Anyone here witnessed/seen hour+ unskippable ads on #YouTube? Yes, you read that right. Supposedly, Google is only showing this to some users it suspects of using an adblocker.

We all know how #Google has become increasingly hostile towards adblocking technologies in the last couple years… but if this is true - and not some sort of bug - geez… doesn’t help they neither confirm or deny it in the news sources I’ve seen.

bgr.com/tech/hour-long-unskipp…

Hour-long unskippable ads are showing up on YouTube

YouTube has served hourlong unskippable ads to some people, which is a perfect excuse to use an ad blocker.

^{Chris Smith (BGR)}

***** Google Gemini Gmail WARNING *****

Damned #Google is now pushing their invasive AI crap Gemini onto the Desktop version of #Gmail, with no apparent way for individual users to disable it (Admins for commercial users apparently do have a toggle). The Gemini sucker icon appears as a four-pointed "sprite" next to the settings gear. If you hover on it, you'll see a "Try Gemini" tooltip. DO NOT CLICK ON IT, unless you want Google's horrific lying, fascism-ridden misinformation machine sucking up your emails.

NOTE: Again, there is no apparent way for individual user to disable this. The sprite appears even if you have all Gmail "Smart" features disabled.

This is Google blatantly trying to force this garbage on users who have no idea what it is and how much damage it can do to them, presumably as a first step toward pushing their "AI Agents" to take control of your browsing. Of course, if this is your kink, go ahead and chain yourself to Gemini. But you've been warned.

Earlier today, Google rejected a feature request asking for the option to use DNS-over-HTTPS servers other than Google’s and Cloudflare’s in Android: issuetracker.google.com/issues…

According to Google’s own testing, DoH is more private, secure, and performant than DoT on Android. There is no reason whatsoever to limit it to a handful of Google-approved servers.

Just like with Manifest V3 in Chrome, this arbitrary restriction on what DNS servers can use the most modern technologies in Android is a clear example of Google abusing their position to campaign against blocking invasive trackers. One of the clearest uses for custom DNS servers is the ability to block privacy-invasive services like Google’s at the DNS level.

Further details & discussion on our forum: discuss.privacyguides.net/t/go…

#android #google #privacy #dns

Google rejects feature request for arbitrary DNS-over-HTTPS server support

https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/331250145?pli=1#comment7 Some background, since 2022 Android has used DNS-over-HTTP/3 instead of DNS-over-TLS for its Private DNS setting, but only for two predefined servers (Google and Cloudflare).

^{Privacy Guides Community}

We would also like to #welcome all people joining us today! If you are switching over from #Twitter, #X, #Facebook, #Instagram: welcome into a truly federated social network.

While you've made the switch, consider also moving away from that other big corporation named #Google: a great alternative is #OpenStreetMap . There are many apps (such as @organicmaps or #osmand)

There are also a lot of maps about a specific topic. You can find a collection of them on mapcomplete.org

MapComplete - editable, thematic maps with OpenStreetMap

MapComplete is a platform to visualize OpenStreetMap on a specific topic and to easily contribute data back to it.

^{mapcomplete.org}

Ryan Chenkie:

Developers, please be careful when installing Homebrew. Google is serving sponsored links to a Homebrew site clone that has a cURL command to malware. The URL for this site is one letter different than the official site.

Note: Google allows the ad sponsors to specify an URL that will be displayed on the ad (original brew.sh here), but the click takes you to the malware domain brewe.sh.

#Apple #HomeBrew #Google #MacOS

#Google Starts Tracking All Your Devices In 6 Weeks—Forget Chrome And #Android

Long story short is that Google has made updates to its advertising ecosystem essentially _permitting_ the fingerprinting of devices for use in targeted advertising. In their words they are going to be “less prescriptive with partners in how they target and measure ads.”

Doesn’t mean fingerprinting wasn’t happening before, just that Google is giving the green signal to the rest of the ecosystem to do so… and will likely use this to maybe replace third-party cookies.

Use an adblocker. Seriously.

