Don't Track My Web Browsing and Shopping, Please

 Powered by Admiral--I see this a lot.  I have Firefox' Tracking Protection set to Strict.  I'm fine with seeing advertising.  I just don't want it following me everywhere I look.

In the last year, I have removed bookmarks for several websites because they allow tracking advertising.  I couldn't care less about seeing advertising, although I'd prefer something that doesn't sap the life out of my machine.  In the days of Flash, we were inundated with animated advertising and I'm glad it's mostly gone.  I don't deal with Facebook at all, because they make money from your information, and they gladly share it with scumbags.

E.G., the co-owner of the house needed my help with some perfume she was trying to buy through Amazon, through Facebook.  The perfume was US$19.99, so she was buying two.  Facebook gladly supplied her address, but didn't have her credit card.  The website pretending to be Amazon said that the card had expired.  We had just placed an Amazon order a day or two prior to that.

I pulled up the perfume on the Amazon app to find that it was US$150.00.  I had some trouble shutting down the scam, but eventually got rid of it.

I apologized for my insistence and brusqueness, but I really wasn't happy that someone almost got her information.

I don't mind that a site needs advertising to keep it going.  Maybe, I might even buy something through one of the adverts.  Still, if you want to force me, or follow me, forget it.  I have no need to visit a website that has shaky moral fiber.  If they're unwilling to look at what they're presenting to the public, they probably aren't worth the visit.

Update 2023.11.24: Rakuten has complained about my adblocker.  I don't have one, but I have the anti-tracking bits.  If I have to be tracked to get cash rebates, forget it.

Update 2024.02.20: Rakuten is working again on some sites, without my changing settings.  A photographic web site has apparently switched completely to tracking advertisements and I don't see any advertisements, but they're complaining.  The site administration chose them.  I didn't.  I get that they want more money, but when you're not providing information much any longer, and mostly just providing ways to get money from clicks, you might want to be prepared for the effects of your actions.

Google pushing Google+, through YouTube this time

Is this their way of trying to knock down Facebook?  They push users into Google+, as they did earlier when requiring you to take Google+ to get a mail account.

I posted my first YouTube video (a car dealer did the free 20,000 mile service but a defective part or their fat fingers apparently caused a massive fuel leak and they didn't notice it--or replenish the fuel after "solving" the issue) but when I went to the web interface, it told me that it was "upgrading" my experience.  It wanted to change my name and other characteristics to be compatible with Google+.  I clicked that I was fine with the current name and tried to continue.  I was told that I had to tick the box saying that I was fine with Google+ terms and conditions.

I already had Google+ and didn't like it.  I don't want to be a Google fanatic.  I don't want to listen to Google fanatics.  I don't want to listen to Apple fanatics, either.  I don't like fanatics!!!  :-D

I can see where I'm going to have to rid myself of this blog, as well as the YouTube account, my e-mail account, and everything else Google, if I want to continue.  Gaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!1111oneoneone

If Google is the salvation of humanity, why can't they just let me save myself?  Join!  Join!  Join!

It's not that I hate Google.  In fact, I appreciate that they've been pushing both Microsoft and Apple to do better.  I tried their 2012 Nexus 7--actually two of them--and returned them both, but was thankful that the experience with Android 4.x was so much better than 2.x.

Update 2013.11.07: I ended up submitting to Google to change my name on YouTube, which they took as free rein to add Google+ to my Google account.  Gee, thanks.  Now, they can say that they have another Google+ user during their next numbers boasting speech.  I won't be using Google+ though.

I'm as upset with Apple recently turning off synchronization of Contacts within iTunes on (Mac) OS X 9.x, which is part of the reason I'm slow to adopt new operating system versions.  Of course, while re-writing the iWork apps, they threw out functionality, as they did with Final Cut Pro X.  They have mostly redeemed themselves with the additions to Final Cut Pro X, but iWork is being given away with new machines.  They want feature parity across (Mac) OS X and iOS but they can't or won't add to the iOS versions.