Gemini is already creeping me out with all the personal information Google is injecting into the AI context. So far I’ve seen my name, location and if I remember right, which vehicle I drive. Who knows what else is in there. I use DDG whenever I can, but sometimes a Google search is the only way to actually find something, so I see the Gemini junk as I’m scrolling down.
Is there any way to have that info deleted and no longer collected or used by Google? Or is that kind of thing only for the lucky people in Europe?
Thanks! I think I prefer startpage.com (which I only just learned about due to this thread) because it doesn’t redirect to google.com. But this is also good to know about just in case.
You can use startpage. It just proxies your searches to google, so you get the same results as a direct google search. I think you can also use !g on DDG.
EDIT: Tried it and it just redirected to google.com. I was hoping it would have kept me on DDG for privacy and just presented a first page of results or something like that.
EDIT 2: Startpage is great! This will be my go-to when DDG doesn’t work out.
I use DDG whenever I can, but sometimes a Google search is the only way to actually find something
Do you have an example of something you had to use Google for because you couldn’t find it with DDG?
Edited to add, four replies later and no specific examples. I am not trying to shill for DDG or anything here, I’m trying to get real, specific examples.
Asking for unnecessary specifics and details is usually a sign not that the person wants to be helpful but that they disagree and are looking for ammunition to argue and feel superior. Ultimately the exchange becomes a waste of everyone’s time, as the person inevitably becomes rude, condescending and argumentative. Basically, some people online think they’re smarter than everyone else, or at least want to project that. They believe they have the only valid argument and they’re going to prove it to the world and probably think that they’ve won because they had the last word when in reality everyone left because they realized the person was not arguing in good faith. I’m not claiming you’re that type of person, but I suspect that’s why nobody is giving you specifics.
I don’t see how it’s unnecessary to get more details about why something wasn’t working for them.
I also hate that everything online is considered an argument these days. No one just has conversations. Lemmy and reddit don’t help in that regard with up and downvotes encouraging group think.
Anyway, this is a huge tangent and not on topic, my bad.
I agree with you that online conversations are rare these days. Just my personal opinion but social media isn’t usually great for conversations. It’s better for shallow comments, drive-by’s, and echo chambers. Social media also tends to steer toward blind comments, so there is a lot of repetition. Forums seem to be better for conversations because there’s often a emphasis on reading the entire thread before commenting, there is more moderation, and also because they tend to accrue replies more slowly. However if a thread becomes too long then forums break down too, so nothing is perfect.
I tried switching to ddg several times over the last decade or so and always gave up because of issues like this, especially with technical or obscure topics. Recently started paying for Kagi and do not have the same issues at all there. The results are good and nicely presented without ads. Of course, on the flip side it’s pretty expensive.
Not OP, but its true. There have been times I’ve searched and tweaked like 7 times. Go to google with my original text and its the first link. This is not common though.
Gemini is already creeping me out with all the personal information Google is injecting into the AI context. So far I’ve seen my name, location and if I remember right, which vehicle I drive. Who knows what else is in there. I use DDG whenever I can, but sometimes a Google search is the only way to actually find something, so I see the Gemini junk as I’m scrolling down.
Is there any way to have that info deleted and no longer collected or used by Google? Or is that kind of thing only for the lucky people in Europe?
EDIT: Found it here: https://myactivity.google.com/product/gemini?hl=en-US
Oh no!
What ever will they do without my data!?
If you really want to use Google but without the Gemini junk, &udm=14 is your friend
Thanks! I think I prefer startpage.com (which I only just learned about due to this thread) because it doesn’t redirect to google.com. But this is also good to know about just in case.
You can use startpage. It just proxies your searches to google, so you get the same results as a direct google search. I think you can also use !g on DDG.
I’ll have to try out
!g, thanks a lot!EDIT: Tried it and it just redirected to google.com. I was hoping it would have kept me on DDG for privacy and just presented a first page of results or something like that.
EDIT 2: Startpage is great! This will be my go-to when DDG doesn’t work out.
Do you have an example of something you had to use Google for because you couldn’t find it with DDG?
Edited to add, four replies later and no specific examples. I am not trying to shill for DDG or anything here, I’m trying to get real, specific examples.
Asking for unnecessary specifics and details is usually a sign not that the person wants to be helpful but that they disagree and are looking for ammunition to argue and feel superior. Ultimately the exchange becomes a waste of everyone’s time, as the person inevitably becomes rude, condescending and argumentative. Basically, some people online think they’re smarter than everyone else, or at least want to project that. They believe they have the only valid argument and they’re going to prove it to the world and probably think that they’ve won because they had the last word when in reality everyone left because they realized the person was not arguing in good faith. I’m not claiming you’re that type of person, but I suspect that’s why nobody is giving you specifics.
Wouldn’t have mentioned anything but you did ask.
I don’t see how it’s unnecessary to get more details about why something wasn’t working for them.
I also hate that everything online is considered an argument these days. No one just has conversations. Lemmy and reddit don’t help in that regard with up and downvotes encouraging group think.
Anyway, this is a huge tangent and not on topic, my bad.
I agree with you that online conversations are rare these days. Just my personal opinion but social media isn’t usually great for conversations. It’s better for shallow comments, drive-by’s, and echo chambers. Social media also tends to steer toward blind comments, so there is a lot of repetition. Forums seem to be better for conversations because there’s often a emphasis on reading the entire thread before commenting, there is more moderation, and also because they tend to accrue replies more slowly. However if a thread becomes too long then forums break down too, so nothing is perfect.
DDG’s search is pretty bad
I tried switching to ddg several times over the last decade or so and always gave up because of issues like this, especially with technical or obscure topics. Recently started paying for Kagi and do not have the same issues at all there. The results are good and nicely presented without ads. Of course, on the flip side it’s pretty expensive.
Not OP, but its true. There have been times I’ve searched and tweaked like 7 times. Go to google with my original text and its the first link. This is not common though.
I’m really curious where things fall short for people. I haven’t used Google for years at this point, and I don’t miss it.
For me, I !g sometimes when I’m searching for specific gifs, and DDG isn’t getting me the results I need. For the most part, that’s it.
https://myaccount.google.com/