#privacy #ads #privacymatters #useadblockers

forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/20…

Google Starts Tracking All Your Devices In 6 Weeks—Forget Chrome And Android

Say hello to 2025—the way you're tracked has suddenly changed. Here's what you need to know.

^{Zak Doffman (Forbes)}

You've got to be kidding me, Microsoft, what the actual fuck. When you search for "google" in Bing, it will display a Google like page, tricking you into thinking you are on Google. The amount of INNOVATION coming from the capitalist behemoths is simply astounding!

bleepingcomputer.com/news/micr…

#microsoft #google #searchengine #search #bing #antitrust

❌ Stop #Google Calendar having access to your and your family's data! ❌

Tuta Calendar lets you and your family stay organized in true privacy with post-quantum encryption.

Share, plan, and organize your family's calendar privately with Tuta ❤🔐

tuta.com/blog/best-family-cale…

#familycalendar #tutacalendar #PostQuantumCryptography #degoogle

In 2024 #Google forced users to choose between #Chrome and #uBlockOrigin

Most chose the latter because finally everyone understands it's time to quit Google. 😎

Here are our favorite browser alternatives:
➡️ tuta.com/blog/best-private-bro…

Which one did you pick?

🦊 Firefox
🦆 DuckDuckGo
🕵️ Tor Browser
Mullvad
Pale Moon
Puffin
GNU IceCat
WaterFox
Brave
Hyphanet

youtu.be/lb71EGCzoEw

Nulla di nuovo, ma carino che anche canali mainstream parlino di alternative a #Google #Foto

@lealternative

#alternatives #alternative #immich #photo #degoogled #selfhosting

Ho ABBANDONATO Google FOTO per... MEMORIA "senza LIMITI" e TOTALE PRIVACY (ecco come)

ISCRIVITI se ti piace la TECNOLOGIA ➡️ http://www.youtube.com/c/TuttoTechNet?sub_confirmation=1Google Foto è uno dei migliori servizi online di sempre, perme...

^YouTube

wow! Play Store installs 5 apps at the same time

#android #Google #dev

A public sector funding initiative should pick up #Mozilla #Firefox and drive it as a community browser indepedent of #Google funding.

A browser is by far the single most impactful gateway to computing resources for people nowadays. (Right after a mobile OS.)

It must not be allowed to fail.

zdnet.com/home-and-office/netw…

#OpenSource #OpenWeb #PublicSector #PublicMoneyPublicCode

Why Google's legal troubles could hasten Firefox's slide into irrelevance

Fewer people than ever use the once popular web browser, but Mozilla remains profitable thanks to Google. How long can that trend continue with the Department of Justice coming after Google?

^{Steven Vaughan-Nichols (ZDNET)}

Redesign rule #1: if you have no good ideas, you can always make round buttons square and square buttons round

Picture from twitter.com/@LukeW

#Google #Calendar

Repeat offenders drive bulk of tech support scams via #Google #Ads

"Search engines, and Google’s in particular, are our gateway to the web. Yet, that door sometimes opens up to unsavory places thanks to sponsored search results, AKA ads."

This is part of the reason I recommend using an #adblocker (whether in browser, on device, or network-based.)

#cybersecurity #scams #security #privacy

malwarebytes.com/blog/scams/20…

Repeat offenders drive bulk of tech support scams via Google Ads | Malwarebytes

Consumers are getting caught in a web of scams facilitated by online ads often originating from the same perpetrators.

^{Jérôme Segura (Malwarebytes)}

@Tutanota what are your plans for the following things:
- support of alternative apps and protocols (#jmap because of mobile)?
- outlook-like app?
- drive-like app?
- standard affordable pricing (not considering blackfriday)?

#Google and #Microsoft offer quite a good package if we ignore privacy nightmares and ads. #Revolutionary costs 3eur for 20gb? That 50% higher price for 20% storage compared to #Google. Ratio is worse for #Microsoft.

📣 Attention all custom ROM users and advocates for digital rights! 📣

Google's Play Integrity is limiting access to certain functionalities and applications for those using custom operating systems. This is a direct attack on the open-source community and a step towards further consolidating Google's monopoly in the mobile ecosystem.

