List of privacy conscious alternatives to Facebook, Google Search, etc.

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by acr1965, Sep 23, 2011.

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  1. acr1965

    acr1965 Registered Member

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    I am looking into alternatives to Facebook, such as Diaspora. While doing this I'm also trying to see what alternatives there are to other internet services such as search engines, email, etc that take privacy into consideration for the end users. It seems so many services are obsessed with tracking users, building profiles and delivering ads these days. What are some alternatives? Post any good ideas.

    So far I have Diaspora as an alternative to Facebook, Twitter and Google+. But Diaspora is still very much in its infancy. For search engines I have DuckDuckGo and Ixquick as alternatives to Google, Bing and Yahoo.

    Maybe we can make a list for others to use as reference in the future.
    Thanks.
     
  2. dw426

    dw426 Registered Member

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    The only possible way you're going to somewhat avoid these issues is by paying for these kinds of services. It's the only way there can be some sort of real accountability. Even then, if someone like the Feds or any other governments want that data, they will get it. Privacy policies are like EULA agreements, for the most part unenforceable. Besides, ACR, ads and tracking are far too big of a moneymaker and these companies, if providing free services, have to make a buck someplace.
     
  3. m0unds

    m0unds Guest

    i agree wholeheartedly. "free" mail services have always made me nervous, so i pay for mail hosting (i used to host my own mail and whatnot, just don't have the desire or time to keep it up) - i have a separate lavabit [http://www.lavabit.com] account i use for forum registrations and the like, which i also paid for (because the features of the free version are ad supported) and i just avoid using google whenever i can. i use ddg for search, i use lavabit for a disposable mail account (with asynchronous crypto enabled via their panel), and i just try to remain conscious of what i share.

    my thought about social networking and privacy - generally speaking, the two are mutually exclusive. you're putting information about yourself, friends, or family members in someone else's hands. if they don't track your movements on the internet using advertising networks or whatever, great, but they still have your personal data stored. the part that sucks is that you generally have zero control over *how* it's stored, and *how* it's handled. i think that the best approach there is just to acknowledge that your information isn't safe in social networking environments and it's up to you to limit how much info you share, and how much information you give to third parties.
     
  4. acr1965

    acr1965 Registered Member

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    I would not mind paying for some types of services. By private I don't mean the type of services meant for the super paranoid people. I just don't like the idea of Facebook or Google tracking me all across the internet. As for "free" services that have to make a buck someplace, I really don't think these services are "free" so to speak. They have to use information gathered about my whereabouts and they sell that info to ad agencies or deliver ads themselves. My info they are gathering has some "value" otherwise these online sites would not be so interested in it. So there is an exchange of value between the two sides: service for info. It's not free to them or me. I just want to try some different services, different than the current arrangement, whether they be paid services or not.
     
  5. Less

    Less Registered Member

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    cant subscribe paid or free account from lavabit anymore....
     
  6. Hungry Man

    Hungry Man Registered Member

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    You want a privacy conscious alternative to sites built around tracking data?

    hm

    Every "private" google search has hilariously terrible results.

    If you want a facebook that's private set it so only friends can see your info and that's the best you'll get. No one uses the "super private" ones because they defeat the purpose.
     
  7. TonyW

    TonyW Registered Member

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    I would also suggest such users do a bit of housekeeping every once in a while, like removing old status updates for example. There's no point in having what you did or thought +2 years ago still on there. It's the same with Twitter; who is really going to trawl through the thousands of tweets some people write? By all means use these services if so desired, but I'd say keep 'em current if you do.
     
  8. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    DuckDuckGo for Google Search. There's an encrypted beta of Google Search + Images as well (US-English only).
     
  9. guest

    guest Guest

    :thumb: Was thinking the same. Looks like we are dealing with an oxymoron here.
     
  10. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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    There's an error in the URL given in post #3 (extra ']' added).
     
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