This browser extension shows what the Internet would look like without Big Tech

The Verge ^ | Feb 24, 2021 | Mitchell Clark

[Red Badger]

Thanks.

I have heard that Google plants little pieces of Chrome throughout your computer file system.....................

[Red Badger]

It ought against the law to do such things........................

[z3n]

Always just assume your computer is spying on you.

Your OS itself probably does. Your browser can, and so can other software. Your ISP can too. Smart phones are notorious for it. I once read that (I believe it was Radeon) a very big video/graphics card manufacturer had user info reporting back to them from their drivers and application. If you have an Alexa/Siri/Cortana/etc type of voice activated device, just forget about it.

[Red Badger]

I have no cell phone or any of those devices....................

[Zathras]

Yep!
It is almost impossible to do anything on a computer now without involving Google or Microsoft.
They know who you are and where you are.
All they need is a reason to contact the FBI.

[Openurmind]

Absolutely... Best tool out there for blocking 3rd party scripts. I do not mind one bit that I have to occasionally selectively unblock one or two scripts like JS or a video player yet be able to still block the other 30 or so that are completely unneeded to make the site function as it should. It even blocks the new 3 or 4 that JS also tries to load after you turn it on.

[Openurmind]

“Try running NoScript in strict mode, and you’ll soon find that most websites just don’t work.”

This is not quite true. While it has a mild learning curve, just one or two of the individual 20 scripts like the JS can be temporarily allowed to make the site function while it still blocks all the rest that are unneeded. NoScript is the very best tool available but you can’t be too lazy to use it as it was designed to be used. All it takes is a little brain effort.

[rarestia]

Been using NoScript for years. I understand the intricacies and complexities of it, for sure. I’ve even grown to dismiss the clumsy, often unusable, display of many websites. However, newer solutions such as uBlock Origin are fast becoming the standard where NoScript falls behind since the NS folks are deign to create an extension for Chromium-based browsers while uBlock is running laps around NS in the development department.

[Svartalfiar]

It's not that hard. It just takes determination and a strong will..

No, it takes way more than that. The point the article makes - almost every website you visit is in some way involved with Google or Amazon or Facebook or etc etc. And there's almost nothing you can do to prevent that besides simply not visiting that website.

[SmokingJoe]

No, it takes way more than that. The point the article makes - almost every website you visit is in some way involved with Google or Amazon or Facebook or etc etc.

Go and join Gab. Not to mention Freerepublic.
There are hundreds of thousands of very good sites out there with very little to no connection with Amazon, Facebook etc.
Personally, I've never joined Facebook in my life. Nor Twitter etc.

[Svartalfiar]

Go and join Gab. Not to mention Freerepublic. There are hundreds of thousands of very good sites out there with very little to no connection with Amazon, Facebook etc.

If you have Pale Moon (or FireFox), F12 should bring up your html inspector. This reply page shows a script from Google Analytics running - urchin.js, and I'm sure Jim has other analytics running as well.
I don't see anything on Gab, but their site is probably one of the most anti-BigTech companies out there, so that's not surprising. But that's an active stance/effort to do that, which most every other company won't bother with, if they even bother to think of it in the first place.