The European Commission is aware of the situation, but has deemed it a low priority: europarl.europa.eu/doceo/docum…

It's time for us to take action and show Google and the EU how much we care about this issue! 💥

Sign the petition now to stop Google from limiting access to custom ROMs: change.org/p/stop-google-from-…

#StopGoogleMonopoly #CustomROMs #DigitalRights #OpenSource #PlayIntegrity #Google #deGoogle #privacy #right2repair #rightorepair #r2r #EU

Let's unite and fight for our right to use and develop custom operating systems! 💪

Navazuji na včerejší tip.

Tady je porovnání iPhone a různých odnoží Androidu. Většina lidí má "Android" - distribuci plnou šmírovátek od Google obohacenou o bloatware výrobce, který nejen že šmíruje po svém, ale často zavléká bezpečnostní chyby, zabírá místo v úložišti i RAM.

V GrapheneOS mimo jiné vůbec není položka "Reklama" s Mobile Advertising ID.

Zdroj: youtu.be/lb1BbT5fpwA

#soukromí #kybez #Google #Apple #grapheneos

Máte vy nebo někdo ve vašem okolí (defaultně) aktivní Mobile Advertising ID? Pak počítejte s tím, že jste díky němu sledováni a tato data si může někdo koupit. Využití je mnoho...

#soukromí #kybez - #Google a #Apple v roli pasáků

krebsonsecurity.com/2024/10/th…

The Global Surveillance Free-for-All in Mobile Ad Data

Not long ago, the ability to remotely track someone’s daily movements just by knowing their home address, employer, or place of worship was considered a powerful surveillance tool that should only be in the purview of nation states. But a…

^{krebsonsecurity.com}

Wednesday, November 6

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Military and police members inspect the remains of a Russian drone in the Shevchenkivskyi district after the Nov. 5 attack in Kharkiv. As a result of the strike, two women were injured. (Oleksandr Manchenko/Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Umerov confirms first battles between Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast. The clashes were small-scale, according to Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Russia launches record number of drones in October, General Staff reports. Russia launched at least 4,300 Shahed-type attack drones and similar UAVs imitating Shaheds against Ukraine between August and October 2024 — a sharp increase compared to earlier months — according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

Ukrainian Legion in Poland reportedly receives over 500 applications in a month. The recruitment center of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland has received over 500 applications in a month from Ukrainians living in 30 countries, Ukrinform reported on Nov. 5, citing the center's officials.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Ukrainian GPS spoofing for repelling drone attacks could indirectly affect smartphone clocks, General Staff says. Users in Ukraine have begun to experience more frequent automatic time changes on their smartphones due to the activation of electronic warfare systems during air raid alarms.

Google responds to claims map images revealed locations of Ukrainian weapons. "These satellite images were taken more than a year ago and come from publicly available sources — we deliberately do not publish the latest images of war zones," Google said.

Putin appoints Ukraine war veteran as governor of Tambov region. Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a Ukraine war veteran to govern one of Russia’s regions, marking the highest position awarded to a participant in the full-scale invasion so far.

The Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF) — one of the largest international forums in Eastern Europe — will take place on Nov. 7, with the Kyiv Independent as a media partner.

KIEF brings together representatives of business, government, and society to promote Ukraine's integration into the global community.

Register here: **forumkyiv.org/en/**

Read our exclusives

Zelensky used talk with Trump about nuclear weapons as leverage before crucial US election, analysts say

With Ukraine's future hanging in the balance ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, Ukraine’s president turned up the heat, invoking the specter of nuclear weapons to nudge whoever lands in the Oval Office toward offering more conventional weaponry to Kyiv.

Photo: Uliana Boichuk/Novyny LIVE/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv confirms first battles between Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast

The first clashes between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and North Korean soldiers have already taken place in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed on Nov. 5 in an interview with South Korean TV channel KBS.

