google docs infects html exports with spyware

submitted by ActuallyNot from (fosstodon.org)

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[–]ID10T 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Tracking links are bullshit but they are not spyware. Spyware is software installed on your device. These are just links that create a data trail back to the original creator of the webpages.

[–]ActuallyNot[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Spyware is software installed on your device

They're not installed.

But they collect information about all the people who use the links, and send it to an external entity. (Google).

Some people would say that that meets the definition of spyware.

These are just links that create a data trail back to the original creator of the webpages.

No, not to the creator of the pages. To Google.

[–]ID10T 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

That's what I meant, the tracking links will allow Google to associate the clicks with the user that created the webpages.

Some people would say that men can be women, but they can't. The definition of spyware is software installed on a user's device to surreptitiously track a user's activity. This does not fall under that definition. While creating tracking links without the user's knowledge is shitty behavior, the title is still hyperbolic.

[–]ActuallyNot[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Some people would say that men can be women, but they can't.

What's your transphobia got to do with this?

[–]Myocarditis-Man 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Regarding the guy saying he's shocked they would go that far.

When it comes to tracking you, big tech is doing all of the things you can think of, and also plenty of shit you haven't thought of yet. (as demonstrated here)

Being sneaky is what big G is all about. For example go do a search there right now and right-click on a result, copy it to the clipboard and notice that what you get isn't the actual link, it's a link that has been wrapped/encased in a manor that lets them know which result you click on.

[–]SoCo 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I likely have failed OpSec due to this. Doing this is a massive shit-eating and dangerous betrayal of spyware injection, no matter how you look at it. I'm glad that I'm trying to completely cut of NSA-Google and their murder machine.

Luckily I'm not a Chinese dissident, or it may have costs me my life..but with the way the US is going, it may well cost me it just the same.