Noticed a curious thing about browsers.

[Mauser]

If you are paranoid like me and have logical reasons to be that way. Modify Firefox like this https://restoreprivacy.com/firefox-privacy/ and especially make sure all telemetry is disabled. Throw Google out like an old pair of shoes. Use Duck Duck Go. Disable that censorship in Firefox by disabling "Deceptive Content and Software Protection". Run Astrill VPN in Stealth mode, run Adware Block, Ublock Origin Httpseverywhere, Google Container, and wish for the best. There is only so much that you can do that is practical. Of course all this is not going to stop the NSA = National Spy Agency and not even the Tor browser will because the department of the Navy invented the Tor browser. The measures I take are effective against most other entities.

[Bierhundt]

I only use two browsers - Seamonkey for MX, and Firefox for Winblows 7. Each has search engines available, but I only use those with "no search history recorded" (supposedly!), Startpage and Duckduckgo - on both of my browsers. I just use the browser to open up the Internet, and save my bookmarks - as far as I know, there isn't a browser available that will keep any secrets from Big Brother; he is always watching you! Even then you can't be totally private, because Big Brother can be checking up on you thru your local ISP, bypassing your browser and your search engine - which hasn't been a secret to anyone for many years. I don't worry that much about the privacy since I don't go to porn sites or anti-government stuff - I just surf for news sites, brewing supplies and watching You-Tube vids for beer recipes, and new techniques. I only go to places that interest me, and I try to avoid all the ads/pop-ups that might lead me to a hacker's site. I accidentally did that once years back, and ended up having to wipe the whole computer, OS and all to get rid of the Trojans/viruii/whatever they installed without my OK. Never Again - if I can help it!

All this tracking and aiming ads toward wherever you search is another reason I left Facebook in the dust, and if I could find a really private email (for free), I'd leave Gmail in the dust as well. You don't dare take a look at something on eBay or Amazon, or you'll be targeted with ads for items like that for months.

They even track when I pause to look at something on a website (like pintrest or wikihow) and my purchases to online homebrew shops - If my local brewshop was a better place to buy supplies and not out to rip me off with their double-the-online-cost-prices, I'd buy from them! So when I order from an online brewshop, I try to order on their phone (1-800-buy-from-us), instead of online, so the web-crawlers can't track me as well. I love 1-800 numbers, use their money, not mine!
I'm just about fed up with You-Tube too, because I can't watch a 15 minute video without pop-ups and interruption ads every few minutes. I've been brewing long enuff that I don't need to view the vids and have to put up with all the ad nonsense they put out to ruin someone's video. I can get plenty of new recipes without vids, just by going to homebrew forums, and I've got so many brewing books I really don't need any new recipes - it's just my hobby, since it seems I'm too old to get a job.

I understand that there are other video sites like You-Tube, but I don't know if they are safe or not, so I don't even look them up.

OK, I've blathered on long enuff, .... JMO!

[Bierhundt]

If you are paranoid like me and have logical reasons to be that way. Modify Firefox like this https://restoreprivacy.com/firefox-privacy/ and especially make sure all telemetry is disabled. Throw Google out like an old pair of shoes. Use Duck Duck Go. Disable that censorship in Firefox by disabling "Deceptive Content and Software Protection". Run Astrill VPN in Stealth mode, run Adware Block, Ublock Origin Httpseverywhere, Google Container, and wish for the best. There is only so much that you can do that is practical. Of course all this is not going to stop the NSA = National Spy Agency and not even the Tor browser will because the department of the Navy invented the Tor browser. The measures I take are effective against most other entities.

Thanks for that link, Mauser, I went there and started to check things out - then I found out that those first privacy buttons are not in Seamonkey (as far as I can find) - and as much as I like Seamonkey, I've re-installed FF so I can switch over and follow all of the instructions to try to stop a lot of the tracking (by non-gov entities). Now I have to figure out how to overule SM & make FF the default browser (SM doesn't like that .... every time I clik on the FF button, SM comes up and won't let me set FF as the default browser!). Then I'll see if'n I can import all of my bookmarks to FF as well. Am I forgetting anything before I remove SeaMonkey? (I only need one browser).

[wulf]

and if I could find a really private email (for free), I'd leave Gmail in the dust as well. You don't dare take a look at something on eBay or Amazon, or you'll be targeted with ads for items like that for months.

Take a look at zoho.com. Private, no ads and free. I think there is a 5Gb cap, which is probably plenty for most people.

[Bierhundt]

Thanks wulf;
It took me some time to figure out how to send an emil, but I finally 'got 'er done' so now I just wait to see if I get an answer from them ;>).
THX

[mw1649]

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