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If Google actually honors this setting.
They do. When enabled, they don't use it to serve you ads based on those things.
They still collect and sell it. They just don't show you ads based on it.
Google says it doesn't sell your personal info to third parties. While you would be well within your reason to suspect this isn't true, it is actually legally relevant because it means, as a consequence, Google doesn't provide a "do not sell my personal information" opt-out link which would otherwise be required by California law (where Google is headquartered).
I think the Do Not Sell My Information applies to users that are living in California. So Google could just show it to them, and not to all the other users
It's a good theory but it isn't true. Google doesn't show it to anyone.
No, selling your personal info would be detrimental to their business model. It would feed their competitor's databases. They sell aggregate data, though.
Yea, but then you get an absolute fuck tonne of gambling or ai girlfriend ads because they will not limit their advertising scope.
You can use uBlock Origin (browser extension) to block all advertisements. Then in the event you visit a site you want to support, turn it off.
Doesn't stop chromecasted videos.
Setup a Pi Hole for network level ad blocking.
Chromecast streaming sticks have locked in DNS settings, so a Pi-hole does not help there.
Newer chromecasts with android TV don't
That's unfortunate. Can't say I'm surprised. Google is garbage.
That broke years ago. Even with adguard home and black holeing Google's name servers they still get in.
SmartTube
There's ads on the Internet?
It's annoying but I take it as a sign that it's working and marketing money is being wasted on me
Yeah, I've gotten some not so subtle anime tentacle porn game ads.
What? I use locally hosted searxng, ublock origin, librewolf, noscript, chameleon, libredirect, a massive no AI block list, and a self hosted pihole with unbound DNS resolution. I use yt-dlp with sponsor-block via a self hosted invidious instance and "subscribe" via RSS feed when I need to watch something from youtube.
On mobile I use grapheneos, fdroid, and tubular.
Wtf is a google and wtf is an advertisement?
You know what both of those things are.
It's called a "hyperbolic statement", to appear incredulous to illustrate a point
I had a TRS-80 once. You hit the power button and it started. I used programs stored on audiotape. Simpler days.
😂
YSK that Google and other big tech companies don't give a shit about consumer rights or privacy laws and will still sell your targeted advertising data
YSK you can not use Google and instead use a service with no personalised advertising, such as startpage or duckduckgo
This prevents them from using things like your browsing history, search history, or personal data to serve you customised advertisements.
You also should install an adblocker, on everything that has it.
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It also, consequently, makes the advertisements which they show to you *far* less valuable. So this feature is not widely advertised.
I do wonder how much more effective surveillance capitalism-style ads are compared to ads like what DuckDuckGo has that are based on what you’re searching for right now, or ads based on the content being viewed. I’d personally be more likely to click on an ad based on my current search or content I’m viewing where it’s directly obvious how they know my interest, as opposed to seeing a creepy ad on a random website where they magically know I recently considered buying new shoes.
Anyine else remember when google were legally forced to start asking you for your location?
This is that. Don't use google. Stop supporting corporations that openly tell you they're supporting not just the unfetterd harvesting of data but also use said data to support countries currently committing Genocide.
Don't have an account there. Block ads. Simple as that.
No, you don't need gmail. Every other E-mail service has also a web-interface that sucks.
Unfortunately the insidious fuckers got into "education" for obvious reasons and now i cant be a parent without a gmail account.
What, why not? Did Google make it incompatible with not-gmail?
Or...I could just continue not using google.
It doesn’t stop them collecting and selling data, just using it to harasses you directly.
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Wait, you guys are getting ads?
The joke is on them as I am the sort of person who does not see the ads. I mean I see them of course, but they extremely rarely make me interested. Like it is very rare that I see an ad and click on it. This the case on all platforms and I am not blocking my data. I wonder what % of people are like me as I cannot be the only one? I am not even saying that there could not be more ads I would be interested in, but clearly the tech no matter how advanced they say it is, is not very sophisticated as of yet.
I used to be the same, but I eventually got sick of seeing these constant requests to spend my money on whoever's product. If I see a problem that can be solved with a product, I know tlwhere to find stores, and I'll go look for it. I don't need 45,000 attempts at my money in case one is what I need. So I block all ads, pointedly avoid sponsored results, and use my own brain to decide what I want, when I want it.
Plus it improves my experience on all services when the UI isn't wasted on banners and games don't play a video every thirty seconds. I haven't yet figured out how to block real-world ads. Maybe XR glasses with a brand censoring mod lol
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I've turned off all the history tracking on my google account for years. I'm sure somewhere in their data lake, the data exists. They just don't make it available to see on the web. I think this probably because when presented with a subpoena, they seems to have the data. Shocking, I know.
Oh yeah. One of my probably unprovable theories is that the data they collected on me will always be floating around, I can just do my best to stop new data being harvested and, potentially, old data might be unsellable. Like when Daniel Radcliffe didn't update his outfit for several months and paparazzi couldn't sell the photos they took of him to magazines because they all looked outdated and therefore inaccurate
YSK: If you turn off this feature, you cant use the “never show this ad again” feature on YouTube.
I have mixed feelings about this because if Chik Fil A wants to waste its money repeatedly showing its ads to a gay vegetarian — by all means, let me help you empty your pockets. But if you’re Kristy Noem showing me a “we’re going to deport you” ad — i want to throw my remote at my TV.
I prefer the “never see any ads again” feature in uBlock Origin.
Regrettably, that doesn’t work on my TV.
PiHole. AdGuardHome. There are options.
DNS based ad blocking does not block YouTube advertisements.
Advertisers pay by the click. Click the Chick-Fil-A advert and waste more of their money.
That’s how you start.
Welcome to the resistance.
I just don't use Google.
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this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2026
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