Show HN: Kill Analytics | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Kill Analytics

hello-kill.github.io

21 pointstempacc3217 comments

This seems pretty neat, but is it even legal? At what point does something like this become an actual crime (unauthorized computer access)? Sending fake data seems like automated hacking.

Don't get me wrong. I like this. I think that tracking and pervasive analytics are a net loss for society.

I don't see how it's illegal.. there's no unauthorized access. The analytics servers open a port for the browser to send data to. This extension sends data to it.

It's the servers problem that it trusts the data that the frontend sends to it.

At least in US courts, this line of reasoning does not save the defendant in a hacking case IIRC.

- A chrome extension

- Sends fake data through chrome (a google arm)

- To google analytics (a google arm)

- To ruin googles data (its core business)

You tell me whether that's going to work at scale.

Yeah, the Chrome store policies (https://developer.chrome.com/webstore/program_policies) do include a note that almost certainly kills this:

"We don't allow content that harms or interferes with the operation of the networks, servers, or other infrastructure of Google or any third-parties."

I think Chrome Extension distribution outside the Chrome store is more or less blocked, so that's that.

A FireFox version would probably be fine though, assuming this doesn't actually break any laws (IANAL, but I'd be surprised).

Alternatively, you could build exactly the same thing as a standalone program on your computer that does this as a local proxy, or even by building something like pi-hole (https://pi-hole.net/), to automatically break analytics data from everybody on your network.

Mirror: https://web.archive.org/web/20161024140001/https://hello-kil...

This is a really cool idea! I do find it a bit ironic that it's a Chrome extension though (because Chrome is made by Google, probably the biggest threat to privacy in human history). If it were a Firefox extension, I'd use it.

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