KuruPrionz Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 Last night I got tossed off of both my gmail accounts and had to log back in. Then Google messaged me trying to coax me into providing more information for "security" purposes. At this point I am ignoring them and considering options. I've already switched to Duck Duck Go for a search engine and I know one cannot be on the internet completely Google free. Does anyone have recommendations for an email service that is not so snoopy? Much appreciated, please and thank you! 1 Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spokenward Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 Protonmail offers a free email option and paid service upgrades. https://proton.me/mail You have an easily memorable email identity and Protonmail is secured end-to-end. They are located in Switzerland. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted January 14, 2023 Author Share Posted January 14, 2023 2 hours ago, The Real MC said: Yeah Google Mail often pesters me for my mobile phone number. No way am I giving that to an email service, much less Google. The minute I start seeing Google targeted ads based on keywords in my emails, I am dumping Gmail. That is a dangerous line to cross. I have a Android phone but almost all the Google stuff is turned off and only rarely (and briefly) turned on. If I replace Gmail with something else it will just be that much harder for their slimy intrusions... Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 3 hours ago, The Real MC said: Yeah Google Mail often pesters me for my mobile phone number. No way am I giving that to an email service, much less Google. The minute I start seeing Google targeted ads based on keywords in my emails, I am dumping Gmail. That is a dangerous line to cross. huh? Customer profiling and data mining was the whole reason Gmail even exists…wasn’t that clear from day one? 1 Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 27 minutes ago, analogika said: huh? Customer profiling and data mining was the whole reason Gmail even exists…wasn’t that clear from day one? Exactly. It often seems as though the only way to really secure your data is for the lithium battery to kaboom and destroy the device itself. One computer to nag me in my home is plenty, thank you. Quote I wanna be the papal nuncio of Las Vegas. I won't burn long, but I'll burn hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 17 hours ago, analogika said: huh? Customer profiling and data mining was the whole reason Gmail even exists…wasn’t that clear from day one? Yes. That's why it's free. As the old saying goes, "there's no such thing as a free lunch." 1 Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 I posted a few months ago asking about hosts and email. Finally decided that I don't send or receive anything really private. So they know I am a gear and VST addict. I'm very good and quickly deleting emails. Google add sponsored emails are not the ones that worry me. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesB3 Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 I disabled as many Google "helpful" apps and preferences as I could but I couldn't figure out how to setup an android phone without a gmail address. I have other emails and browsers and search engines that I use. Quote Yamaha CP73; 145 gig Leslie; Nord Electro 61; Oberheim OB3^2; Wurlitzer 200A; Ampeg Gemini I amp; Speakeasy Leslie preamp; QSC K-10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmonizer Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 Some of the info Google requests if you use gmail is for potential use for account recovery options. A backup email address can be used to recover access if you forget your password, or to send notifications if you log in from a new browser device that you have not used before. So it's not necessarily evil that they request certain pieces of additional information. I have similar aversion to giving Google too much info, so I try to use waves instead of google maps in my car, always use duckduckgo for searches, and I use Firefox instead of Chrome for my web browsing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spokenward Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 3 minutes ago, harmonizer said: I have similar aversion to giving Google too much info, so I try to use waves instead of google maps in my car, always use duckduckgo for searches, and I use Firefox instead of Chrome for my web browsing. If you're thinking about Waze, https://www.waze.com/. They are owned by Google. They were acquired in 2013. The Goog announced further integration of the two services at the end of last year. https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-merge-mapping-service-waze-with-maps-products-teams-2022-12-08/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmonizer Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 Well that's depressing. Scratch one from my "personal victories" column. