They are listening to us . Internet Ads

[scaleface]

My son told me that the internet listens to us when we talk . I really did not believe him so did an experiment. I talked about getting some new tires, we had enough money and needed new ones... When I logged onto bassresource there was a Goodyear tire ad at top and on the side. Ok , that doesnt prove anything , so I changed the conversation to getting a new car. Logged back on bass forums and there was a Ford advertisement, Went to a weather site and there was  Kia. Mazda on Youtube . Back to Bass Forum and there was Chevrolet. I dont know what to think about that.

 

Back to Bassresource and there is Kia and Yukon Denali ads. This was done on a laptop . 

I'm not complaining about ads but dont like the idea of being eavesdropped on .

[Tennessee Boy]

I’ve heard things like this before but I’ve never witnessed it.   I can say for sure that the Internet does not have ears.   It’s possible that there is software on your computer that is listening to you and showing you ads based on what it hears.   If you’re certain this is happening then I would be very concerned.  I had a coworker that suspected that the Facebook phone app was doing this.  His evidence was pretty convincing.   They got a cat and named it Bora.  They started getting ads about vacations to Bora Bora.

[Catt]

Seriously ya think that just started?

 

That's been going on for years even before the World Wide Web!

 

Ever heard of Ma Bell 

[scaleface]

Just now, Catt said:

Seriously ya think that just started?

 

That's been going on for years even before the World Wide Web!

 

Ever heard of Ma Bell 

Call me naïve but yeah. 

[Tennessee Boy]

11 minutes ago, Catt said:

Seriously ya think that just started?

 

I’m pretty confident that no one is listening to me.   I use Apple computers and mobile devices that give me lots of control over what software can access.  I’ve installed other software that gives me detailed control of the internet traffic on my computer.  That said it all comes down to trust.  I have a device plugged into the wall 5 feet from where I’m setting that was paid for by my insurance company and is supposed to monitor the electrical system for potential dangers.  It is connected to the internet and could be listening to sounds and listening to internet traffic.  They would be violating their privacy agreement and would be committing a crime if they did so but it’s possible.

[scaleface]

Experiment number three. Sex toys. I started talking about how all our sex toys are wore out , old and smelly. LOL then started visiting websites . Havent got any sex toy ads yet but the first one on Youtube was for erectile dysfunction. 

[MN Fisher]

That's what ad blockers are for - except BR now has a little popup if you're running one that nags you about it....

 

And yes, I've seen 'sex' ads here....and I don't visit sex sites, so it's random.

[813basstard]

42 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Experiment number three. Sex toys. I started talking about how all our sex toys are wore out , old and smelly. LOL then started visiting websites . Havent got any sex toy ads yet but the first one on Youtube was for erectile dysfunction. 

Bro….🫣☠️☠️

 

Post of the Year

[Jar11591]

This is especially true with destinations. I could mention to my girlfriend that I think we should visit Mogadishu. An hour later online I’d be getting ads for the Somalian Tourism Bureau. 

[scaleface]

I'm 5 for 5 now. Talked about dog food and got Pet Smart ads. Talked about Tractor Supply and got herbicide ads. 

[12poundbass]

7 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I'm 5 for 5 now. Talked about dog food and got Pet Smart ads. Talked about Tractor Supply and got herbicide ads. 

Here’s test number six for you.

 

Talk about kidnapping the president and see how long before your door gets knocked down! 😂

[Catt]

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

Call me naïve but yeah. 

 

Ma Bell was not only listening but recording you! They got in all kind of trouble for it but only after they gave the recordings to congress. 

[flyfisher]

This is nothing new and has been going on for well over a decade.  I turn off microphone access so the only targeted ads i get are if I am searching for soemthing which sets the algorithm in action.  Of course then there are the random ones too that are always comical.  I'll take targeted ads any day of the week if I am in the process of trying to purchase something.  Many times they have deals and thigns that are solid.

 

[Catt]

Think about it 🤔 

 

Since the 60s most homes had a telephone connected to a land line. How hard do you think it would be for someone to "tap" into that line? 

