I mean, i’ve been doing what I can to not share that kind of info with Google, Microsoft, whatever for about 5 years now, but the thing is that they probably still have my IP address logged somewhere, and if that wasn’t enough they have info from other people living in my household using the same router who aren’t quite as privacy conscious.
Even if I deleted everything on my computer, deleted all my accounts, got a vpn, used linux, only used privacy invasive services when i absolutely need to or it’s youtube, can’t websites identify your computer specs? they’d know that i’m still using the same computer, let alone if I don’t want to let go of all my accounts that happen to share some of their data with Google.
I’d love to pay for the vpn i’ve been using on and off for about 2 years again but the thing preventing me from doing so is feeling hopeless because I feel it’s probably already too late, especially if I don’t want to let go of my Twitter or Reddit account.
I you really want to hide your location from Google, you need to do several things:
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Do not use a Chromium based browser, like Chrome.
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Do not use an Android phone.
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Do not use a ChromeBook.
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Do not use Gmail.
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Do not use a Google account.
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Do not use the Windows operating system.
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Do not use a VPN service that asks you for name, email address, phone number or other personal identifiable information.
These are just a few basic points. You will discover it’s not easy to hide from Big Tech.
Say I used Linux Mint, did all of these things, but then used YouTube like once. Would Google know it’s me simply because i’m on the same computer I had been using for years? (we’re also going to assume in this scenario i have enabled letterboxing on librewolf or something so they can’t collect data on my window size)
No, it’s very unlikely. If it’s via a browser, there are many things that websites like Google can detect, such as user agents, browser fingerprints, font enumeration, and other characteristics. However, when you install a new operating system, these details change.
User agents provide information about the browser and operating system, while browser fingerprints can uniquely identify a browser based on its configuration. Font enumeration detects which fonts are installed, adding another layer of unique identification. All these methods can help websites recognise a returning user, but they are tied to the specific browser and operating system in use.
When you install a new operating system and especially when you switch to a different one, these identifiers are altered, making it difficult for websites to track you based on your previous configuration. Moreover, unless you install Google’s applications, the company cannot access the entire hardware and OS makeup of your PC. Even if you do install their applications, Google’s privacy policy notes that they do not log such detailed information about your hardware and operating system.
Therefore, reinstalling your operating system, especially switching to a new one, effectively changes the identifiable markers that a browser can send to websites, thereby making it unlikely for Google or any other website to track your hardware and OS makeup across different OS installations.
Usually these steps are sufficient to ‘hide’ your location;
- Use a VPN
- Make sure your DNS server does not leak
- Enable killswitches in VPN
- Disable WebRTC
- Use an adblocker (uBlock Origin for example)
- Create new accounts for services (but hey, if you don’t trust Google, why even create an account in the first place, right)
- Use youtube without logging in
- Disable websites the ability to even query your location, hardware devices etc (browser settings)
- Make sure your browser clears cookies (Cookie AutoDelete for example, or wipe all cookies on browser close)
The above list is not extensive, if you google around you’ll find plenty of guides this is the general approach.
I never knew about fonts being tattle tells. thank you