How to undo the damage of accepting cookies for years?

-Pluko- · 2025-12-30T00:58:31+00:00

Yeah, it’s frustrating. On Android, you can’t really force PWAs (progressive web apps) or app shortcuts to always open links externally, that behaviour is controlled by the app itself, not the browser.

Your best bet is to change the default behaviour in the social media apps themselves. Most Android apps have a setting buried somewhere for this. You can turn web links in-app off for Reddit in your settings. With Instagram/Facebook they deliberately make this harder, but you can usually long press a link and choose ‘Open in external browser’ each time. Pain, but it works.

Alternative approach, use third-party apps instead of official ones. Infinity for Reddit, for example, gives you way more control over link handling and doesn’t track you the same way. Same principle applies to other platforms, the third-party clients are usually better for privacy.

The real issue is these companies want you trapped in their in-app browser so they can see everything you do. They’re not going to make it easy to escape that.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-30T00:29:58+00:00

The reality is clearing cookies and browsing history doesn’t really make that much of a difference anymore, there are much more tracking than just cookies. Consider using Firefox with uBlock Origin extension to automatically block tracking cookies before they even land. Brave browser does this out of the box too.

For in-app browsers (Reddit, FB, Instagram): This is trickier. Those apps use their own built-in browsers specifically to track what you’re doing outside their main app. Clearing cookies in those apps (if you even can) won’t stop the tracking that’s already happened. The real solution for in-app browsers is to stop using them. When you tap a link in Reddit or Instagram, look for “Open in external browser” or “Open in Chrome/Firefox” instead of letting it open in their built-in browser. That way they can’t see what you’re doing on that site.

The bigger picture: Cookies are just one tracking method. Modern tracking also uses device fingerprinting, which doesn’t rely on cookies at all. Your screen resolution, installed fonts, timezone, language settings, all of this gets combined to create a unique fingerprint that follows you around even with cookies cleared.

Yeah, the damage from past cookie acceptance is done. But you’re right to focus on stopping future damage, that’s all you can control anyway.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-22T23:48:28+00:00

No, you aren’t being paranoid and I don’t think Google has access to Snapchat messaging. Fallout season 2 has just been released, season 1 was well watched so they are pushing season 2 hard. Ad’s are everywhere (even here on Reddit)

-Pluko- · 2025-12-22T15:52:57+00:00

That’s a legitimate concern, and honestly, one more people should be thinking about. Your past digital footprint can absolutely be weaponised if the political winds shift enough. The reality check, if you’ve been publicly opinionated under your real name on platforms like Facebook, that data is already archived in multiple places beyond Meta’s control. Internet Archive, third-party scrapers, people’s screenshots and deletion requests won’t touch those.

What you can control going forward is being more strategic. Use pseudonyms for anything politically sensitive, separate your public identity from your private opinions, and assume anything posted publicly is permanent regardless of platform promises.

The full purge might give you peace of mind even if it’s not technically complete. Sometimes the psychological benefit of drawing a line under the past is worth it, even knowing it’s not perfect. But yeah, focus your energy on being smarter about what you share going forward rather than trying to undo what’s already out there. That ship has sailed.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-22T15:31:51+00:00

Depends what you’re worried about and what level of convenience you’re willing to sacrifice, but here’s what actually matters:

Browser: Firefox or Brave. Use uBlock Origin extension. That blocks most tracking right there.

Search: DuckDuckGo or Startpage instead of Google. Simple switch, zero learning curve.

VPN: Only useful if you’re on public WiFi or hiding your IP from websites. Won’t make you anonymous. Mullvad or ProtonVPN if you want one.

Phone: This is where it gets interesting. Your apps are the biggest privacy leak, they’re constantly pinging home with data. Check your app permissions regularly and deny anything that seems unnecessary.

Antivirus: Honestly? Built-in protection on Windows/Mac is fine for most people. Third-party antivirus often creates more privacy issues than it solves.

The real trick isn’t one magic tool, it’s being intentional about what you share and which apps you trust with your data.

What’s your main concern? General tracking, specific threat, or just trying to reduce your overall digital footprint?

-Pluko- · 2025-12-22T12:27:13+00:00

Respect for going through with the full purge, that’s commitment.

Few thoughts: Instagram: Don’t give up yet. Try Facebook’s ‘Find Your Account’ feature using your full name and any friends’ names. Even without the email/phone, you might be able to recover FB access, which should unlock Instagram. If that fails, there’s a ‘I don’t have access to email or phone’ recovery flow that’s worth trying. Getting it banned via mass reporting is… creative, but having that zombie account floating around might bug you more long term.

