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Weird or otherwise unexpected findings megathread

Off-Topic discussions about science, technology, and non Debian specific topics.
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n_hologram
Posts: 459
Joined: 2013-06-16 00:10

Weird or otherwise unexpected findings megathread

#1 Post by n_hologram »

Title reveals all: post some weird or unexpected findings. No pretenses or cover fee.

Recently, I learned that Android (in this case, LineageOS, though similar results were true on another device) likes to do everything in its power to maintain its OS fingerprint (Linux kernel 2.x-3.x). All the sysctl values that work on other Linux distros pretty much have no effect on it. Since Android answers to Google (and we know how much they love our data), it came as little surprise. Still, I find it pretty annoying. I'll be hitting up XDA in the days to come.

Testing for the information above led me to try a tcpdump analysis for any clues. (There weren't any.) Observing the tcp stream led me to discover another fun fact: DuckDuckGo is hosted on Amazon AWS. I've been noticing the once-obscure search engine popping up in the lists of default search engines for a variety of modern browsers, so I'm wondering if there's a causality driven by their parent company; while DDG might be the browser that "doesn't track you," it would in theory be pretty easy for their parent host to track whatever they can get, even if it's just your IP. Knowing that someone in 2018 is willing to use an alternative search engine (alternatives to the Google/Bing) could provide a marketer with invaluable customer data. Anyone who discredits the possibility as speculative Orwellian fiction need look no further than Cambridge Analytica.
bester69 wrote:There is nothing to install in linux, from time to time i go to google searching for something fresh to install in linux, but, there is nothing
the crunkbong project: scripts, operating system, the list goes on...


SlidingHorn
Posts: 31
Joined: 2018-03-26 15:38

Re: Weird or otherwise unexpected findings megathread

#3 Post by SlidingHorn »

Lysander wrote:I don't trust DuckDuckGo. I use Startpage, or Google behind a VPN.
+1 for StartPage. DDG is prettier, but StartPage respects my privacy more from every angle I've been able to research or read about.

n_hologram
Posts: 459
Joined: 2013-06-16 00:10

Re: Weird or otherwise unexpected findings megathread

#4 Post by n_hologram »

I've never had reason to distrust them til I saw their host. What else makes you skeptical?
bester69 wrote:There is nothing to install in linux, from time to time i go to google searching for something fresh to install in linux, but, there is nothing
the crunkbong project: scripts, operating system, the list goes on...

SlidingHorn
Posts: 31
Joined: 2018-03-26 15:38

Re: Weird or otherwise unexpected findings megathread

#5 Post by SlidingHorn »

n_hologram wrote:I've never had reason to distrust them til I saw their host. What else makes you skeptical?
Based on the laws of the countries in which they're headquartered, DDG (US) is less protected against requests for user information than SP (NL). While I'm not a lawyer, my understanding is that under Dutch privacy laws, governments cannot force a service provider to allow them to snoop on their users. Also, StartPage has gone on record (for whatever that's worth) to state that if that were ever to change "we would move or close shop"

(Source: http://securityspread.com/2016/10/24/du ... 16-update/)

n_hologram
Posts: 459
Joined: 2013-06-16 00:10

Re: Weird or otherwise unexpected findings megathread

#6 Post by n_hologram »

That makes sense. I've always admired SP's commitment to user privacy, even back when it was a pain using the search engine itself. (They've come a long way.)
bester69 wrote:There is nothing to install in linux, from time to time i go to google searching for something fresh to install in linux, but, there is nothing
the crunkbong project: scripts, operating system, the list goes on...

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debiman
Posts: 3063
Joined: 2013-03-12 07:18

Re: Weird or otherwise unexpected findings megathread

#7 Post by debiman »

SlidingHorn wrote:Based on the laws of the countries in which they're headquartered, DDG (US) is less protected against requests for user information than SP (NL). While I'm not a lawyer, my understanding is that under Dutch privacy laws, governments cannot force a service provider to allow them to snoop on their users. Also, StartPage has gone on record (for whatever that's worth) to state that if that were ever to change "we would move or close shop"

(Source: http://securityspread.com/2016/10/24/du ... 16-update/)
changing default engine from ddg to SP...

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