(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
Capitalization and punctuation are a thing for a reason.
- use Ublock origin, cookie auto delete extensions
- Don’t use any Google or Meta services
- always browse in private or incognito mode
- clear your web history and cookies
- use a dns service like https://nextdns.io/ or https://mullvad.net/en/help/dns-over-https-and-dns-over-tls
- learn to use the shift key
tried all that. google and meta are hidden in websites. i dont want to complete not use them. i wont give up on trying to use them anonymousily. computers arent magic.
feels like i try all the “overkill crazy bottom of the iceberg” operating sytems aod browsers and extenstons but the only results im seeing is slower internet
thanks for the comment
You can’t “use meta anonymously”
websites arent magic. you can do it im sure but i dont know how. also it would probly be hard and no one would want to do that. im not a superhacker
anything that requires a login can’t be used anonymously.
Confirmed troll
“Connivance: the act of conniving or conspiring, especially with the knowledge of and active or passive consent to wrongdoing or a twist in truth, to make something appear as something that it is not.”
How can you lose the act of conspiring because of a browser?
I really think you need to proofread this.
Hello friend. You have a leak. Someone near you may be running an Alexa or something like that; perhaps you have a gf or mom who carelessly uses technology. Other people’s phones will spy on you and link it to your profile. However, most likely, you have a forgotten device that is feeding information. Perhaps you used Tinder, which gave it access to your location. Maybe you have to use Microsoft devices for your job.
Notwithstanding this, privacy profile fingerprinting is a thing. No one is running the exact same configuration that you are. This is why Mullvad tries to pass all their users as a single generic one with their browser. Even if this is successful, there is no anonymity possible once enough data points are collected; as for YouTube, it is pretty easy to determine which user is watching a certain combination of videos/creators. There aren’t that many people who browse in English, watch John Johnson’s cooking show for 10 minutes then switch to Jack Jackson’s car repair advice and click on the exact same corner of the screen. There could be a hundred of these but how many have the same internet connection speed? How many have the exact same mouse pointer movement speed (yes, they can see what part of the screen you’re hovering and capture your clicks and movement, and it’s all standard)?
The only way to deal with natural monopolies like YouTube and Reddit is to steal their content. Which you can’t do yourself unless you are very wealthy and have the protection of an adversarial government that does not consider this stealing.
my gf used to have an alexa but we got rid of it. i also tried mullvad but got the same results.
how do i stop it from tracking if we already got rid of it? (it was connected to the internet)
i also dont think its behavior fingerprinting since i see the videos on the very first page of the invidious instance.
how do i spoof my fingerprint and would it actually help? (ive tried chameleon for librewolf but it didn’t do anything. i checked by fingerprint on tools to check it and it says i have a generic fingerprint)
also if i steal the content theyll probly track me more so they cn sue me
I use a neat little foss app for android called faux.
It poisons your browsing data with random profiles and browser use.
Last time i accidentally saw an ad it wad for ladies underwear.
I am not a woman.
And i don’t wear underwear.
I also use graphene and have separate profiles (which means unique DEVICE ID).
The issue is likely that your hardware is leaking the fingerprint identifiable info. You can mitigate that with DNS blocking domains and ip that report telemetry data.
1 does it work for pc?
2 does graphene on any phone other than google pixel?
3 does framework leak data?
4 does tails/qubes(whonix vm) not protect against this?
thanks for the commmenq
I dont have all the answers, but i do have some (bad news first)
https://eclypsium.com/blog/bombshell-the-signed-backdoor-hiding-in-plain-sight-on-framework-devices/
https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/07/computer-maker-framework-notifies-all-customers-of-a-data-breach/
You can try to eliminate all potential surfaces but it does get tedious. https://www.w3.org/TR/fingerprinting-guidance/
I know certain GPU are major identifiers. Which ones, i don’t know.
Even using qubes or whonix is not a failsafe. One wrong setting and all pretense of privacy and anonymity is gone.
Hell, it could even be the modem/router you use if it comes from an ISP.
thanks for the comment
1 how do i make it secure/private?
1 if not what repairable laptop should i use?
2 i know but i was expecting at least a little privacy. the first thing i did when i got it was go to invidous. no different results
3 family wont like it if router/modem breaks
4 i dont want to rely completely on having a safe network because i might go to a friends house and you can not reasonably expect all of your friends to even switch what browser they use so you cant expect them to switch their entire network you will just be bullied
You’re welcome. I don’t know why people just downvote you. Maybe bots have entered the chat. Maybe you’re getting tracked through your voice.
I was talking about McDonald’s the other day and saying how I used to buy their regular hamburgers for $1 each and now they are like $3. I wanted to know exactly how much they cost now so I opened the McDonald’s app and a promo popped up for “buy 1 hamburger get 1 free”. It was the first thing that popped up on the screen. Was it a weird coincidence or audio data collection?
idk
how would you stop it? i noticed some strange things too i got recommended videos based on what ive said. i know audio data is collected but i think yours was a coincidence. it feels like i try every privacy thing but nothing works :(
thanks for the comment :)
Bluetooth connections? Things you plug your phone into? Cords you use to plug your phone into something. WiFi hotspots?
If they really want you, they will get you. I have a feeling data collection is constantly changing and it’s challenging to keep up. I’m not an expert in this at all though. Just ideas.
thanks for the comment it helps other ppl see this
i turn off bluetooth. I didnt want the post to be long and no one read it. i know bluetooth can be a problem but turning it off hasnt done anything. I dont use wifi hotspots either. i cant have a phone. i dont plug it in.