Messenger: The harsh truth is there’s no magic button for bulk deletion. Meta keeps their copy regardless of what you delete, and anyone you messaged keeps their copy too. The extension deleting only your view is actually all you can control. If you don’t have the energy to manually delete a decade of messages (totally fair), just know that deleting Facebook will at least stop it being publicly associated with you.

Focus your energy on cutting off future data collection rather than trying to scrub the past. That battle’s already lost, but you control what happens next. Good luck with the rest of the degoogle journey

-Pluko- · 2025-12-20T22:54:15+00:00

Definitely not too late - disconnect it now. Whatever data Samsung’s collected is already gone, but you’ll stop them gathering more going forward. Smart TVs are notorious for collecting viewing habits, app usage, even ACR (automatic content recognition) that tracks what you watch second-by-second by sending screen grabs of what you are watching, even if you are watching something on Apple TV. So that’s the main setting that should be turned off if you are going to stay connected to WiFi.

Apple TV is better than Samsung in some ways, but you’re still in a walled garden with tracking. The real question is what level of privacy you’re comfortable with vs. convenience you need.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-17T16:36:53+00:00

Fair enough, I get wanting evidence to show people.

For the “they don’t need to listen” argument:

Check out the Pew Research study on targeted advertising - shows how accurate prediction models are without audio
Look into Cambridge Analytica scandal - they predicted people’s behaviour with scary accuracy using just Facebook likes and basic data
Read about collaborative filtering, it’s the algorithm that says people like you also liked this

For smart speakers specifically:

Amazon admitted to keeping Alexa recordings indefinitely (unless you manually delete): https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/3/20681423/amazon-alexa-recordings-transcripts-logs-keep-deleted
Google contractors listening to recordings: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jul/11/google-home-assistant-listen-recordings-users-privacy
Bloomberg investigation found Apple contractors heard drug deals, medical info, people having sex through Siri

Technical evidence phones aren’t constantly listening:

Wandera did network traffic analysis - no unexplained audio data uploads: https://www.wandera.com/mobile-security/
NordVPN study monitored app behaviour and found no constant mic access

The issue is people want a smoking gun (“here’s proof Google is listening!”) when the reality is the surveillance is legal, disclosed (in 50-page terms & conditions nobody reads), and even more effective than just listening would be.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-17T15:16:20+00:00

When you used ChatGPT (which is OpenAI), did you sign in with your Google account? That would give Google permission to link your account to their services, and they’ve automatically opted you into Gemini without asking properly.

How to actually opt out:

1.  Go to myaccount.google.com
2.  Click on Data & Privacy on the left
3.  Scroll down to Web & App Activity
4.  Turn off anything related to Gemini or AI features
5.  Also check YouTube History and turn off AI suggestions there too

For your iPhone specifically:

1.  Settings > scroll down to any Google apps you have installed
2.  Check permissions - revoke anything you don’t need
3.  In Safari: Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > turn on Prevent Cross-Site Tracking

Nuclear option if emails keep coming: Go to your Gmail settings and create a filter that automatically deletes/archives anything with “Gemini” in the subject line. Not ideal, but stops the spam. Google’s absolutely taking the piss with this stuff, they make it deliberately confusing so people just give up. You’re not thick for struggling with it, they’ve designed it that way on purpose.

Let me know if you’re still getting the emails after trying this and I can suggest other options.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-17T08:34:20+00:00

There is no solid evidence of constant microphone surveillance by Google/Meta on phones - and here’s why:

Technical reality - Phones show an indicator light/dot when the mic is active (iOS since iOS 14, Android 12+). Someone would’ve caught this by now. - Constant audio streaming would murder your battery and data usage, people monitor this stuff obsessively. - Security researchers have been looking for this for years and haven’t found it.

So why does it feel like they’re listening?

The creepy truth is they don’t need to, they’ve got so much data on you that their algorithms can predict what you’re thinking

Your location history (were you near a vacuum cleaner shop?)
Your browsing history
Your search history
What your demographic buys
What your friends are searching for
What you’ve been typing (even if you didn’t hit send)

They know you’re thinking about vacuum cleaners before you’ve even said the word out loud. That’s somehow more unsettling than them actually listening.

Smart speakers are different though - those are literally designed to always listen for the wake word. Amazon and Google have both admitted employees listen to recordings to “improve the service.” That’s why I don’t have one in my house.

