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  • Re: How Google Tracks Everything You Do and How to Stop It

    From Alan K.@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 16:13:08
    On 5/20/26 2:34 PM, Anne Frank wrote:
    Can we appreciate how even though this is a proton video, they
    show SEVERAL vpns and email services that are not proton?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ8clVdaRKA
    Interesting. Feeds the paranoid individuals. Maybe even others.

    But seeing as how huge Google is, and all the little fingers it has in the pie, it's hard
    to think you could get around without it. Maybe you could slow it down, but?????

    --
    Mint 22.3, Thunderbird 140.10.2esr, Firefox 150.0.3
    Alan K.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From JJ@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, May 21, 2026 07:50:12
    On Wed, 20 May 2026 14:41:36 -0600, Maria Sophia wrote:
    Alan K. wrote:
    it's hard to think you could get around without it.

    An Android phone works just fine without a Google account on it.

    Yes, but many apps relies too much on Google services. They basically help Google on tracking users. Either not knowing it, or don't care about it.

    Same goes to websites which use Google services, or use Google hosted
    scripts and resources.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Yamn2 Remailer@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, May 21, 2026 02:25:48
    On 20 May 2026, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> posted some news:10ul6a2$1h67$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com:

    Alan K. wrote:
    it's hard to think you could get around without it.

    An Android phone works just fine without a Google account on it.
    Just as a Microsoft Windows device works fine without the MSA.
    It's only Apple iOS which requires a mothership account to work.

    And yes, I've set up an iPad w/o the mothership account, but
    you can't install software on the device without it.

    Put Linux on it. Does it have a SIM slot? I have a industrial Android
    tablet with a SIM slot that can make and receive calls. Awkward but it
    works. The only problem is you can't upgrade the OS.

    Note that every other platform, including Android, can install
    apps (yes, even from Google Play) without the mothership account.

    Just Apple products can't do it.
    Ever wonder why?

    Ha! Apple was going nuts in the BBS days. Apple software was all over
    the BBS communities - the problem was most of it was infected with some
    kind of malware. Rumor had it Apple was intentionally uploading crippled software to discourage downloads and installs. People did it anyway.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From anonymous@3:633/10 to All on Friday, May 22, 2026 08:17:40
    Maria Sophia wrote:
    JJ wrote:
    On Wed, 20 May 2026 14:41:36 -0600, Maria Sophia wrote:
    Alan K. wrote:
    it's hard to think you could get around without it.

    An Android phone works just fine without a Google account on it.

    Yes, but many apps relies too much on Google services. They
    basically help
    Google on tracking users. Either not knowing it, or don't care
    about it.

    Same goes to websites which use Google services, or use Google
    hosted
    scripts and resources.

    The problem with iOS is that privacy is impossible.
    But it's possible on Android, if you know what you're doing.

    Since I control the Android from the PC, I also control the packages
    which
    are installed or removed from the phone, using the PC keyboard to do
    it.

    However... I removed one too many packages last week.

    Given it seems many people may be afraid of debloating, for fear of
    removing something important or useful and they won't be able to
    recover,
    here's just one example of me debloating one SYSTEM package too far.

    I removed about 400 Android SYSTEM packages (see list below).

    One of them was com.samsung.android.app.clockpack
    adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.samsung.android.app.clockpack

    What happened was when my screen blanked and I re-opened it, I used
    to get
    a big fat clock, but now I get nothing but the homescreen (I have no
    PIN).

    Yet, to bring it back, all I had to do was put it back, since system
    packages usually can't be fully removed in an unrootable USA
    Samsung.
    adb shell pm install-existing com.samsung.android.app.clockpack

    Voila!
    The clock is back.

    It's that easy.

    Below is a list of over 400 SYSTEM packages that I removed in
    debloating.
    (Having to put back just one of them isn't too bad of a penalty to
    pay.)

    adb shell pm list packages -s -u

    Is this the shell you're using? Looks interesting. I'll have to try
    that on BlueStacks before I chance ruining my phone lol!

    <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.standardadb&hl=en_US>


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)