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[GeekyDad]

Google Just Disabled Cookies for 30 Million Chrome Users. Here’s How to Tell If You’re One of Them.

It’s the beginning of the end in Google’s plan to kill cookies forever.

gizmodo.com

The reason I left a question mark on the OT was because I'm wondering if some of you speculate that perhaps this new avenue will simply lead to something worse. I just can't see Google giving up that power unless there's something better they can turn to. 'Cause compromise does NOT seem like their staple.

As an aside, wtf...30 million is only 1% of their users of Chrome? Correct my math if I'm wrong, but that's 3 billion users in total, essentially a third of the world's population. Dafuq?

 

[LegendOfKage]

Anti trust? What's that?

 

[Wildebeest]

If you can't trust google to track everything you do and gather huge amounts of unnecessary telemetry data, then who can you trust?

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Google said back in 2021 that they plan to move away from cookies and to instead market towards "cohorts" based on surfing trends, rather than individuals.

But I'm pretty sure they don't need them anymore because they have another method like AI algorithms that can detect who you are regardless of the device you're logged onto or whether you're using a VPN. If I were the devil (whoops, I mean "Google"), I would want to document and identify individuals, and I'd be training AI to do it BASED on the data I already have from decades of cookie usage as a training set.

An algorithm could theoretically scan online activity for word/punctuation choices, writing style, surfing behavior, devices, IPs, typing/texting speed, and probably other things I haven't considered, and then you no longer need cookies to track someone across the web.

 

[jason10mm]

How much you wanna bet congress will FINALLY get around to limiting data collection but will focus on cookies which will already be an obsolete method. So congress gets to pat themselves on the back, the tech companies keep on rolling, and the public is abandoned yet again.

The AI thing is terrifying. I bet everyone has a "typing fingerprint" that is pretty unique, based on input speed between letters, repetitive mistakes, and frequent word usage. Stuff an AI can easily data mine and make a profile to look for.

 

[Mr1999]

Something like this popped up yesterday saying something along the lines of you are one of the first to have cookies disabled.

 

[Kilau]

Google said back in 2021 that they plan to move away from cookies and to instead market towards "cohorts" based on surfing trends, rather than individuals.

But I'm pretty sure they don't need them anymore because they have another method like AI algorithms that can detect who you are regardless of the device you're logged onto or whether you're using a VPN. If I were the devil (whoops, I mean "Google"), I would want to document and identify individuals, and I'd be training AI to do it BASED on the data I already have from decades of cookie usage as a training set.

An algorithm could theoretically scan online activity for word/punctuation choices, writing style, surfing behavior, devices, IPs, typing/texting speed, and probably other things I haven't considered, and then you no longer need cookies to track someone across the web.

Exactly, they got everything they needed with cookies and have better ways now so they are shutting the door behind them in typical monopolistic fashion.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Exactly, they got everything they needed with cookies and have better ways now so they are shutting the door behind them in typical monopolistic fashion.

And selling it to the public as respecting our privacy. Smart. No wonder thier market cap is $1.7T.

 

[ReBurn]

I like how they offer this up as a privacy benefit for Chrome users when what it is really doing is making it so that it's harder for anyone but Google to track you and sell information about you. This for sure is going to lead to anti-trust complaints.

 

[Mistake]

Device fingerprinting along with ip addresses already gobbles up a large part of their userbase. With other methods I'm sure they use, cookies are no biggie. But ReBurn is right, their investors are just going to ask "why are you not?"

 

[Trunx81]

Something like this popped up yesterday saying something along the lines of you are one of the first to have cookies disabled.

Congrats, you are on of 30 Millions!

 

[Trogdor1123]

Stop using chrome folks. Find an alternative.

 

[Geomancer86]

Stop using GMail, Google, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Photos, Android, haha they own the world, if they flip crazy and say "no more google for you" the world would collapse fast and quick...

People nowadays cannot drive from A to B without Google Maps... everything we google first...

 

[-Minsc-]

The AI thing is terrifying. I bet everyone has a "typing fingerprint" that is pretty unique, based on input speed between letters, repetitive mistakes, and frequent word usage. Stuff an AI can easily data mine and make a profile to look for.

So it's not just what I post for the public to see but also what I type into a dialogue box (or whatever it's called) before I even hit the post button?

 

[jason10mm]

So it's not just what I post for the public to see but also what I type into a dialogue box (or whatever it's called) before I even hit the post button?

I've little doubt they can record that info if/when they want.

But they can also look at your word usage, common typos, common phrases, all that and with enough text make a good guess. Hell, I bet the autocorrect data is logged so even that won't cover for you if you have a habit of mistyping stuff.

 

[ManaByte]

Stop using chrome folks. Find an alternative.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Diabling cookies?

"Stay awhile and have some cookies."

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Diabloing cookies

 

[Laptop1991]

I stopped Google doing it last year with Chrome, i started using Brave.

