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Author Topic: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?  (Read 1148 times)

Mat

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Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« on: February 10, 2025, 06:06:05 PM »

Dear forum owners! ;)

I surfed the forum with Linux and uBlock right now, and recognized that google-analytics.com is taking our data from here. What for guys? May I kindly ask to kick out google-analytics? If you need just a simple feedback, take a own hosted Webalizer or similar please.
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rvense

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2025, 03:12:13 AM »

+1.

Is it being actively used for anything at all? Or is it just there?

Google aren't our friends.
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Jubadub

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2025, 06:48:38 AM »

google-analytics.com is taking our data from here

I'm assuming I'm just blind, but I'm having trouble finding any hint that the pages here have Google Analytics on them. Could you show us a screenshot of it or something? Would help to confirm the issue for people like me who just aren't noticing it. (Does it load only for the HTTPS version of the site?)
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smilesdavis

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2025, 09:57:21 AM »

google is a weapon of the regime (gulf of america). pls remove it.
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aBc

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google-analytics embedded?
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2025, 11:03:10 AM »

That is interesting Mat - and yes, a screenshot would be nice.

One might also Google: “Key reasons to use Google Analytics”.

Perhaps coincidental, but I have noticed an increase in junk mail
to my gmail address since the site’s transition last year.
(That’s the address I used initially to register with the site.) ;)
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IIO

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2025, 01:21:11 PM »

I'm assuming I'm just blind, but I'm having trouble finding any hint that the pages here have Google Analytics on them.

there is no embedded .js, no external .js in the sites html, and according to google analytics the site has not been tracked in any form.

furthermore i wonder why people who are afraid of it do not know how to check it and why they dont block it globally since it is used on every third website?
i just had to reboot to reach it, because it is blocked on all my computers. :)

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aBc

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google-analytics embedded
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2025, 02:32:47 PM »

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Jubadub

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Re: google-analytics embedded
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2025, 08:48:03 PM »

https://www.privacyaffairs.com/block-google-analytics/

Don't download Brave, though, various privacy and other issues with them. If not using Mac OS 9, then use LibreWolf or Ungoogled Chromium. Anything else is vomit or poison, including the very-much-backdoored Tor Browser.

EDIT:
Much of the reasoning for that can be found summarized here: https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/brave
« Last Edit: February 12, 2025, 10:25:34 PM by Jubadub »
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IIO

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Re: google-analytics embedded
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2025, 02:06:49 AM »

not sure if one can trust that specific extension, but opt-in has surely benefits compared to what i do: blocking everything in the hosts file.

they day will come you want either analytics or ads to work, and then you have no chance to disable the blocking. happens with links to shops to me regulary. :)
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Knezzen

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2025, 09:28:13 AM »

I don't use Google analytics and nothing like that is active. I can't speak for DieHard and if he used it when he had the site. Nothing in terms of analytics from "the outside" is being used here now.
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ssp3

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2025, 09:43:51 AM »

I don't see anything google-analytics related here either. I use OSX machine for browsing, have a bunch of stuff in hosts file (mostly Adobe related), use Little Snitch and uBlock. Everything is clean, just 1 connection, 0 blocked.

@Mat, maybe you have some "compromised", google related software on your machine?
« Last Edit: February 13, 2025, 10:17:26 AM by ssp3 »
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Mat

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2025, 02:18:43 AM »

Well, perhaps it is only a problem from my side, or better from Chromium, ...

Below you see that google analytics is clearly blocked by uBlock at macos9lives. This happens as well when I freshly restart Chromium webbrowser, always with deleted coockies! But when i use Firefox at this machine, uBlock does not report about google analytics. If there is no google analytics embedded, I havo to apologize (and wonder why the Chromium - not Chrome - is connecting to it, …).
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GaryN

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2025, 02:08:25 PM »

Well, perhaps it is only a problem from my side, or better from Chromium, ...

Below you see that google analytics is clearly blocked by uBlock at macos9lives. This happens as well when I freshly restart Chromium webbrowser, always with deleted coockies! But when i use Firefox at this machine, uBlock does not report about google analytics. If there is no google analytics embedded, I havo to apologize (and wonder why the Chromium - not Chrome - is connecting to it, …).

