Targeted Ads -- How Do They Know?

[Great-Kazoo]

Do you guys get the monthly emails from Google showing where you've been?

I don't know of any guy who gets monthly's . Maybe periodicals, but monthly', no.

[MrPrena]

How to get 25% off coupon code through AdvancedAuto.
When you login, you clock on the item and save it on the cart. Close the window.

X amount of minutes later, they send you 25% coupon on your email.

Yes, I do get more gooogle news based on the topic I get interested more.


Big 5 is STILL doing the targeted ad on Tennis ball pick up basket. lol

[Bailey Guns]

I use an Android phone, Google/Chrome everything. I have privacy filters set to filter the least amount of data I can. I rarely get these targeted ads...when I do it's for something I'm never interested in nor would I search for (kid stuff, etc...). I do use Amazon a lot and get lots of targeted ads from them based on browsing history. I ignore most of them.

I really hate how much of my information is leaked and stored by these companies. But I like their products.

[Irving]

I really hate how much of my information is leaked and stored by these companies. But I like their products.

Don't you love when they send you messages about paying for additional storage? I'm not going to pay for the pleasure of having even more of my data harvested.

[Bailey Guns]

If by "love" you mean "hate"...yes. I "love" it when they do that.

[Trigger Time 23]

What "The Great Hack" on Netflix.

[izzy]

I worked in the ad-tec industry for 6 years. Once my nda expires I can talk about this in detail. Just know that it's shady as hell.

[hollohas]

I have had this happen quite a bit. So has my wife. And other family.

We were once having a conversation while in Woodland Park about seeing a chiropractor in FtCo. Boom, an hour later, ads for chiropractors in northern CO. Nobody ever searched for or visited any chiropractors in FtCo...

Wife took the baby to the Dr. He got some cream for a rash. A free sample, not a Rx. I got home and asked her what he was given. She said "I don't remember what it's called but he got some cream for.." so-and-so rash that she described using the proper medical term. What do you know, I get ads for the exact name brand rash cream we were given. Nobody in the house ever used the web to search for or research the condition or the cream in ANY way. And no money was exchanged for it. NO way that's a coincidence.

And many examples too. But to be fair, I see many more ads for random stuff than I ever see that I think are targeted based on digital snooping (which there is no doubt in my mind exists in far greater reach than anyone will admit).

[Justin]

I've had this happen a number of times as well.

That said, you can minimize the intrusion with some effort. Don't use MS or Google browsers (e.g. Chrome, Edge, IE); stick to Firefox, Opera*, Brave or Vivaldi. Install ad blockers on your browsers like Privacy Badger or Adblock Plus. You can run script blockers, too, but in many cases this may break the functionality of a website.

Minimize time on Facebook and Messenger, and only use them through a browser rather than their native apps. If the apps are installed on your phone, uninstall them or use your system settings to put them in a suspended state.

If you really want to get down to it, Windows is compromised as well, so you're better off going with Mac OS or installing and using a flavor of Linux like Ubuntu or Mint.


*Opera is a nice browser, and has a functional and easy to use built-in VPN, but it is owned by the Chinese, so use with care.

[TFOGGER]

Facebook, Apple, and Google have all admitted to covertly recording, parsing, and even transcribing conversations recorded by phones, home automation devices, and even laptops computers, all in the name of "improving the customer experience". I'm sure many other companies are doing this as well. If you have any electronics in your life (even so called smart TVs), you have no real privacy. The claim that the data they gather is anonymized is pure bullshit as well.