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 I use StartPage as a search engine. They are European based, do not collect information, and display Google results (which they pay for). There are ads on top, but not targeted. They bill themselves as "The world's most private search engine". I also use DuckDuckGo but I like the StartPage results better. https://www.startpage.com They have StartMail service, but I haven't investigated it. Since I have my own domain (nortonmusic.com) I get my mail right off my web-host's server. They also do spam filtering for me. So I don't need another service. 20 hours ago, Anderton said: Yes. That's why it's free. As the old saying goes, "there's no such thing as a free lunch." And in terms of the Internet... If it's free, you aren't the customer, you are the product. That goes for a lot more than the Internet, too. Insights and incites by Notes ♫ Quote Bob "Notes" Norton Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 Thanks everybody! All the information so far has been valuable, I have options. Since I've been on gmail for quite a few years I think it's wise to take a look at other possibilities before jumping ship. Great thread so far, please keep it coming!!!! Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 Last night I searched on Earthquaker Devices' Life pedal, because an effect in the latest Helix update was based on it. This morning, on Reverb.com, this was their front page: It sure looks to me like Reverb.com is privy to anything I look for on Google. Craig Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spokenward Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 3 hours ago, Anderton said: ... It sure looks to me like Reverb.com is privy to anything I look for on Google. Our arrivals are announced by invisible butlers. It's not just Google. If you visited the Earthquaker website (which is built using the tools of the provider Squarespace) they have integrated facebook ad tools and googleadservices. e.g.,https://ads.google.com/home/how-it-works/https://www.facebook.com/business/ads Reverb is using both of those tools in the code of their landing page. It's not malicious, it is intended to be assistive. It uses context that is delivered by our search tools The page that we are on right now uses a particular kind of markup that adds context to things that we might search for. <script type='application/ld+json'> It is all around us and it is part of the way that we have structured information delivered on the web. I think that I am bowing out of this at this time. I am not an expert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 In the end, there is an aspect to this that I find infinitely absurd. I am a tiny speck of sand on a vast beach, at some point Google's master catalog of data detailing every possible thing about everybody will simply burst into flames or start blending things together at random. They are certainly not the only data gatherers. I guess it's good for the hard drive market, it's gotta take a buttload of drives to track all this stuff. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 I often get served with ads for things I already own, so at least they don't know what I've bought. Or maybe they do. Who knows? Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmitch57 Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 16 hours ago, spokenward said: It's not malicious, it is intended to be assistive. Yeah, not malicious. Just creepy. And I can't remember a single time when it actually helped me in any way. It helps advertisers put ads in front of users' eyeballs, that's all. One can turn this whole "targeted ad" google feature off, but google sure makes it hard to do so. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmitch57 Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 5 minutes ago, dmitch57 said: One can turn this whole "targeted ad" google feature off In case anyone is interested, this is where you can disable it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted January 17, 2023 Author Share Posted January 17, 2023 2 hours ago, dmitch57 said: In case anyone is interested, this is where you can disable it. Thanks dmitch57! That is great information, truly!!! 1 Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 Years ago, I bought active musician's ear plugs from Etymotic. They were transparent between songs, and when the volume exceeded a certain level the attenuated the sound. The result was I could hear people speak between songs, and as long as the stage volume didn't exceed 100dba the sound hitting my ears didn't exceed 85dba. They ate up hearing aid batteries, and buying them at the drug store didn't break the bank or anything, but I was looking for a thrifty to purchase them on-line. So I googled and googled. All of a sudden, I was getting ads for all kinds of geriatric products, like hearing aids, adult diapers, canes, and so on. I decided to try to change the ads and did searching for guitars, saxophones, and sheet music, but that didn't work. I guess the music market doesn't have as much money to buy a database from Google as the geriatric suppliers do. I thought about bikinis for my wife, but never got around to that. "At least the ads would be pleasant." That's when I went to the precursor to StartPage.com - they bill themselves as "The World's Most Private Search Engine." https://www.startpage.com/en/privacy-policy And they give the same results as Google, because they pay Google for the results. They do have a couple of ads related to search terms up top, but they