Privacy: Why Use GoogleTagManager Here?

[Tax Cow]

Hello,

Offshorecorptalkforum.com loads up an instance of GoogleTagManager. Is this not a privacy concern? I find it odd especially because the slogan of the forum is "Internet Privacy Matters".

Google Tag Manager is basically Google Analytics 2.0 that feeds user activity information to website admins, but also to Google the company. Anything available to Google the company is available to tens of thousands of their employees, and the US government.

While many of us come here via Tor, VPNs, compromised nodes, phony online identities, etc. - there's still quite a bit of risk involved. Via Javascript, Google Tag Manager polls for hardware ID's, the device ID, the device's screen size, browser's User-Agent, operating system, IP address, cookies and offline files, and much more! Each variable by itself is almost worthless, but combined together, they can lead to ultimate identities behind anonymous users with a very high accuracy.

I'd prefer to see it go. What are your thoughts?

 

[noticojaru]

If you're using Tor, what's your concern?

Besides, even without Tor, AdBlock blocks Google Tag Manager

 

[Tax Cow]

@noticojaru

It's about internet privacy and protecting users who aren't prepared.

Also, Google no longer uses user data solely for add monetization and new products, in which case I wouldn't have a problem.

Sharing information with the government on request, for any purpose, for any reason, is a big no-no. The current US government is interested in economy, and re-election, but what about the next? And the next one after that? Afaik, Google now replicates user data straight on the US government servers in the scope of "intelligence gathering". Not even a request for information is required, much less a court order, to get access.

Such powers will be abused eventually. It's our job as online businessmen, and the job of admin of this forum to prevent the cancer from spreading. Let Google collect information from their own products and services, not from our websites.

 

[Tax Cow]

Interested to hear GTM "success stories" where more profit was made based on tag manager's data. It's just pure big brother stuff that won't help anyone but the add networks. Discussion boards and forums are the last place where such tools make business sense.

 

[Sols]

PrivacyTools.io is a website with tools and tips for how you can make yourself almost untraceable!

Ideally, combine it by running your traffic through a Pi-Hole: Home But that's quite advanced.

Trackers will still try to get your information but you can make any data they manage to collect about you as useless as possible. If they can't connect the dots, the individual data points are nearly worthless.

Nowadays, the ads I get (and that aren't blocked) have nothing to do with my interests or search history, which I interpret as the data Google et cetera collecting about me being incorrect or useless, unless it's based on my usage within that particular app or website, which blocking trackers can't always prevent.

 

[Gediminas]

I wouldn't stress that much about the tag manager. I believe a big portion of visitors of this site are people who actually don't care how to hide their identity because that's not their intention. If some big fish is hiding seriously, most likely he won't come here directly at all.

For the other part of visitors, who are playing with darks, etc - these are way too small players even to start a serious investigation where GTM would be in question. And if they started - it would be impossible to hide even with TOR, VPN's, etc. Just hiding your IP/hardware info with some tools won't change much.

If the tag manager will increase the quality of the platform service - I would be more than happy about it.

 

[ontherun]

I found this to be unnecessary for a long time but I didn't want to be the first one to write about it. Also, why do we need valid e-mail addresses? it shouldn't matter what our e-mail is, or even if it exists or not. But that's just my thinking

 

[Sols]

Speaking from experience of running or moderating online communities (small to large), email verification helps weed out a huge number of spammers, spambots, and undesirable members. You still get them, but you get a fraction of a fraction of what you otherwise would.

 

[noticojaru]

but I didn't want to be the first one to write about it.

Why?

 

[noticojaru]

Trackers will still try to get your information but you can make any data they manage to collect about you as useless as possible. If they can't connect the dots, the individual data points are nearly worthless.

Nowadays, the ads I get (and that aren't blocked) have nothing to do with my interests or search history, which I interpret as the data Google et cetera collecting about me being incorrect or useless, unless it's based on my usage within that particular app or website, which blocking trackers can't always prevent.

what trackers? what ads? You've never heard of AdBlock?

 

[Sols]

what trackers? what ads? You've never heard of AdBlock?

If you took the time to read both my posts in this thread, you would know the answer to your unnecessarily sarcastic questions.

 

[JohnLocke]

Thank you, OP. for your thoughts and also thanks to the participating members here.

First of all, if there is something you want to have changed the proper forum is here Forum News, Announcements and suggestions. to post about it. If that does not help you can use the contact us form and suggest changes.

On the other hand, it's a good discussion about privacy and it does not harm the forum.

We are well aware of that some forum users around have a hidden agenda and want this forum taken down. We know some people here try the "propaganda model" to hurt the forum while other try to rape OffshoreCorptalk.com!! And that's why we keep tracking information to get a picture of what is going on and which user with bad intentions are around.

There are some good suggestions already in the thread in regards to hide your identity, so use them. All of us know very well (and specially OP that has these concerns) that Google Analytics will not compromise your privacy more than if we don't had it here if you take your precautions as already suggested in this thread. There are so many other factors I would be more concerned about in regards to privacy then Google analytics! We work each day on changing to the good and increase privacy for all, but at the end of the day this is a public forum, don't forget that important point.