Really Meh?

@joe43wv More like FB stalking you and thinking you want to buy some meh stuff.

On FB, you are their product, not the other way around.

@blaineg @joe43wv
Try the Ghostery plugin. Also, many of the free AV products (Avast, IObit, etc) have some website inspection/reputation/privacy/tracking cookie help abilities.

The problem is that facebook, pinterest, and ad networks embed trackers in every website that has social media integration or serves up ads (coughgooglecough) or “performance metrics” so that every site you visit adds a little more data for anyone putting it together to identify you, your friends, where you live, shop, and travel. Each shard on its own doesn’t identify you, but the assembled profile certainly does. That is what FB is doing -building their profile of you and selling that to anyone they choose to. Like to Russian intelligence operatives buying ads, astroturfing fake news, trolling, and fomenting dissent to disrupt our democracy.

@blaineg I think Chrome is doing away with adblockers soon too, so you’ll need to switch your browser as well. Try Firefox?

@joe43wv @mike808 That’s the point of those two additional block lists, to kill the trackers.

It’s really nice to not have those stupid social network buttons hovering around the edges (or front & center) of sites.

@Targaryen I use both Chrome and Firefox (well, Waterfox, after Firefox borked a bunch of extensions) regularly. And Vivaldi (Opera successor) as well.

If Chrome really kills adblockers, I’ll drop it in a hot picosecond.

@Targaryen The Google vs adblockers story still seems to be in flux.

https://www.cnet.com/news/google-chrome-isnt-killing-ad-blockers-safer-ghostery-disagrees/

And Google does have a valid point with concerns about adblockers possibly having too much access to everything. A rogue adblocker could do a lot of damage.

My practices (when I’m behaving as I know I should) (and what I tell to family that they usually ignore):

Clear cookies frequently. Block all third party cookies.

In particular block FB cookies, and those of any other social media site you dislike.

Check for and clear flash cookies jic. Old tech, but still.

Use a good ad-blocker. Update it a bunch.

Never use your FB login, if you have one, to anything other than FB.

If you use FB: Disallow all FB sharing with third parties to the extent that you can figure out how to do so.

DON’T like any companies on FB. Just individuals. And only if you know them personally.

If you have a FB account, and prefer to or must use it, use a special browser for FB. Don’t use that browser for any other site. And clear all cookies in that browser constantly.

Don’t log into FB using any other browser, only use the special “FB-only” browser.

Don’t log into your browser.
Don’t log into sites you don’t have to log into.
Don’t use Chrome.

On your phones, check all permissions of downloaded apps.

(re Android: If you don’t know which apps are downloaded, check as to whether can you fully delete them. If you can’t, then be cautious about changing permissions for that app without checking further as to whether it’s a system app.)

(It’s always ok to restrict FB permissions tho.)

Kill the permissions for downloaded apps if you don’t know why an app is asking for or needs those permissions. Grant minimal permissions, esp be wary about reqs due access to call logs, SMS, images and media, location, and address books/contacts.

If you must grant permissions to apps, consider revoking those permissions as soon as a specific action that requires the permission is accomplished.

Get rid of any apps that you don’t use constantly.

Get rid of any apps that don’t come from a highly reputable source.
(Your banking app is prob ok. If you have a decent bank.)

Ignore new games. Many games are spyware/adware/$sink/timesink infestations.

(@shrdlu has the right approach here. Don’t load apps on the first place. Apps tend to spy.)

(I’m supposedly working on living up to that standard. So far, I fail.)

Consider never connecting to WiFi (except possibly at home) using your mobile device. Who knows who Starbucks and Home Depot are selling your personally identifiable data to?

Be aware that having WiFi at home means there is a data attack vector to your home network. Consider only letting certain allowed personal devices to connect to your home network via WiFi.

If you want to offer a guest network, consider a second chained router for your guests:
even tho your guests, obviously, will still have to use a password to connect to it.

Then only turn that router on when guests are present.
When they leave, unplug that second router from both power and the network.
And change the Wifi connection pwd for the second router frequently.

Then use a VPN. Pay for a good one.

Your home ISP and your mobile/cell provider prob still collect your data and sell it. Using a good VPN helps a little.

Unfortunately, all that’s not enough. But it’s a start.

I should mention that I’m a total amateur on this topic.

Sometimes I actually do all this stuff.
Mostly I just try a little here and there.

@f00l Or you can do as I do – keep your phone in the nightstand drawer and ignore the rest of the world.

@Barney

Yep. If the phone’s off, it’s not leaking data.

@amehzinggrace “Single, lonely buttons in your area in need of weekend engagement. Must have good memory and firm clicking confidence.”

@Targaryen Must also mop floors and do dishes…all sorts.

@smilingjack Facebook has ads?

@medz Did it Irk you?