How does Google Adds know so much?

[OliveSales]

I have conversations with friends and family all the time regarding the most random subjects. Once we had a conversation about a show called 'shameless' and my friends tried to get me to watch it. Couple hours later when I was browsing through Instagram I started seeing Ad's for Shameless.

I've had plenty of other times where just a conversation about something had Ad's start targeting me.

I think it's insane how this practice can be legal.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by OliveSales

I have conversations with friends and family all the time regarding the most random subjects. Once we had a conversation about a show called 'shameless' and my friends tried to get me to watch it. Couple hours later when I was browsing through Instagram I started seeing Ad's for Shameless.

I've had plenty of other times where just a conversation about something had Ad's start targeting me.

I think it's insane how this practice can be legal.

Read all the fine print in the terms of use for your apps. You agreed to the spying, you just didn’t know it at the time.

[locutus49]

I did the same and got ads for Tumi.

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

it is weird.

i googled blow up doll and got an ad for drones, rolex, and ikea.

its nuts i tells ya! nuts!

[vman]

All free products or services out there turn you into product. The Matrix was not sci-fi movie, it was a prophecy. You are not physically connected to an electric grid yet, but you mind feeds the economic machine of Google, Facebook, Amazon and the likes. Any time you get a free product or a service, think Google Chrome or a robust search engine, you pay with data which is really a piece of your mind.

The more free products you use, the more data you give up. For example, if you use Google Chrome while being signed into a Google account you’re a freaking money maker for Google. That’s why the company pushes so many free offerings. Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are not too far behind. Facebook will want you to give out as much information as possible for a “more personal experience” and Apple has no shame of essentially tying you to an ad identifier. Go to Settings->Privacy->Advertising on your iPhone if you don’t believe me. At least Apple is somewhat honest about it.

Now that you are fully hooked up, you provide hundreds of data points to all these companies. Each company will create a profile for you. The profile may not include your full name or other parameters that can easily identify you, but there will be an ID tied to a bunch of things that describe you. Ads that you see on the Internet tie to the profile. I am oversimplifying the process, but in general that is how it works.

When you volunteer your personal information along with your email, you become a golden nugget for some companies. They’ll be able to tie your personal information with your personal preferences and track you online. If you read some privacy policies, you’ll realize that you info, including things such as names and emails, may be up for sale. In other words, the web-browsing you is essentially a commodity. I suppose it may help you out in some cases when you want to do shopping. However, it may embarrass you when you screen share a web browser during a meeting and your co-workers see ads that target you.

So what can you do about it?

Be aware of what info companies collect about you. If you are okay with feeding Google tons of info in return for personalized ads, I suppose, good for you. If you are not a fan, try a different search engine like DuckDuckGo. On your mobile phone, download and use Firefox Focus, and always have burner email addresses for stuff you get on the internet. Also, use VPN or go to a coffee shop if you do not want to reveal the organization/location of your online activity. For example, if want to analyze a bunch of competitors’ sites, do it from Starbucks or Peet’s. By hiding your IP address or using a public location, you will prevent people who analyze traffic patterns from detecting the origin of your traffic.

[Ruud Van Driver]

Originally Posted by vman

All free products or services out there turn you into product. The Matrix was not sci-fi movie, it was a prophecy. You are not physically connected to an electric grid yet, but you mind feeds the economic machine of Google, Facebook, Amazon and the likes. Any time you get a free product or a service, think Google Chrome or a robust search engine, you pay with data which is really a piece of your mind.

The more free products you use, the more data you give up. For example, if you use Google Chrome while being signed into a Google account you’re a freaking money maker for Google. That’s why the company pushes so many free offerings. Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are not too far behind. Facebook will want you to give out as much information as possible for a “more personal experience” and Apple has no shame of essentially tying you to an ad identifier. Go to Settings->Privacy->Advertising on your iPhone if you don’t believe me. At least Apple is somewhat honest about it.

Now that you are fully hooked up, you provide hundreds of data points to all these companies. Each company will create a profile for you. The profile may not include your full name or other parameters that can easily identify you, but there will be an ID tied to a bunch of things that describe you. Ads that you see on the Internet tie to the profile. I am oversimplifying the process, but in general that is how it works.

When you volunteer your personal information along with your email, you become a golden nugget for some companies. They’ll be able to tie your personal information with your personal preferences and track you online. If you read some privacy policies, you’ll realize that you info, including things such as names and emails, may be up for sale. In other words, the web-browsing you is essentially a commodity. I suppose it may help you out in some cases when you want to do shopping. However, it may embarrass you when you screen share a web browser during a meeting and your co-workers see ads that target you.

So what can you do about it?

Be aware of what info companies collect about you. If you are okay with feeding Google tons of info in return for personalized ads, I suppose, good for you. If you are not a fan, try a different search engine like DuckDuckGo. On your mobile phone, download and use Firefox Focus, and always have burner email addresses for stuff you get on the internet. Also, use VPN or go to a coffee shop if you do not want to reveal the organization/location of your online activity. For example, if want to analyze a bunch of competitors’ sites, do it from Starbucks or Peet’s. By hiding your IP address or using a public location, you will prevent people who analyze traffic patterns from detecting the origin of your traffic.

I use a VPN more and more often nowadays.

Speaking of, I was getting annoyed with my previous provider so I did search for the best service for watching Netflix overseas. I found a review on the Tech Radar website and the best was one called NordVPN. What's really cool is that if you follow the link to NordVPN from the Tech Radar page, it offers a special deal for a two-year subscription for US$79. That's an absolute steal. For my fellow Brits, if you subscribe through iTunes then it's £79 a year.

Check it out; I'm not sure I'm allowed to post a link here so best I don't. However, it's not difficult to find if you put 'nordvpn review techradar' into your search engine.

[Toxicant]

So when are they going to figure out that I purchased that set of tires two months ago?