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Author Topic: A real Halloween scare  (Read 786 times)

Jeremy McCreary

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A real Halloween scare
« on: October 31, 2021, 01:19:40 PM »

This morning, Kathy shopped for a new chandelier on the Lamps Plus website. I had nothing to do with it — she didn't even send me links to look at.

Meanwhile, I was on my phone reading a totally unrelated online page with the usual embedded ads. On the next scroll down, guess what? A Lamps Plus ad for chandeliers!!

Way scarier than any Halloween spook.
« Last Edit: October 31, 2021, 01:49:45 PM by Jeremy McCreary »
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Bill Wells

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Re: A real Halloween scare
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2021, 03:29:14 PM »

Yes, it has happened at our house. Nancy shopping for something on her computer. Unrelated, later I look for something on mine. I get a targeted ad for bedspreads!

Any ideas how this happens? Is it because we might have been shopping on Amazon, and we share the Prime feature? I also heard it might be based upon location, proximity.

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mailman

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Re: A real Halloween scare
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2021, 05:05:37 PM »

I told a friend of mine a story, while riding in his car.  Long story short, it involved an inherited antique sewing machine.  It was my mother's, then my sister's, and now mine.  It is an old Singer Feather Weight.  A couple of days later, he started getting ads on his phone for Singer Feather Weghts!  He wasn't even on his phone during the conversation, and has never looked up anything related to sewing machines.  His phone was listening to us, and targeted him with ads, based on a spoken conversation....
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Jeremy McCreary

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Re: A real Halloween scare
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2021, 05:17:36 PM »

Yikes!
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Texture

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Re: A real Halloween scare
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2021, 05:45:35 PM »

Internet cookies.  :P
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Jeremy McCreary

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Re: A real Halloween scare
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2021, 12:56:15 PM »

I've been told that they also push ads like this to other people at the same IP address, whoever they are.

But if they think I'm an influencer when it comes to my wife, the joke's on them.

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ortwin

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Re: A real Halloween scare
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2021, 01:01:07 PM »

Is your wife getting  "Foreverspin" ads? Maybe you should tell her that you don't want one of those for Christmas.
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Jeremy McCreary

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Re: A real Halloween scare
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2021, 01:07:54 PM »

Is your wife getting  "Foreverspin" ads? Maybe you should tell her that you don't want one of those for Christmas.

She is! But no worries about Christmas. Remodeling cost overruns have pretty much preempted all presents for both of us through 2022.
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jim in paris

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Re: A real Halloween scare
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2021, 10:01:58 AM »

Yep i confirm
The same story happened to mydauthers
They were discussing the project of buying a mountain bike 4 a friend

soon after that recieved ads and links to bike shops as if somebody had listened to their talks

Quite bizarre

🙁jim
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ta0

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Re: A real Halloween scare
« Reply #9 on: November 03, 2021, 10:53:33 AM »

Although I don't believe advertisers actually listen to conversations using phones (that could not be kept secret and would be a huge scandal), they do pick up any hints that you and your circle of friends leave on the internet. Years ago the big email providers scanned the text of emails for keywords to advertise, but that practice stopped (the government may still do it). In the modern world real privacy is almost non-existent.
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