Maybe I'm missing something here…

You're using Chromium… a browser developed and maintained by Google and you can't understand why it has an affinity for Google Analytics?

Seriously?
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Mat

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #13 on: February 14, 2025, 04:04:21 PM »

Seriously?
Why do you think I wrote "Chromium not Chrome", also apologized and wondering, … no need to get that polemic.
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ssp3

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #14 on: February 14, 2025, 04:49:45 PM »

Mat, it could be the 'GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent' that Chrome and/or other of their software installs in Library folder. I have it unloaded and disabled on my machine. I don't know if it exists in Linux, though.
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GaryN

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #15 on: February 14, 2025, 07:02:01 PM »

Seriously?
Why do you think I wrote "Chromium not Chrome", also apologized and wondering, … no need to get that polemic.

Polemic? Hardly.

>>From Wikipedia…… Chromium (web browser):  the open source counterpart to Google Chrome

 Again, as I said: Maybe I'm missing something BUT what I read is that you're playing around with a Google-originated open-source web browser and you can't understand why it seems to "like" Google Analytics. That seems to me to be the equivalent of going out in the rain and wondering why you get wet.

So, once more I ask: Seriously?
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Jubadub

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #16 on: February 14, 2025, 07:30:03 PM »

Seriously?
Why do you think I wrote "Chromium not Chrome", also apologized and wondering, … no need to get that polemic.

Polemic? Hardly.

>>From Wikipedia…… Chromium (web browser):  the open source counterpart to Google Chrome

 Again, as I said: Maybe I'm missing something BUT what I read is that you're playing around with a Google-originated open-source web browser and you can't understand why it seems to "like" Google Analytics. That seems to me to be the equivalent of going out in the rain and wondering why you get wet.

So, once more I ask: Seriously?

Like @Mat repeated, it is implied this wasn't an issue in Chrome, which seems to be something you are indeed missing. Which is weird, as both are by Google, with Chrome being supposed to be even more malware-like.

Maybe in Chrome, it's so deeply embedded that it bypasses any plug-ins and won't even allow it to be detected within the browser, let alone block? (Wireshark and the like will still tell you, if so.)

In any case, I agree, using Chromium is literally asking for it (same for Firefox, or Brave, or PaleMoon, or just about anything else). Like I said, go for Ungoogled Chromium (that's a browser name). If on Windows, seek "Ungoogled Chromium Windows", if on Android, then "Ungoogled Chromium Android" etc..

OR BETTER YET... where's Classilla? :) Why Chromium?
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Bolkonskij

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Re: Why is google-analytics embedded into the forum?
« Reply #17 on: February 20, 2025, 10:13:44 AM »

Certain things in private life kept me from participating here for the past week and doh, this topic comes up.

As the person who wrote the current forum theme I can assure you that I'd deliberately kick out Analytics the second I'd see it! People who talked to me know how critical I am of the bloated modern spy web. Our place here should be like the web when it was good and accessible to everybody.

That said, there are a few JavaScripts inserted by the forum software itself, for stuff like the editor. If you've got JavaScript activated, you can use the editor buttons. You don't have to - they'll simply be left out if you deactivate JavaScript, and you can still post.

I prefer the no-JS approach myself and posting this from Classilla with no JavaScript activated. Removing these few scripts is beyond my scope of writing a retro-compatible forum theme, they affect all styles and themes from what I understand, and would require changes on the software itself. But these scripts are actually what JavaScript was once created for in good faith  - used cautiously in order to enhance a user's experience on a website. So I'd even argue for them to stay, also since they don't noticeably slow things down.

But friends, seriously now - why would anybody interested in collecting your data here? With what aim? Selling your data? To whom? Interest in Mac OS 9 is worthless from a marketing perspective (not a bad thing actually).

So while I can't talk for Knezzen, I highly doubt that under his leadership Mac OS 9 Lives will *ever* use any kind of analytics software from a third-party to track you. He is not out to earn money, as should be obvious, but to keep an amazing place for our community online. All done in his free time, paid by himself I'd like to add. (because he's probably too humble to brag about it himself)
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