Hello internet, goodbye privacy. Fighting tracking cookies seems hopeless.

[Sarah]

I don't like being spied on and having my behavior recorded, even if
my name is not attached, which, to tell you the truth, I'm pretty
dubious about.

I've been watching what cookies are getting set by having firefox ask
each time a cookie gets put on. People have suggested things like host
files and other approaches.

But there is just no way to get by on the internet without letting
very large companies monitor you all they want.

Ebay will not work if you do not accept cookies. You can click the 10
or 11 times to approve cookies each time you click a link in Ebay. But
if you refuse one, Ebay stops working. You either let them install
whatever cookies they want, or don't use Ebay.

Google bought Doubleclick, the worst of the companies, with a history
of selling tracking information linked to real identities with social
security numbers, and so on. What is the chance Ebay will stop
Doubleclick from insiduously inserting itself on our machines whether
we like it or not? Is the alternative to refuse to use Google?

On the one hand we'll have people looking for ways to stop cookies and
invasion of privace with meager tools and political movements, and on
the other hand have Google and other companies throwing their multi-
million dollar IT development departments at harvesting us like wheat,
and multi-billions at buying the rights to the airwaves, or whatever
is the equivalent in the digital age.

Money corrupts. Money talks.

 

[Sarah]

Actually, since the government subpoenaed private record of users'
searches on Google, I guess Google does not store data about us
anonymously, it is linked to our identities. I wonder if they sell it
like that.