Photo: Ed Jones / AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine struggles to contain Russian advance in Donetsk Oblast as US elections loom

As U.S. voters head to the polls on Nov. 5 for presidential elections likely to shape the course of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the situation on the battlefield is beginning to unravel for Kyiv.

Photo: Gaelle Girbes/Getty Images

‘Trump wants to do everything he can to help Putin,’ McCain Institute head says

Evelyn Farkas, head of the McCain Institute—a U.S.-based think tank named after the late Republican Senator John McCain—fears that Donald Trump's return as president would be the worst-case scenario for Ukraine.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Harris or Trump — Ukraine braces for best, worst-case scenarios as US elects new president

The two candidates' pre-election positions on continuing to support Ukraine with weaponry are in such stark contrast that some experts estimate whoever emerges victorious will impact whether Kyiv stays in the fight or is choked of supplies to the point of capitulation.

Photo: Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian military shoots 6 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast, Prosecutor General's Office says. Russian troops shoot six captured Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers in the Pokrovsk sector of the front line in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office reported on Nov. 5.

Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills 6, injures 23. Russian forces reportedly targeted an infrastructure facility, starting a fire. The full extent of damage is being determined.

Russia strikes near residential area in Kharkiv**, injuring at least 2.** Moscow struck the Shevchenskyi district with a Shahed-type drone at nearly 5 p.m. local time, according to the preliminary data.

McFaul on Ukraine's future with Trump vs. Harris

International response

Sweden unveils new aid package for Ukraine worth over $9 million. Sweden will provide Ukraine with a new aid package valued at nine million euros ($9.8 million), which includes two vessels designed to enhance maritime security. The country will also supply 40,000 protective masks and respirators to Ukraine's Emergency Service personnel.

Estonia wants to bar Russian, Belarusian citizens from voting in local elections. Estonia aims to narrow voting eligibility in local elections to exclude Russian and Belarusian citizens in order to counter Russian influence, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told state broadcaster ERR on Nov. 4.

North Korean military involvement in Russia's war to be met with 'coordinated response,' G7 foreign ministers say. Besides the G7 members, including the U.S., Japan, Italy, the U.K., Germany, France, Canada, and the High Representative of the European Union, the statement was also signed by South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

U.S. presidential election

Republicans take back US Senate. The Republican party has won control of the U.S. Senate, according to projected election results on Nov. 5.

Trump wins key US state of North Carolina. With 90% of votes tallied, Trump led Democratic challenger Vice President Kamala Harris 50.8% to 48%. The projection marks the first call of a major swing state in the U.S. presidential election.

Chinese accounts linked to Russian election disinformation. Analysts at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab found that accounts originating in China helped amplify Russian disinformation videos targeting U.S. voters.

Russia stepping up election interference as US citizens head to polls, intelligence agencies warn. Russia is expected to intensify attempts to undermine the U.S. vote on election day with a focus on swing states, U.S. intelligence agencies said in a statement on the eve of the election on Nov. 4.

Bomb threats across multiple states traced to Russian email domains**, FBI says.** As Americans head to the polls on Nov. 5, the FBI has announced that bomb threats targeting polling sites in multiple states appear to have originated from Russian email domains. The agency clarified that none of these threats have been deemed credible.

This newsletter is open for sponsorship. Boost your brand's visibility by reaching thousands of engaged subscribers. Contact partnerships@kyivindependent.com for more details.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Boldizsár Győri, Francis Farrell, Kateryna Hodunova, Olena Goncharova, Abbey Fenbert and Dmytro Basmat.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program_**. Start supporting independent journalism today.**_

What? Release of this #opensource software on a proprietary platform first?! (Google).

You can do better than that!

#opensource #linux #fdroid #google #android

Interesting. When I search for “Norton Password Manager” on Chrome Web Store, it first lists five completely unrelated extensions, and only the last search result is the actual Norton Password Manager. Somebody told me that website is run by a company specializing in search, so this shouldn’t be due to incompetence, right? What is it then?

#google #cws

The ultimate #Google self-own: Google's AI Overview result of "enshittified google" that includes "AI Overview" as an example of enshittified Google.