 

[Puscifer]

Google said back in 2021 that they plan to move away from cookies and to instead market towards "cohorts" based on surfing trends, rather than individuals.

But I'm pretty sure they don't need them anymore because they have another method like AI algorithms that can detect who you are regardless of the device you're logged onto or whether you're using a VPN. If I were the devil (whoops, I mean "Google"), I would want to document and identify individuals, and I'd be training AI to do it BASED on the data I already have from decades of cookie usage as a training set.

An algorithm could theoretically scan online activity for word/punctuation choices, writing style, surfing behavior, devices, IPs, typing/texting speed, and probably other things I haven't considered, and then you no longer need cookies to track someone across the web.

Christ that last paragraph was depressing

 

[Hudo]

Just try to avoid any form of Google technology, if feasible.

Firefox is a competent browser and the only real competition, since all other popular browsers (sans Safari) are using Chromium as a base, which is heavily steered by Google.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

I've been using Brave browser with uBlock for my personal PC and mobile. It gets the job done and has a sleek, minimal interface. Supposed to be good for privacy.

If I go on the internet with my work laptop and Chrome, the experience and ads make me feel like I'm living in a dystopia.

 

[winjer]

You guys realize that browsers like Brave and Edge are Chromium based.
Meaning they share the same source code as Chrome.
If Google implements things like manifest V3, or this no-cookie way of spyware, all these browsers will have to follow suit. Or will have to code around it.

You'll have better luck with Firefox or Webkit based browsers.

 

[Laptop1991]

You guys realize that browsers like Brave and Edge are Chromium based.
Meaning they share the same source code as Chrome.
If Google implements things like manifest V3, or this no-cookie way of spyware, all these browsers will have to follow suit. Or will have to code around it.

You'll have better luck with Firefox or Webkit based browsers.

Brave may share the same source code, but it sure as hell doesn't operate like Chrome, i switched last summer and the difference was night and day and if Brave does start doing the ad nightmare of Chrome i'll switch again.

 

[winjer]

Brave may share the same source code, but it sure as hell doesn't operate like Chrome, i switched last summer and the difference was night and day and if Brave does start doing the ad nightmare of Chrome i'll switch again.

Yes, Brave disables most of Googles bloatware and spyware.
But the more they add, the more difficult it gets to remove it.
And if Manifest V3 really becomes the standard for the internet, we are screwed.

 

[Laptop1991]

Yes, Brave disables most of Googles bloatware and spyware.
But the more they add, the more difficult it gets to remove it.
And if Manifest V3 really becomes the standard for the internet, we are screwed.

Yeah it will change and won't stay the same i know, it always has, but at the moment Brave does what i want, and Steam using chromium has made the client worse as well, and if we are screwed, well we can always go back to the pigeon lol.

 

[GeekyDad]

Google said back in 2021 that they plan to move away from cookies and to instead market towards "cohorts" based on surfing trends, rather than individuals.

But I'm pretty sure they don't need them anymore because they have another method like AI algorithms that can detect who you are regardless of the device you're logged onto or whether you're using a VPN. If I were the devil (whoops, I mean "Google"), I would want to document and identify individuals, and I'd be training AI to do it BASED on the data I already have from decades of cookie usage as a training set.

An algorithm could theoretically scan online activity for word/punctuation choices, writing style, surfing behavior, devices, IPs, typing/texting speed, and probably other things I haven't considered, and then you no longer need cookies to track someone across the web.

This is exactly what I was thinking. I hadn't been keeping up with the whole AI thing outside of using some of the tech for art, but I figured if it was becoming ready for public use, companies like Google have already enacted uses for it in more powerful ways.

And as already mentioned, perhaps the scarier part is that the majority of the public will see Google in a good light for removing the cookies, rather than asking why they are doing it.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I always hate how they introduce these kinds of changes in waves to avoid pissing off the entire userbase and also probably to keep the controversies under the radar.

My advice - get out of Chrome and Chromium browsers. Firefox is still the best alternative if you don't want to go with a more advanced, personalized browser.

 

[Rat Rage]

I always hate how they introduce these kinds of changes in waves to avoid pissing off the entire userbase and also probably to keep the controversies under the radar.

My advice - get out of Chrome and Chromium browsers. Firefox is still the best alternative if you don't want to go with a more advanced, personalized browser.

Absolutely, Firefox is amazing and the best alternative. Set the right security settings, get some great add-ons and everyone should be satisfied.

 

[Rat Rage]

double post sry

 

[WhamBamThankYouMaam]

How much you wanna bet congress will FINALLY get around to limiting data collection but will focus on cookies which will already be an obsolete method. So congress gets to pat themselves on the back, the tech companies keep on rolling, and the public is abandoned yet again.

The AI thing is terrifying. I bet everyone has a "typing fingerprint" that is pretty unique, based on input speed between letters, repetitive mistakes, and frequent word usage. Stuff an AI can easily data mine and make a profile to look for.

Just use a randomizing plugin that changes input somewhat based on url/class etc.