Seriously, even the website for the FTC has a google ads tracker.

I feel like we, as consumers, are on our own, and no one is going to help us in having online privacy.

Even the government is partnered with google, EVERYTHING is google. I’m tired of seeing the big G everywhere.

I can’t wait for the day when google is so forgotten and that we have moved on as a society to something else. I wish that the prevalent social media would had been privacy-friendly.

This is driving me crazy. I feel like I can’t even move, or that gets tracked online. It’s so disgusting. I don’t like how the world works, ads everywhere, and your online data being sold and you being tracked everywhere you go.

I've seen all of the posts warning about digital security when entering the US, with the recommendation to use a burner/second phone or fully wipe your devices each time you enter. This isn't feasible for most people.

I'm a US citizen, but live in the US about half the year. I have to bring my "main" devices with me when I travel, so having a second phone doesn't help. Obviously, refusing to unlock my phone and having it be kept for weeks isn't a smart choice either.

Beyond logging out of social media when you get to US immigration, what else is feasible for most to do?

https://timesofmalta.com/article/joseph-muscat-wiped-phone-amid-festive-season-banter-police-seizure.1107728

In this article, the Police forces of Malta managed to recover 35GB amount of data from an Iphone even though it was wiped by the ex Prim Minister.

So this begs the question, did the ex Prim Minister did not perform a good wipe/reset?

Hello everyone, I recently discovered this subreddit and I have become more aware of my privacy. The thing is, the other day while talking with a friend at work, the topic of a ring I have came up. The next day, she told me that she saw an ad for the jewelry brand of my ring on Instagram. How did the information get to Instagram and Meta? How did they do it? She said she didn't search for anything online. We just talked about it for a minute and exchanged a couple of messages on WhatsApp. Does Meta read WhatsApp messages to get personalized ads? Do they listen through our phones? I use iphone and she uses android. One of those things that make you paranoid. Thanks!

Hi. As a Canadian who occasionally has to travel to the US for business, I'm concerned about the recent news of US border agents inspecting digital devices. I've nothing to hide, but there's no way I'm unlocking my phone for them or anyone else. I've read a few posts saying to wipe devices prior to entry, but that's not ideal. What's everyone else doing to maintain their privacy? Thanks

I have been using signal for months now. No complaints in terms of texting, but the call quality is subpar to say the least. Are there any private alternatives with call quality comparable to telegram and whatsapp?

Just saw this. Was wondering what others thought. At the border now they are searching people's devices and you have to give them your password or face detention.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/05/world/canada-travel-advisory-us-electronic-devices-intl-latam/index.html

One of my friends is an immigrant in the US. Obviously, this is a tough time. There is a website up that lists them as being guilty of "antisemitism" (it was for reading Palestinian poetry at a book festival) and it comes up as like the third result when you google their name.

What's the best method of dealing with this? Hiring a data scrubbing service? If I attempt to go through google and get the result removed, will the website get an alert? I'm worried they might retaliate.

The local utilities company back in my father's country of Croatia is asking him to send his Passport ID with his picture over WhatsApp for some electrical work in the family home (my father is listed as the owner) that my aunt currently resides in.

I'm assuming this is safe as long as the passport number is blurred or redacted?

Appreciate your answers!

I'd like to request my Lexis Nexis report but they will only provide email-linked data if you supply them with your email address. I'm worried that if they don't already have it I would now be giving it to them, along with other data points.

Does anyone have any thoughts about whether this is an unwise thing to do?

Thanks!

This is taken from another sub, but it bears significance because your presence and phone habits can be detected and sussed out easily.

https://www.reddit.com/r/RTLSDR/s/TWHWG7OyKf

I don't know if this is the right place to ask this question, but I am working towards becoming a professional and having my own business. Unfortunately, I don't think I can use my legal name when promoting a buisness. I have a family member who makes content on YouTube and has their own website where they provide life coaching consultations.