are clearly labeled Ad: Somebody has to pay the piper. I don't have a Google account, I don't have a Microsoft account, I don't have an Apple account, or anything else that isn't absolutely necessary. I know I can't be private, but this at least minimizes what people collect so that being a small fish in the pond, I'm likely to be ignored. Insights and incites by Notes ♫ Quote Bob "Notes" Norton Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 15 hours ago, KuruPrionz said: Thanks dmitch57! That is great information, truly!!! do not imagine for a second that the setting affects what data they collect. they merely don’t use it to customise your ads for you. 1 Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted January 18, 2023 Author Share Posted January 18, 2023 Just now, analogika said: do not imagine for a second that the setting affects what data they collect. they merely don’t use it to customise your ads for you. Which is a reduction of annoyance at least. In a way, I think it's sort of funny. They seem to want to know EVERYTHING about EVERYBODY. Maybe I should mail them a box full of used toilet paper so they can evaluate my digestive tract. That will make them smarter... Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 17 minutes ago, KuruPrionz said: Which is a reduction of annoyance at least. In a way, I think it's sort of funny. They seem to want to know EVERYTHING about EVERYBODY. Maybe I should mail them a box full of used toilet paper so they can evaluate my digestive tract. That will make them smarter... you know all those super-cheap hereditary DNA analysis sites that prey on Americans‘ desperate need for history („oh, I‘m Irish!“)? People actually volunteer that in a country where there is virtually no limitation to whom the info can be sold to? It’s mind-boggling. Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 5 hours ago, analogika said: you know all those super-cheap hereditary DNA analysis sites that prey on Americans‘ desperate need for history („oh, I‘m Irish!“)? People actually volunteer that in a country where there is virtually no limitation to whom the info can be sold to? It’s mind-boggling. Years ago I read in the newspaper that a guy had his DNA analyzed, and because of that, he was identified as a rapist nd jailed. George Owell was correct, except that instead of the gov't pulling the details out of us, we are volunteering. He just figured the date wrong, 2000 instead of 1984. We have newspeak, and here in Fl our Governor is banning history books to change history in student's minds. The TVs (and phones) are on all the time, and we have facial recognition (a good reason to wear a mask, even if you aren't afraid of COVID). We have Siri or Alexa in our homes listening to everything we say, too. I knew a person who heard noises on her phone and was sure it was being bugged. I told her there was no need to bug her phone because Siri hears everything that goes on in her house. I got about 15 seconds of silence. Big brother (big corporate, who is the real government) is watching you. Insights and incites by Notes ♫ Quote Bob "Notes" Norton Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmitch57 Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 6 hours ago, analogika said: do not imagine for a second that the setting affects what data they collect. I also turn off the "Web and App Activity logging" switch. Just in case. 🙂 I'm pretty sure that by California and EU law, if you ask them to provide you with the data they collect about you, they have to give it to you. https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa Several times after I asked Google stop tracking my activity, I asked for a copy of the data they had on me. Each time, they said they didn't have any activity log data. FWIW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted January 18, 2023 Author Share Posted January 18, 2023 7 hours ago, analogika said: you know all those super-cheap hereditary DNA analysis sites that prey on Americans‘ desperate need for history („oh, I‘m Irish!“)? People actually volunteer that in a country where there is virtually no limitation to whom the info can be sold to? It’s mind-boggling. So nice to be have my comment be taken seriously. Serious poster is serious about seriousness. 🤔 Lighten up, go for a walk, smile at pretty girls. Or something... 😇 Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill5 Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/14/2023 at 2:53 PM, spokenward said: Protonmail offers a free email option and paid service upgrades. https://proton.me/mail You have an easily memorable email identity and Protonmail is secured end-to-end. They are located in Switzerland. Beat me to it. F snoopy Google. I never use their email or search engine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 I'm not a fan of Proton, the company. If I were to look for such a service, I'd look elsewhere. JMO. 1 Quote "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 As of this morning, I'm going to give DuckDuckGo a spin and see what happens. More research will be done. If it seems good I'll probably transition away from all things Google. 1 Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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