#enshittification #chatbots #selfown @pluralistic

Werft mal einen Blick auf die Messenger-Matrix. Trotz aller Bemühungen kann es sein, dass nicht alle Informationen zu den Messengern aktuell sind. In diesem Fall bitte ich um Rückmeldung, damit ich die Matrix anpassen kann. ❤️ 👇

messenger-matrix.de/messenger-…

FAQ: codeberg.org/kuketzblog/www.me…

#briar #conversations #xmpp #deltachat #discord #element #matrix #facebook #google #imessage #jami #line #session #signal #simplex #siskin #skype #telegram #teleguard #threema #viber #whatsapp #wire

www.messenger-matrix.de

Die Messenger-Matrix bietet einen Überblick über die verschiedenen (technischen) Merkmale diverser Messenger. Die Matrix wird auf www.messenger-matrix.de gehostet.

^Codeberg.org

In my last Italian blog post talking about #Google I suggested your service @Tutanota a service I purchased proudly 🙂 I'm planning to write a specific post in English to talk about Tuta.

giovanniventuri.com/2024/10/07…

Tagesschau-App: Wie Google über die Google-Cloud Daten über dein Leseverhalten sammeln kann und welche datenschutzrechtlichen Fragen/Probleme damit verbunden sind. 👇

kuketz-blog.de/tagesschau-app-…

@tagesschau

#ard #tagesschau #google #android #datenschutz #tracking #dsgvo #tdddg

Does #Google own the web? 👀

Biggest US antitrust lawsuit ever must break the tech giant’s monopoly.👇👇👇
tuta.com/blog/google-antitrust…

What alternative Google products do you recommend to your loved ones? Let us know in the comments!

#privacymatters #privacy #monopoly

❓Have you started de-googling your life?

✅ If so - are you using any of these awesome Google alternatives?

🤔 New to the concept? Read here - tuta.com/blog/how-to-leave-goo…

#Google #Googlefree #DitchGoogle #PrivacyMatters #DeGoogle

🚨 Ever spoken about something and the next minute you're getting an advert about it on your smartphone? Almost like your phone is listening..

Well, evidence claims that Meta, Microsoft, Google and Amazon could all be listening!

For more details 👉 👉404media.co/heres-the-pitch-de…

#Meta #Amazon #Microsoft #Google #CMG #CMGpitch #Bigtech #Activelistening

A much more detailed post about TalkBack's new Image description feature using #AI #Gemini

android-developers.googleblog.…

#Google #Android #accessibility #blind

🪦The Dying Web | Matthias Endler

｢ the world's largest websites are owned by the same company, which also owns the world's most popular browser and search engine. Coincidentally, they are also the world's largest advertising company. And people are wondering why they can't block ads on YouTube anymore ｣

endler.dev/2024/the-dying-web/
#google #monopoly #firefox #chromium

The Dying Web | Matthias Endler

I look left and right, and I'm the only one who…

^endler.dev

Google is headed to trial after allegedly misleading Chrome users on data collection. 🧑‍⚖️

This is the most recent in a growing list of court proceedings.
📣 tuta.com/blog/google-incognito…
📣 tuta.com/blog/google-search-mo…

What was your most startling discovery about Google's data collection? Let us know below!

#google #encryption #privacy #data

Mr @icing found a HTTP/2 bug in the #Google frontend webserver.

github.com/curl/curl/issues/14…

curl 8.9.1 reports HTTP/2 stream was not closed cleanly: PROTOCOL_ERROR for 416 · Issue #14620 · curl/curl

I did this $ curl -vvvS --fail-early -Lo go1.23.0.src.tar.gz https://go.dev/dl/go1.23.0.src.tar.gz # whoops, I didn't see if that finished. try again to be sure $ curl -vvvS --fail-early -Lo go1.23...

^GitHub

When you search for "identita občana" (Citizen Identity, ID for the Czech e-government), the first link #Google gives you (as an ad) is to a malicious website.

I wonder if companies like Google will ever be held accountable for spreading dangerous scams and getting paid for it.

#CyberSecurity #Search