(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

  • patt_phenis@lemmy.ml
    2·
    2 days ago

    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.

    • lemmingsareawesome@sh.itjust.worksOP
      1·
      2 days ago

      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