Comments: Why Google wants to replace Gmail
Google sells all the info in your e-mails to advertisers, tracks your every move and, if your visited a site to check out some item, ads for that and related products will be on pages you visit.
you need to remove Google as a browser and as a search engine. Stay away from IE too.
Posted by Vermont Woodchuck at November 1, 2014 4:31 AM
Great piece, there's not enough money in sites like gmail. They want everyone going to for pay data harvesting and info algorithm services like Facebook.
Posted by Christopher Taylor at November 1, 2014 8:04 AM
I use Tibetan Mind Control. How do you think these letters appeared on the page, Pony Express?
The Dracos use a similar system but since they have gills and live in an ammonia atmosphere the messages come out garbled. Witness this exchange where two Dracos are discussing meal plans:
"cheet chet?"
"chet, choo?"
As simple as plucking a chicken, as my uncle Letsgo always said.
Posted by chasmatic at November 1, 2014 8:06 AM
There's an app for that - for Chrome.
I haven't seen any of the sidebar tracking ads in years. I run 4 different browsers but Chrome is still the least hassle. Wish it wasn't so. I hate monopolies, unless it's mine.
Remember when gmail was by invitation only?
I was invited back about 1997 or 98.
Posted by ghostsniper at November 1, 2014 8:13 AM
People laugh at me because I still pay $20 a month to the dial up email provider I had ten years ago.
But, the company is more of less defunct, somebody maintains the email server but other than that I think they all went fishing. The service maintains my email account, does nominal virus scanning, blocks what I tell them to block and lets me create alias email addresses that I can use when I need them.
I use a lot of aliases, one for every business or government web page that demands a valid email address to do business. When my need for any of the addresses is done, I delete them. Facebook is still wondering where I went.
One of the reasons I comment here and not elsewhere, like Coyote's excellent site, is because of the Discus commenting engines of the webworld. Discus (in my short trial of it) allows you to be tracked and followed. If your commenting is on the conservative side, with Discus the liberal trolls can follow and dump their filth into any discussion you are having.
For $20 a month, it worth it.
Posted by Onthenorthriver at November 1, 2014 8:39 AM
Best alternative today, IMHO: get your own domain, set up your own mail server(s), use Thunderbird or some other local email client. No browser required, no third party email service required.
This is almost trivially easy (lots of online tutorials), and there's no need to actually create a web site if you don't wish to. Hosting cost for this is as low as $4/mo and domain registry is often included. See bluehost.com, for example, who's hosting provides unlimited email addresses on unlimited domains.
@Onthenorthriver - FYI, you can always set your Disqus account to Private if you don't like trolls stalking you.
Posted by AGoyAndHisBlog at November 1, 2014 11:51 AM
Well yeah, I've had my domain since the mid 90's, and mail server too, but I would never expose that to routine web stuff. That's what my (currently) 13 gmail trash accounts are for. Like Onthenorthriver, I use them as necessary and then shitcan em.
Posted by ghostsniper at November 1, 2014 3:00 PM
I'll check. They weren't doing that at the time I first tried it. I tried to find a way to hide.
Posted by Onthenorthriver at November 1, 2014 9:47 PM