 

Ever seen a lineman in the middle of nowhere & wonder what he was doing?

 

The Harwell Dekatron was the first working computer, it first ran in 1951.

 

So yeah this just started 🤣

[Team9nine]

If its got a speaker, you’re being listened to at some point regardless of settings or agreements. “Oops, it accidentally got turned on due to a flaw in a recent update. Our bad. All fixed now.” 😉  You see these ‘accidents’ reported all the time in the news. 

 

[gim]

I see ads for items that I've recently searched for.  I recently looked at the engine specs for a Rav4 and sure enough there was a bunch of car ads on the next website I used.

[JohnFromLisbon]

Targeting is pretty much standard in online ads. Usually done via a unique identifier on your phone, but this can be done by fingerprinting your device, like your IP, the unique combination of your laptop/phone model and OS version, browser version, add ons and selected options. The latter can be an approximation, but still pretty accurate.

 

By the way, you guys living in CA, VA, UT, CT, and CO have an option to "opt out" on targeted ads, or at least should have on mobile devices/apps - those that use the unique identifier at least, not much you can do for the other type.

 

I work with mobile apps and just had to do a presentation about this exact issue to my team last Thursday.

[Glenn]

Nothing new, and nothing malicious.  It's just ads.

 

Entertaining how the conspiracy theorists try really hard to make it seem sinister to no avail.

 

[Craig P]

I have not hunted in a few years, I am just too into fishing now but a neighbor was telling me a story about her dad's dream caribou hunting trip some years ago.  The next day in my YT feed, a caribou hunting video.  Go figure.

 

Coincidence?  There are no coincidences unless you consider the Apple iPhone I own, you know, the one that Google pays Apple $20 Billion a year to be the default search engine.  Yeah right.  More like a backdoor hook into the software to spy on Apple users.

[Catt]

21 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

They would be violating their privacy agreement and would be committing a crime if they did so but it’s possible.

 

15 hours ago, Glenn said:

Nothing new, and nothing malicious.  It's just ads

 

 

[TnRiver46]

Def get the ads on my Apple iPhone even though I have mic turned off. Oh well, I don’t buy much . I have plenty of trinkets already…,,,

[Tennessee Boy]

I worked as a software developer before retiring to spend more time reading Bass Resource 😀.  I saw a lot of this stuff and heard war stories from coworkers about what was happening at other companies.  I don’t believe the crazy conspiracy theories you sometimes hear.  The only thing I’ve seen that you might not realize is how often companies get hacked.  In my experience most companies do not notify customers that their private information may has been compromised.  For every notice you get about your information being hacked there are many more hacks that are either not detected or not revealed.  
 

I never worked for a company that restricted my access to any information.  They made me sign documents acknowledging that I was bound by privacy laws which made me not them criminally liable if I revealed any private data.  So yes a telephone worker might be able to listen to your phone calls.  Google can and does read your emails.  I had access to very private information on millions of people but I never snooped because 99.999% of people’s private information is very boring.  
 

There is big money in targeted advertising so companies like Facebook and Google work very hard to know as much about you as possible so they can better target ads to you.  This concerns me and I do take steps on my devices to limit this.   In the end it’s a losing battle.  
 

[flyfisher]

This reminds me of when I first was a customer service rep for a bank around 20 years ago.  We were pushing for people to register online to reduce calls into the call center and I can't tell you how many people were like oh, I am not registering online then anyone can get my information.  I always wanted to say, do you think that just because you aren't registered online that I have to go to our filing cabinet and get your info to review with you?

 

[12poundbass]

2 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

99.999% of people’s private information is very boring

This 100%! Snoop through my phone, listen to my conversations I don’t care, you will for sure be asleep from boredom in no time flat! 

[J Francho]

What's really weird is that anyone thinks that advertisers need to listen in to accurately market to you specifically. You all realize this is a highly developed science? They don't need to listen in. 
 

And yes, it weirds me out too.