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GeneralRe: Free tool to enable/disable something PinPopular
Gary R. Wheeler23-Nov-13 1:53
Gary R. Wheeler23-Nov-13 1:53 
GeneralRe: Free tool to enable/disable something Pin
Dave Kreskowiak23-Nov-13 4:45
mveDave Kreskowiak23-Nov-13 4:45 
GeneralRe: Free tool to enable/disable something Pin
Ravi Bhavnani23-Nov-13 6:13
professionalRavi Bhavnani23-Nov-13 6:13 
GeneralMessage Closed Pin
23-Nov-13 14:40
Darren_vms23-Nov-13 14:40 
GeneralRe: Free tool to enable/disable something Pin
Ravi Bhavnani23-Nov-13 14:43
professionalRavi Bhavnani23-Nov-13 14:43 
GeneralRe: Free tool to enable/disable something Pin
Darren_vms23-Nov-13 15:06
Darren_vms23-Nov-13 15:06 
GeneralRecently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! PinPopular
Markus Sprunck22-Nov-13 10:51
Markus Sprunck22-Nov-13 10:51 
GeneralPutting it in perspective (was: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore!) PinPopular
Chris Maunder22-Nov-13 11:46
cofounderChris Maunder22-Nov-13 11:46 
I admire the thought but I think you should put it in perspective.

Firstly, your blog itself is powered by Google sites. Your visitors are tracked. End of story.

Secondly, tracking by collecting anonymous information, or tagging a person in order to build an anonymous profile and hence provide targeted advertising is very, very different than scanning emails and phone calls looking for keywords to score you and determine whether to send the boys in dark suits and dark glasses to pay you a visit.

<soapbox>

I honestly feel that the Snowden and Wikileaks stuff has made people more aware (good) but propagated extreme and unwarranted paranoia (bad) and has compromised countries' abilities to protect and compete against those entities that are truly, deeply malicious in their data interception (very, very bad).

Privacy has become a soap opera issue where everyone says "it's bed" without understanding fully what's being done, in what capacity, and why. There's a huge jumping-on-the-bandwagon mentality happening. Visa and my cellphone company know way WAY more about me, my spending habits, where I go, who I talk to, and what I own than any government in the world. And I actually let them - in fact I pay them to have this data.

Yes, there needs to be oversight to protect your personal data but what about the data already in non-governmental agencies? Take a look at how many people have suffered identity theft because employees at credit agencies have sold their information.

Take stock of what tracking currently happens. Decide whether it even matters, whether it may in fact help you get to things that interest you, and how easy it is to nuke whatever tie-in that tracking has to you (delete your cookies and you're free). Then decide if you're actually that important or even vaguely interesting to whomever's doing the tracking and think to yourself what would happen if the institutions whose job it was to protect a country could not actually do their job.

My previous employment has given me, admittedly, a unique perspective on this and I totally agree safeguards and common sense need to be in place, but for me it's like traffic cops: I'd much rather risk a $150 fine for doing 10kmh over the limit than not have anyone there for the crazies driving at 180kmh.

And I also know I'm just not that interesting.

</soapbox>
GeneralRe: Putting it in perspective (was: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore!) Pin
S Houghtelin22-Nov-13 12:29
professionalS Houghtelin22-Nov-13 12:29 
GeneralRe: Putting it in perspective (was: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore!) Pin
Chris Maunder22-Nov-13 13:31
cofounderChris Maunder22-Nov-13 13:31 
GeneralRe: Putting it in perspective (was: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore!) Pin
MT_23-Nov-13 23:15
professionalMT_23-Nov-13 23:15 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
Kevin Marois22-Nov-13 11:47
professionalKevin Marois22-Nov-13 11:47 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
_Maxxx_22-Nov-13 12:06
professional_Maxxx_22-Nov-13 12:06 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
David Crow23-Nov-13 5:03
David Crow23-Nov-13 5:03 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
jschell23-Nov-13 11:27
jschell23-Nov-13 11:27 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
Chris Maunder22-Nov-13 13:34
cofounderChris Maunder22-Nov-13 13:34 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
_Maxxx_22-Nov-13 14:15
professional_Maxxx_22-Nov-13 14:15 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
S Douglas22-Nov-13 16:05
professionalS Douglas22-Nov-13 16:05 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
Joe Woodbury23-Nov-13 17:41
professionalJoe Woodbury23-Nov-13 17:41 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
enhzflep23-Nov-13 22:07
enhzflep23-Nov-13 22:07 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
Joe Woodbury24-Nov-13 6:18
professionalJoe Woodbury24-Nov-13 6:18 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
enhzflep24-Nov-13 6:30
enhzflep24-Nov-13 6:30 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
Markus Sprunck24-Nov-13 0:02
Markus Sprunck24-Nov-13 0:02 
GeneralRe: Recently I deactivated Google Analytics - No tracking anymore! Pin
Joe Woodbury24-Nov-13 6:20
professionalJoe Woodbury24-Nov-13 6:20 
GeneralDo You Really Like Bacon? PinPopular
Roger Wright22-Nov-13 9:56
professionalRoger Wright22-Nov-13 9:56 

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