[acumenical]

I find it tiresome that blogposts about privacy always end up devolving into a discussion about how data can be used against individuals. There is a flip side to that coin, which is the individual's free will. Every one of us here chooses our actions, every day. If we don't like what Google knows about us, maybe it is time to ask ourselves hard questions, and to learn to truly accept ourselves as well as improving where we fall short.

This includes phenomena such as polarizing news causing social strife. If we simply took the time to understand how things are connected as well as how things are not, we would not so easily fall victim to propaganda. We can't just use the excuse that since Google knows our search history that we have no control over whether we are polarized. We also can't assume that once we de-Google our lives that we are any more properly prepared against polarizing propaganda. Lessons of mindfulness toward our neighbors' struggles don't come for free.

On top of that, the author of the linked blogpost is fooling himself. Other than halfway proving a point, he hasn't solved much. By continuing to use Google Maps he essentially makes a great deal of his online activity discoverable, undoing much of his work to "de-Google" his life.

Furthermore, Google has settings to blunt ad targeting, which seem quite effective, and you'll end up learning about CNC machines and dental drills in between your YouTube binges. If there was someone I'd accuse of dark patterns with ad targeting, that someone would be Meta.

[theprivacydad]

I'm mainly worried about a permanent record of a profile of a range of my online activities. A realistic first step is to break that up a little.

With the Google Maps mention I was suggesting it's ok not to go hard core privacy, because that really takes a lot of time an energy. I use google Maps maybe 4 times a month on my PC, in a browser dedicated to it with a Google account just for that activity. I use a VPN. On the road, I use Organic Maps on CalyxOS.

[acumenical]

I was very unclear, sorry about that. The bulk of my comment addresses the content of the comment section here, not your article. Comments about how data collection can be used to manipulate behavior are woefully fatalistic. I want to challenge that mindset whenever I come across it.

As for Google Maps, I was under the impression that you used the app; I mostly use my phone for maps so I just assumed, and I may have misread your article.