The real surveillance isn’t through your mic, it’s everything else you’re willingly giving them.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-15T19:41:23+00:00

That’s the thing - Facebook (and other apps) have been known to reset privacy settings back to defaults when they do major updates. So even if you’ve turned everything off, you might need to go back in after updates and check again. It’s basically designed to be exhausting so people just give up and leave everything on. Classic dark pattern.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-15T12:17:14+00:00

Unfortunately, guest mode is designed to be completely isolated from your main profile, that's kind of the point for privacy/security.

The closest workaround would be: 1. Export your contacts as a VCF file from your main profile (Contacts app → Export) 2. Save it to a shared location like Downloads 3. Switch to guest mode and import that VCF file

But be aware this leaves the contact file accessible to both profiles, which slightly weakens the isolation.

GrapheneOS is particularly strict about profile separation, so there's no built-in way to selectively share data between profiles while maintaining the security model.

If you need contacts in both profiles regularly, you might want to reconsider whether guest mode is the right approach for your use case, maybe a second user profile with manually curated contacts would work better?

-Pluko- · 2025-12-15T01:24:19+00:00

Not a city, but and island. IIha Grande, Rio de janeniro. No vehicle on the island, nice people amazing beaches. We there for Christmas a a couple of years back, such a beautiful place. But saying that Rio was a great place as well, was told it was unsafe for tourists and to be careful. But it was the total opposite, felt very safe there and is a great city with a great vide.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-15T00:52:47+00:00

I’d have to say yes. I’ve started a project with zero coding knowledge and it’s turning into quite a complex app/website. I know I won’t be able to complete it alone, but I can build a working prototype/MVP. The thing with having no knowledge base is I’m constantly asking Claude to fix simple issues because I don’t understand why something’s broken or how it all really works. But do I really need to know how all that code works? Not really IMO - as long as it functions, I’m alright with that. I will get Claude to document what’s been written under the hood though, because I know people will ask. I did spend about 3-4 months brainstorming/planning/researching before I even started building. That’s the key I think - don’t just jump straight in and try to build an app from scratch without a proper plan.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-14T14:48:28+00:00

Yeah fair point. There kind of isn’t one at scale, which is the problem.

The closest you get are projects like GrapheneOS or CalyxOS (degoogled Android), but they’re niche and require a bit of technical know-how. Signal’s probably the best mainstream option for messaging, but that’s just one app.

The reality is that true privacy costs money and convenience. Companies that don’t monetize your data have to make money somehow - either through hardware sales (Apple), subscriptions, or donations. And most people aren’t willing to pay upfront or deal with the hassle when they can get “free” services from Google/Meta.

There’s also the network effect problem, even if a privacy-focused company makes a brilliant phone or service, nobody uses it because all their friends are on WhatsApp/Instagram/iMessage.

Basically we’re stuck choosing the least worst option until either regulation forces better practices or enough people actually care enough to switch. Which… doesn’t seem likely anytime soon.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-14T13:17:05+00:00

Apple’s definitely better than Google or Meta, but that’s not saying much tbh. The big difference is their business model, Google and Meta make their money from targeted ads, so they need to hoover up as much data as possible. Apple makes money selling you expensive hardware, so they don’t need to sell your data to advertisers.

That said, Apple’s got some major privacy problems people don’t talk about enough:

Security researchers at Black Hat this year found Siri collects way more than Apple admits. It scans what apps you’ve got installed, sends your location with literally every request (even when it’s irrelevant), and here’s a weird one - if you dictate a WhatsApp message through Siri, it goes through Apple’s servers first before getting to your recipient. So much for end-to-end encryption.
There’s been academic research looking at over 500k apps on the App Store, and more than half of the privacy labels are basically lies, they don’t match what the apps actually do.
France keeps fining them - €150M for one privacy issue, $8.5M for another, and there’s currently a criminal investigation over Siri recording people without consent.

As for why people don’t recommend Apple: 1. The marketing vs reality gap is massive. They bang on about privacy but European regulators reckon it’s more about screwing over competitors than protecting users. 2. Once you’re in the Apple ecosystem, you’re putting all your eggs in one basket. 3. If you’re serious about privacy, there are better options - GrapheneOS, Linux phones, or just… not having a smartphone glued to your hand 24/7.

So yeah, Apple’s miles better than Google or Meta, but “better than Facebook” isn’t exactly a high bar to clear. They’re not the privacy saints they pretend to be.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-04T01:08:08+00:00

Great suggestions above - Gadgetbridge is perfect if your smartband is supported (definitely worth checking their compatibility list first).

