Browser privacy when logged into Google account

[Duncan113]

So let's say you're pretty well set for browser privacy by using a browser like Firefox or Tor, then installing HTTPS Everywhere and other plug-ins, using NordVPN and so on, but then you visit YouTube or the Play store and are logged into your Google account. At that point, do all the privacy measures you've taken matter? I mean inasmuch that even if you've hidden yourself as well as possible, you are now associated with a particular Google account, at which point you might as well have handed your bio to whomever's interested. Can anyone confirm? And if so, how can I use YouTube and the Play store without this problem?

 

[asheesh1_2000]

Your suspects are correct. The moment you logged in, your privacy goes out the window. That is like wearing a hijab and handing over your visiting card. You are still secure and have a bit of privacy if you are using Ignoto mode or TOR, as third parties cannot install cookies etc, but to the second party which is Google, you are visible. The moment you logged in, Google knows and started recording whatever you did from there on.

 

[brianfuller82]

I recently installed Epic Privacy Browser, which is a free browser that uses proxies (though it claims it is free VPN) where you can switch this protection on or off and choose from about 10 locations (US West Coast, UK, Canada, Germany, India, etc). It does seem to work nicely and conceals your IP pretending that you are located at your chosen location. However, this can create issues with such service providers as Google, Yahoo, etc. If you log in from a different IP than usual, you will be busted right away and you will have to verify your account either via mobile phone (getting a code) or via email. Not to mention the fact that the simple fact that you are using different locations could again raise the red flag in other contexts as well. I do believe that these services like Facebook do much more data collection on us than we dare to believe. But these are only based on my experiences. I am sort of new to this VPN idea, too. Yet, I'm sure that it is better to be consistent with you location and IP address whenever visiting the same site. Hope this helps.