe it. The situation is totally frightening on several levels and their (Google guys) ability to justify being dishonest to that degree is astounding.

[geo_c]

But on my hand, I have my phone showing these histories...and it tells me I can delete it 'anytime'. It looks like it collected from any PCs, laptops, whenever I used Chrome in the past one year. It 'sync' these activities from devices without permission.

Arghhh...I gave up!

Here's what I do:

• Use an ungoogled Android, no google account sign in or applications anywhere on the device. Lineage OS works well.

• Never access google products from the phone from that point forward. Not google maps, google docs, gmail, nothing. And of course not Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or the like. Don't install any unnecessary apps, and stick to Foss apps with very few "anti-features."

• Never sign into google from a PC unless necessary, If necessary, use Ungoogled Chromium and make sure all histories and cookies are deleted on every browser exit. Clear the cache every time (Thanks @mikewalsh for making that part easy.) Never sync the browser of course. Sign in, access google, delete everything in the history for "all time," shutdown the browser and clear the cache. Also, while the google account is accessed, shutdown every activity tracking setting that it allows.

• Have gmail forward mail to another email server. Pick up mail from that second server using something like Fair Email client on the phone, Thunderbird on the PC. Don't reply using gmail smtp outgoing, but instead send from a second outgoing server.

The results for me are, everytime I access google I get a security email sent to my recovery account that says an "an unknown device recently accessed the account, if it was you, do nothing." Checking on the google device activity list will show "unknown linux device yesterday at 3pm," or something to that effect.

Better yet, and this is something for which I need to bite the bullet and do, delete the google account entirely and never access google again. After using the above method for three years, most of my contacts will have my primary email address, so it probably won't create an issue. Except for those one or two payroll spreadsheets that certain employers share on google docs, and I'm required to fill out to get paid. (The ONLY reason I still have a google account.)

You might ask, "How do you find an address when you're out and about with only a phone and no google maps, and you need to get directions?"

Answer: I look at a map (Mapquest, or Open Street Map,) find where I'm going, and go there. If the location looks really complicated, like a far away downtown city like Pittsburgh, I might plot directions and email them to myself, then follow them. Better yet, print them from home before leaving.

Then there are always paper maps.

Superpowers of the old school.

[mikewalsh]

@geo_c :-

Don't forget to thank Fred for the updater scripts he put together for some of the portables recently. Equally important to keep the things up-to-date, of course....

Browsers are one of the very few things I will insist on keeping up-to-date. Pretty much anything else, if it works I just leave it alone..!

Mike.

[dcung]

I believe it. The situation is totally frightening on several levels and their (Google guys) ability to justify being dishonest to that degree is astounding.

It is scary that the histories are definitely not from my phone. I don't do browsing on phone, the screen is too small. So, it's from other devices, which google 'helps' me by syncing it (histories, etc) w/o permission. I wonder how much data they collected covertly.

Lineage OS works well.

This was what I was doing. I was installing latest Lineage OS custom ROM for my phone.
I wish I could do without any google shite, but too much effort to do so... aarrggh...

I definitely will try to use Chrome less now... I had minimal trust to Google before, now I have none.

"Don't be evil" .... yeah..right...

[geo_c]

"Don't be evil" .... yeah..right...

If one has to remind themselves not to be evil... well, kind of speaks for itself if you ask me.

[ozsouth]

I decided some time ago, that either MS, Apple or Google (or a combination) would wind up with data from me. Highly debatable, but I've chosen google. I do use firefox & delete history & cookies & turn off payment methods & notifications, but hopefully the other 2 don't have much. Paypal annoy me with automatically making every device I log in with a 'trusted device' - I dutifully log in after I've used Paypal & turn it off.

[greengeek]

This was what I was doing. I was installing latest Lineage OS custom ROM for my phone.

Can I ask which phone model you have? Ironically it seems that Google Pixel phones are among the best candidates for successful De-Googling.
I'm currently looking for a cheap phone model that can be DeGoogled.

[dcung]

Can I ask which phone model you have? Ironically it seems that Google Pixel phones are among the best candidates for successful De-Googling.
I'm currently looking for a cheap phone model that can be DeGoogled.

It's a google pixel 2XL. An old phone by now - hence I risked it.
I used LineageOS 20 (Android 13).

I thought I bricked it, but it was successful. Just frigging Google scared me with the warning!
I have done it twice (on the same phone). Once with and once w/o add-on MindTheGapp/OpenGapp (nano).

Google certainly does not want you to have custom ROM (root access).
Now each time the phone boot, it gives you WARNING, WARNING...with a link to restore the original ROM.