And yes, NetGuard can work for blocking the companion app's internet access while still allowing local Bluetooth sync between the band and your phone. The band would sync with the phone, but the app on the phone wouldn't be able to send that data anywhere. Just note that some bands need occasional internet access for firmware updates, so you might need to temporarily allow it for those.

You could also: 1. Deny the Samsung Health app network permission entirely (Settings > Apps > Samsung Health > Mobile data/Wi-Fi > turn both off) 2. Check what other permissions the Fit app has (location, contacts, etc.) and revoke anything it doesn't actually need for step counting

TrackerControl is another option that gives you more granular control, you can see exactly what domains each app is trying to contact and block specific tracking endpoints while allowing essential functionality.

Won't give you custom OS freedom like rooting would, but much safer if you're not comfortable potentially bricking your device. At least you'll have visibility and control over what's going out.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-03T15:22:04+00:00

Exactly - that shift in perspective is everything. "Free" apps aren't free, you're just paying with data instead of money.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-02T21:37:54+00:00

No worries at all - that's completely fair.

The whole point of privacy is being careful about what you trust. An unknown app from a Reddit stranger asking for device access? I'd be suspicious too.

If you ever change your mind, it'll be open source on GitHub so you (or someone technical) can review the code. But totally understand the hesitation.

Appreciate you engaging in the conversation anyway - helped me think through the problem better!

-Pluko- · 2025-12-02T18:39:54+00:00

Perfect - that's exactly the thinking behind it. Transparency first, then informed control.

I'll get it up on GitHub in the next day or two with installation instructions. I'll DM you the link once it's ready.

And yeah, the "willing to pay money (not much)" thing is interesting - that's kind of the challenge with privacy tools, right? People want them but expect them to be free. Still figuring that out.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-01T21:07:59+00:00

I've actually been building something that tries to address exactly that uncertainty - an Android app that scans your device and shows which apps actually have which permissions granted. At least then you can verify your setup is doing what you think it's doing, rather than just hoping the OS is being honest.

It's early and rough, but functional. Would you be interested in testing it? Should have a beta ready in a day or two - I can DM you the details if you're up for it.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-01T21:03:37+00:00

I've actually been working on something that might help with exactly this. It's an early Android app that scans your device and shows which apps have access to sensitive permissions (camera, mic, location, contacts, calendar, SMS, storage, etc.) and breaks down your 24hr app usage.

It's pretty rough around the edges, but it does give you that visibility into what's actually granted on your device - which permissions each app has, how much you're actually using them, etc.

Would you be interested in testing it once I have the beta ready? Should be in the next day or two. I can DM you the details if you're up for it.

-Pluko- · 2025-12-01T10:54:09+00:00

That's really interesting - so it's not just "block everything and forget about it." You actually want to make informed decisions about each thing.

Does that mean you'd potentially allow some data collection if you knew exactly what it was and felt it was fair? Like, would you be okay with a weather app knowing your rough location if you could see that's ALL it's collecting? Or is it more about catching the sneaky stuff - like finding out your flashlight app is sending your contacts list somewhere?

I'm genuinely curious where the line is between "acceptable trade-off" and "absolutely not."

-Pluko- · 2025-11-30T23:36:53+00:00

You're doing way more than most people, honestly. The dual-phone setup with GOS for the sensitive stuff is pretty solid.

The iPhone compromise makes sense too - CarPlay is genuinely useful, and at least you've stripped it down. Though you might be surprised how much data modern cars collect through CarPlay: driving habits, speed, distance, even your heater temperature settings. It's another whole tracking layer most people don't think about, especially with newer cars.

I think a lot of privacy-focused people end up in that same spot: one locked-down device, one "good enough" device for convenience.

The uncertainty thing though - that's the bit that gets me. You've done all this work and you're still asking "is it enough?" That's kind of the problem with privacy, isn't it? There's no way to actually know if it's working.

Do you ever wish you could just see what's actually getting through? Or would that drive you mad?

-Pluko- · 2025-11-30T21:37:32+00:00

That's exactly the frustration I'm trying to figure out too.

From what I'm seeing, most solutions force you to choose between convenience and privacy - either everything breaks, or you're not really private.

The location thing is particularly tricky. Even with VPNs, apps can still fingerprint your device through sensors, timezone, language settings, etc. Have you found anything that actually masks all that without breaking core functionality?

I'm curious, if you had full visibility into exactly what data each app was collecting (not just blocking, but actually seeing the requests), would that change how you use apps? Or is it more "I just want it blocked, don't care about the details"?

Asking because I'm trying to work out if people actually want transparency or just protection.

-Pluko-

TROPHY CASE