is there a way to decrypt google cookie contents? (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 2 weeks ago by reksas@sopuli.xyz to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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Is there? I want to know what kind of stuff they are storing on my computer so I can know if i should do anything about it.

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[-] BioMyth@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 weeks ago

Most cookies don't store any data themselves. Instead it is a session/device token that tells googles servers what device is connecting and then they look up the data they have about you server side. Cookies can store more than that situationally but that is the most common use.

To get what data Google has on you check out Google takeout and you can get a "full" export of what data has been gathered.

[-] reksas@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 weeks ago

what about the encrypted traffic different programs send/recieve on my computer? is it possible to decrypt that?

[-] boreengreen@lemm.ee 3 points 2 weeks ago

In general, they collect anything and everything they can get their hands on. So limiting their access, as much as possible, is the way to go.

[-] reksas@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 weeks ago

well, that ship sailed long ago since i have used windows. fortunately i'm switching to linux when my new computer is ready

[-] BioMyth@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 weeks ago

Wireguard could be helpful if you used a SSL terminating proxy in front of it but then you have to know the data format to parse it. So unless you are a researcher it is a long path ahead of you without any OOTB tools to do it for you.

[-] reksas@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 weeks ago

hmm, good to know

[-] gazter@aussie.zone 9 points 2 weeks ago

My understanding is that cookies were generally just used as a fingerprint- it's just a unique ID that is used to tie your device to their database, which is where the information is kept.

this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2025

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