(this is my first post im new) ive noticed something no one seems to have a problem with. do you have this problem to? am i just doing something wrong?

i use a privacy friendly browser plus a privacy friendly os and use fingerprint spoofer/blocker. i watch videos on invidious. i noticed that the “popular” tab shows videos related to videos i watched before. even if i clear my cookies, or change my idenity in (offiscial) tor browser i still get recommended related videos meaning no matter what i do google knows what i watch. whats worse, if i go on invidious on a totally different device with a normal broswer normal os, i get the same videos. meaning websites know what videos i watch across multiple sessions but also multiple devices. im sick of this. it feels like i’ve tried everything, sacrificed so much connivence but no results.

(this isn’t a question spefecifically about youtube google or invindious just how to get webisites to stop knowing everything i do across multiple identities and every device i use)

Things I tried

*Proton vpn+librewolf(max security according to settings)+nosircpt+Ublock(with the filters it comes with)+ officisal recommended invidious instances+Quad9 via settings

*Tails+Tor browser(max security settings apprentaly)+default bridge+no javascirpt+fingerprint spoofing estendsion+bluetooth disabled by tails+all the previous mentioned (exculding vpn i heard its risky)+invidious again (Tails doesn’t work well for me the police are not after me and it takes so long to start and presisent stoarage is annoying)

*Qubes+Whonix vm+Tor browser(max again)+no javascript (I love and hate qubes from my first impression it meets my security needs and you can run any os in a vm on it but i wish it just worked. theres a steep learning curve and my hardware isn’t the best for it)

No results on any of these just slower internet and some websites are broken. Its just like using a normal browser that tracks you but slow as a privacy one. im getting tired of this. i use all this super deep level paranoid overkill stufff and nothing happens. like im burning my house to get rid of a spider but the spider is still there

possible causes

-google wireless access point (does qubes/whonix/tor NOT protect against this at all??) (also my family HATES any changes or mild inconveniences)

-i logged in to google without a vpn **ONCE **does this automatically doom you forever **even ** if you change os and browser and device?

-hardware is framework laptop

for clairtiy

I am not -a criminal -a journalist -a gooner -willing to go off grid in the woods I am -creeped out -tired -about to give up

My privacy goals

-be able to actually cut ties with my shadow profile and have websites not know everything ive done in my life -control what data brokers and compaines knsw -not have any website at all know every device i use -be able to use any network safely

I feel like giving up on privacy because nothing seems to work. the only results I get is slower more broken internet

  • sicktriple@lemmy.ml
    7·
    3 months ago

    Invidious likely isn’t profiling you. If it worries you that much, you can stand up your own instance. It seems like a fun project.

    That said, you absolutely don’t need to justify your desire for privacy here. I totally understand you. I’ve kind of landed on a “best effort” approach where I just try not to break shit but use as much privacy focuses stuff I can and check if my browser has a randomized fingerprint on EFF’s coveryourtracks.eff.org/, which you should visit. I use Helium and a small number of addons and that’s it.

    Here’s the bottom line. You’re not going to be able to disappear on the internet without a massive and cumbersome effort which is not worth it relative to what I am gathering about your threat model. The very first thing you should do when considering privacy is 1. What you want to keep private and 2. Who you are trying to keep it private from. At the end of the day, you sound like me. I want to keep my browsing history and as much of my personal information as private as possible from data brokers, advertisers and my ISP. For that you need a layered approach. 1, VPN with no logs like mullvad. 2, Encrypted or at the very least recursive DNS resolver. 3, A somewhat randomized browser fingerprint. The last one is tricky because it’s actually just impossible. You can use stock librewolf to share your fingerprint with other users but imo that doesn’t work for my use case, as there are some pretty radical changes to the way I would have to use the internet, so I use Helium, which uses fingerprint farbling, and call it a day.

    In the end, that works for me. It’s important to remember privacy is a spectrum. There is no such thing as total anonymity, everything you do to make yourself more private is productive and helpful. It’s about assessing your threat model and taking the correct steps, not trying to become a ghost, because that will drive you nuts and your internet browsing experience will be so degraded you might as well not even use it in the first place.

