Facebook adverts tracking across different accounts in the same household?

MrRockliffe · 6 Aug 2021 at 15:46

We’ve had threads of Facebook giving adverts based upon talking about something. Well, today my other half has had an advert on her phone, within the Facebook app, for a rug on a website I was viewing earlier today on a machine I’m not logged into Facebook on.

I’m guessing it’s IP address based.

But man, it’s getting really creepy :/

MrRockliffe · 9 Aug 2021 at 15:32

Diddums said:
Apple has taken the moral high ground recently, but is then analysing every image you own so even that's not private.

This might be of interest to you:

https://daringfireball.net/2021/08/apple_child_safety_initiatives_slippery_slope

Also, just to clarify, Apple don’t scan your pictures for CSAM, they look for images which share the same hashes as a database which currently contains CSAM. Hence, it only checks for known bad images.

MrRockliffe · 13 Sep 2022 at 09:48

Had another weird situation the other day.

I was having breakfast in a cafe with my girlfriend, and we talked about a few things, including B&O and also Bootcamp (the fitness sessions).

We then walked to the station, and when she got on the train and opened Facebook on her phone, there were two adverts - one for B&O and one for Bootcamp.

Now, I totally understand that it some cases, it could be that seeing the adverts got us thinking about those topics, but:

1. I brought up the topics
2. I run adblock on all of my devices
3. I don't have Facebook on my phone

Just feels REALLY creepy. Wonder how you could reliably test for it.

MrRockliffe · 13 Sep 2022 at 10:19

dLockers said:
I have never bought these stories at all. Thinking it is just a coincidence. But yesterday I had my boiler man come and quote and we discussed (for the first time ever) how I may need to fit a new, larger loft hatch.

I scrolled down on Instagram the other day and there was literal advertisements for LOFT HATCHES. I mean that is such a random edge case I can't possibly see how it could have happened.

So now I believe you Likewise - ad block, special DNS, super careful with browsing... very creepy.

I worked in the data privacy industry, so I'm well aware of the methods companies use to target ads, but sometimes, I just cannot think of a way they'd have achieved it without having mic access.

E.g. the discussion about bootcamp came up after discussing how my company are removing gym pass (a multi-gym sub) from their benefits package, and so I was considering about joining bootcamp instead.

Now, if we had received an advert for it a day or so later, it would be weird, but it could be because I've searched it in the past.

Same with B&O - I was discussing how the B&O system in my car was so pants, but their actual speakers are quite nice, ignoring the cost. I then referenced the A9 speaker, which I liked in particular aesthetically. Had we received that ad a few days later, could be because I've searched for B&O in the past.

HOWEVER, to receive BOTH of those adverts in fewer than 30 minutes after discussing them just seems too coincidental, IMO.

MrRockliffe · 13 Sep 2022 at 11:51

jpaul said:
People don't know how to disable location tracking on their iphone/android, so a visiting builder's proclivities could be geographically correlated with your IP/ physical address.
(imagine the data Chinese govt have on their population)

True, but of all the things you could receive an advert on relating to a builder, he receives it about a loft hatch?