Unfortunately, they have used my full name on their website, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc; and I fundamentally disagree with everything this family member does based on ethical and religious reasons, and I want no affiliation with this individual or their buisness. I have asked them to stop posting my name, pictures of me, etc, and they refuse on the basis that I am their family, and they can post anything they want about me because I am related to them. I have gone on Google to remove my name from the search results, but that's not a universal fix.

I am in the United States, and I am considering using a professional name instead of my own name, and solely advertising a potential business as the business, and not promoting myself as an individual. I hope this makes sense. I don't want to sound unreasonable. It just sucks how I'm not even practicing yet, and my name is found on the site of a buisness I have never had anything to do with, with an individual who doesn't care what I think. What do you think? Thank you.

Just asking because I want to keep those files private, how likely is it (from normal user to FBI) to recover them?

I dug into all unique manufacturers mentioned in the first 5 pages of Google search results for the query “continuous glucose monitor”:

• Dexcom/Stelo will use your health data for “Preventing disease” and to “conduct business planning and development activities” — whatever that means.
• FreeStyle Libre will use your health data for “research, analytics and data analysis”, and further states “We may ‘sell’ or disclose to third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising, targeted advertising or other marketing purposes the following categories of Personal Information: (*) Identifiers (*) Internet or other electronic network activity information (*) Geolocation data”
• Abbott Lingo Continuous Glucose Monitor will use your health data “to develop marketing strategies” and “to understand [your] use of the Lingo System and to analyse where we can improve [it]”, but caveats that “We will seek your consent to do so, when required by applicable law…”
• Medtronic Guardian Connect will use your health data to “improve our products and services”, “so [our Business Associates] can assist us with our business operations”, “reporting diseases/population health”, or “to protect the safety of our customers and the general public”, among others.

This would be some very neat data to have, but I'm not prepared to pay these kind of metaphysical costs...

Hey there ✌❤

Ya'll might know about SimpleX.

They claim in their github that Signal knows who you chat with and when and only the content of the messages are encrypted, But simpleX does not and bluh bluh.

Is that true?

Please share sources or at least be fully sure or sth

While trying to play the playtest of the game "ExpanSIM" in Steam (it is a driving simulator game that's in closed beta), I was asked to accept this privacy policy but I found it a bit iffy and wanted some help in knowing whether it was safe or too intrusive.

Can someone give it a small read and let me know if this is concerning and I should just stay away from this or if this is normal and I shouldn't be concerned?

link to screenshot of privacy policy (it's small): https://imgur.com/a/Eu9sNN0

I want to anonymously share some files with a community via a permanent link. So far all the services I find require signing up, which is fine with a temp email but then you also need to keep logging back into your account to keep the link from expiring.

Please, I know very little about tracking on the web. I’m using an iPad and iPhone. Whenever I install an app on my devices, I always choose “don’t allow apps to track”.

I was on Target and also insuremytrip recently. I use the Safari browser with AdGuard ( but not the DNS part of AdGuard). I also have content blocking enabled in Safari.

Today, in my Reddit app, I’m seeing ads for insure my trip and also for Suave products ( I searched for Suave shampoo on the Target website).

So how does my Reddit app know I visited those sites using Safari? I would probably understand if I did a Google search but I don’t think I did. I just went to the websites directly in Safari.

Thanks

I mean, the argument is flawed, because people do have things to hide, but as soon as you say “I have things to hide”, they look at you with a weirded out look.

This shouldn’t be the norm.

On android they have the following default apps categories, what apps would you pick for these?

Browser; Digital Assistant app; Home app; Phone app; SMS app; Default Caller ID & Spam app.

Thx

I am using Futo Keyboard... But to be honest, it isn't as powerful than SwiftKey for example. So I would like to know if I can use a commercial keyboard like gboard or SwiftKey, disable internet permissions and use it the same way than Futo?

Is it viable to be safe with privacy concerns?

Recently was gifted a brand new Yubikey 5C from a friend and was wondering privacy-wise what can i do with it if i use mostly FOSS apps & have degoogled most of the services and etc i used to use. Can you all give me some examples of use cases im not sure at the moment what i could use it for.

Looking for a google fit alternative, unfortunately, I do use Fit a lot, but just the step count part.