    • lemmingsareawesome@sh.itjust.worksOP
      1·
      3 months ago

      i dont believe that invidious is profiling me (sorry for not clairifying it) i know its google doing it despite everything ive tried. im not trying to just be safe from google. im trying to be private from compainies and hackers in general. i heard proton is no logs (though im skeptical) and i don’t want to pay for any services hosently since i dont even know if a vpn would work. ive also tried tor browser which says that it makes your fingerprint the same as other users and ive tried randomizer extenstions but still no results. ive also done quad9s dns via librewolfs settings. i dont think its fingerprinting because every device i own knows its me and shows that it knows what ive watched thanks for the comment

        • lemmingsareawesome@sh.itjust.worksOP
          1·
          3 months ago

          kind of weird how anonymous people like the exact channels (with under 100 views) that i like and get recommended them at the exact time after ive watched them. i dont watch only thinls about privacy

          thanks for the repli

          • Einskjaldi@lemmy.world
            1·
            3 months ago

            Channels with under 100 views total of video? List the more popular videos that have been recommended to you. If it’s not that you’re probably have sign in to Google or something persisting tied to you.

            • lemmingsareawesome@sh.itjust.worksOP
              1·
              3 months ago

              pbs, legos, veritasum, this one channel called fern, some stuff like mental outlaw and someordanariy gamers (his new vids dont have a lot of views), stuff about flock/axon spying on Vox’s channel, how to replace strip lights, fish tank cleaning vids, garten of banban lore, neo

              whats tied to me?

              • Einskjaldi@lemmy.world
                1·
                3 months ago

                Are you signed out and clearing your history? Any one thing signed in or old cookie could do that. It should get the same result in private new browsing tab.

  • FineCoatMummy@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    7·
    3 months ago

    OP, I’ve tried your experiment with Invidious + Tor browser. I’ve watched some vids about cooking. Then restarted Tor. Went back to the same Invidious instance. It didn’t show me any of what I watched. I got just the default vids for that instance.

    Hard to say what might be doing that for you. So, afraid I can’t be of much more help about that :(

    just how to get webisites to stop knowing everything i do across multiple identities and every device i use

    It’s very hard. Unfortunately. You’re up against the best data scientists in the world. And up against a legion of identity brokers. Believe me they are very very clever. If there is ANY way to deduce ppl’s idenity they will find and exploit it.

    I won’t say it’s impossible to do. But it’s one of those probs, where you have to block every method. They only need a single method you missed. On top of that, many sites won’t even let you in at all, if the identity broker server they use behind the scenes can’t peg your IRL ID with a threshold of confidence.

    • lemmingsareawesome@sh.itjust.worksOP
      2·
      3 months ago

      i think its only if google thinks you’d actually like the video and it proly can tell if youre trying to possion the data. i tried other completely unrelated topics but they didnt work but i watched a channel that google thinks i liked watching based. on the previous ones i watched (which im trying to clear but nothing works)

      im not going to give up

      thanks for the comment

      • FineCoatMummy@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        i think its only if google thinks you’d actually like the video and it proly can tell if youre trying to possion the data.

        I’m not too sure. For one, I do sometimes watch cooking vids for real :). But I can try with some other topics too, which I watch normally. Be an interesting experiment.

        I suspect something else TBH. But I couldn’t guess about what since IDK anything about your setup and env etc except for your post.

  • ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    2·
    3 months ago

    You’re missing a private DNS. Not sure Quad9 will do the trick, but maybe you know more than me.

    Get NextDNS. It comes with preestablished filters like “No Google” and “No Facebook”, but you establish your own over time as you see who is getting data from your device by viewing the log file. You can install spp on your phone. You can also get separate account for your computer. They only charge if you go over a cartain number of queries but I never have. Its the best security service I have by far.

  • mildseason@sopuli.xyz
    1·
    3 months ago

    Hmmm very bizarre that none of those options are working for you. Those should be extremely secure ways of browsing the web.

    Just to confirm, are you logging in to anything? Youtube and google can track you anywhere if you sign in to an account.

    When you restart Tor and visit youtube, it should be asking you about cookies again. I make a habit of declining everything anyway.

    Perhaps your Google access point is the culprit but it would have to be breaking encryption to affect your connection so surely not?

    I’d recommend getting your hands on some bitcoin. Then you can convert it to monero and pay for a vpn that way. A secure vpn and librewolf should be enough to feel like you’re not being tracked.

