(this is my first post im new) ive noticed something no one seems to have a problem with. do you have this problem to? am i just doing something wrong?

i use a privacy friendly browser plus a privacy friendly os and use fingerprint spoofer/blocker. i watch videos on invidious. i noticed that the “popular” tab shows videos related to videos i watched before. even if i clear my cookies, or change my idenity in (offiscial) tor browser i still get recommended related videos meaning no matter what i do google knows what i watch. whats worse, if i go on invidious on a totally different device with a normal broswer normal os, i get the same videos. meaning websites know what videos i watch across multiple sessions but also multiple devices. im sick of this. it feels like i’ve tried everything, sacrificed so much connivence but no results.

(this isn’t a question spefecifically about youtube google or invindious just how to get webisites to stop knowing everything i do across multiple identities and every device i use)

Things I tried

*Proton vpn+librewolf(max security according to settings)+nosircpt+Ublock(with the filters it comes with)+ officisal recommended invidious instances+Quad9 via settings

*Tails+Tor browser(max security settings apprentaly)+default bridge+no javascirpt+fingerprint spoofing estendsion+bluetooth disabled by tails+all the previous mentioned (exculding vpn i heard its risky)+invidious again (Tails doesn’t work well for me the police are not after me and it takes so long to start and presisent stoarage is annoying)

*Qubes+Whonix vm+Tor browser(max again)+no javascript (I love and hate qubes from my first impression it meets my security needs and you can run any os in a vm on it but i wish it just worked. theres a steep learning curve and my hardware isn’t the best for it)

No results on any of these just slower internet and some websites are broken. Its just like using a normal browser that tracks you but slow as a privacy one. im getting tired of this. i use all this super deep level paranoid overkill stufff and nothing happens. like im burning my house to get rid of a spider but the spider is still there

possible causes

-google wireless access point (does qubes/whonix/tor NOT protect against this at all??) (also my family HATES any changes or mild inconveniences)

-i logged in to google without a vpn **ONCE **does this automatically doom you forever **even ** if you change os and browser and device?

-hardware is framework laptop

for clairtiy

I am not -a criminal -a journalist -a gooner -willing to go off grid in the woods I am -creeped out -tired -about to give up

My privacy goals

-be able to actually cut ties with my shadow profile and have websites not know everything ive done in my life -control what data brokers and compaines knsw -not have any website at all know every device i use -be able to use any network safely

I feel like giving up on privacy because nothing seems to work. the only results I get is slower more broken internet

  • lemmingsareawesome@sh.itjust.worksOP
    1·
    38 minutes ago

    i do use other devices. theyre the same. its creepy that google knows every device i own and what i watch no matter what i do. i use invidious to test if google is still tracking me and its always the same result.

    • Mauve@programming.dev
      1·
      9 minutes ago

      I’m not sure how to word this differently other then again saying that the Invidious popular tab should be the same for all your devices, all my devices, and everyone’s devices since the base Invidious is open source, claims to not track its users, and the popular page is built from what everyone on that instance watches.

      The entire point of Invidious is to completely remove the direct google connections when users watch videos so assuming your instance is not some kind of google honeypot… for almost all intents and purposes google cannot track you when you use Invidious especially if you’re on a secure browser behind a vpn and if they could they would not reveal their hand to you in such an obvious mundane way. Most websites are made for people not actively trying to avoid tracking so just hitting the private browsing or incognito buttons is almost always enough to make that kind of obvious tracking go away even if the underlying server or a chrome browser phoning home is still 100% confident of your identity.