    • lemmingsareawesome@sh.itjust.worksOP
      2·
      3 months ago

      yeah i dont log in to anything. i dont know how to use cypto to pay anonmyous for vpn and i dont even know if it would work because it feels like ive tried everything. everyone says these are super secure but im not seeing any results. the ad blocking is good but im looking for privacy as well like they promised

      thanks for the comment it helps other people see this

      • mildseason@sopuli.xyz
        1·
        3 months ago

        If you are capable of running tailsOS you’re capable of aquiring bitcoin and paying for a vpn. All the info is available online.

        If you are truly not seeing any results i think you should ditch the google access point. Make sure you’re router is secure as well, but that’s beyond my realm of knowledge atm.

          • mildseason@sopuli.xyz
            1·
            3 months ago

            I’ve never owned one but it looks like it just extands the range of your router. You could replace it with something else?

            A good test would be to see if you experience the same thing on a different network. For example, take your laptop to a cafe and see if you still get personalised suggestions.

            Again, having a secure vpn helps when travelling and is an important piece of the privacy stack, in my opinion. A proper one should cost ~$5 a month.

  • hirihit640@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    i watch videos on invidious. i noticed that the “popular” tab shows videos related to videos i watched before.

    Can you clarify what you mean here? Videos you watched before on your Youtube account? Or videos you watched before on the same Invidious instance?

    An Invidious instance, is basically just somebody else letting you use their Youtube account. So if you watch videos about fish, then that Youtube account is going to start getting recommendations for fish, and you’ll see them on that Invidious instance. All Google knows, is that the youtube account viewed some fish videos. Google wouldn’t know that it was actually you using that Youtube account.

    There are still risks though. If you used to watch a lot of fish videos while signed into a personal Youtube account, and then you start watching similar fish videos on Invidious, Google can connect you to the Invidious instance. Another danger is that the Invidious instance could be working with Google.

    One test you can do, if you have an actual Youtube account. First go to Invidious and watch some videos on a topic you never watched before. Then go to your actual Youtube account and see if the recommendation feed contain videos on that topic.

    • Zerush@lemmy.ml
      1·
      3 months ago

      Not neccesarly a privacy issue, same as Lemmy knows automaticly your log-in data, it’s called cookies which are stored locally with your account data and preferences (also cache, serviceworkers. history, local storage…). You can delete it (normally with Shift-Ctrl-Del appears an menu with all this, to delete it selectively), but then you have to enter again your nick and password to access the page.

    • lemmingsareawesome@sh.itjust.worksOP
      1·
      3 months ago

      1 yes both from youtube and invidious both not logged in 2 am i just the only person who uses invidious? 3 im not signed in and using tor or a vpn (ive heard using a vpn and tor is risky) 4 im using invidious offsifcal recomended trusted instances 5 im trying to get all websites to stop being able to connect everything i do and every device i own. i just use invidious to check if google can still know its still me (i havent got any improvments even though im using these so called very private tools) (i only get the tradeoffs, slower internet)

      • hirihit640@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        OK so let’s dig a bit deeper. What’s your primary operating system? You mentioned Tails and Whonix but personally I don’t think those are required to get the privacy you are looking for (though they certainly don’t hurt). What browser are you using?

        If your primary operating system is Linux, and you are sure you don’t have any proprietary spyware installed on your Linux OS, then try this:

        1. make sure you don’t have any Tor Browser windows open
        2. open a new Tor Browser window (make sure it uses default settings: no extra extensions, clear cookies on exit, etc. If you aren’t sure, re-install it)
        3. go to invidious and watch a few videos on a topic you have never watched before
        4. close Tor Browser
        5. open a regular browser and go to Youtube
        6. does Youtube recommend videos on the topic you just watched?
  • /home/pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    1·
    3 months ago

    I personally gave deleted my google account many years back. When I watch personal entertainment it’s on librewolf (on my linux computers) and grayjay (grapheneos phone). Although I do use vpn, even without vpn, from this setup there’s not really way google can track my phone videos from my desktop videos because phone videos are going through grayjay, every time I restart my computers librewolf kinda wipes the cache, maybe google can fingerprint that way but across different websites they don’t know my activities because I run ublock origin and privacy badger with all filter lists on, not to mention protonvpn’s tracking filter enabled