EVIL ADs
goodasgoldilox165
Posts: 333 Member
Not sure what I did today but the adverts on my page are for 'British Candy'. (We don't even call it that!)
Mysterious dark-web companies have put some 'tempting' pictures of choc in various poses. How is this allowed on MFP? It really doesn't seem to be in the spirit!
They are wasting their efforts. It isn't working. LCHF (even the way I do it) is providing protection.
Even if it didn't protect me, the shadow-agents keep showing the 'candy' belonging to a company that has changed its wonderful chocolate recipe for one that is really bland. I'd given up with their stuff even before my new WOE.
Mysterious dark-web companies have put some 'tempting' pictures of choc in various poses. How is this allowed on MFP? It really doesn't seem to be in the spirit!
They are wasting their efforts. It isn't working. LCHF (even the way I do it) is providing protection.
Even if it didn't protect me, the shadow-agents keep showing the 'candy' belonging to a company that has changed its wonderful chocolate recipe for one that is really bland. I'd given up with their stuff even before my new WOE.
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Concur. They're evil. I just clicked on Chocolate Meringue recipe advertised by MFP and an ad for Stouffer's Mac and Cheese came up. Lots of folks can eat that stuff in moderation but I'd rather not be cued/prompted/tempted by it.
I have my age in MFP and am pretty convinced the age of 65 started the ads for "Seniors". I really don't have many aches and pains but it sure seems as though I should with all the ads.
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I googled an Indian recipe that I hadn't cooked for ages - needed a reminder of the exact spices for this dish. Then MFP sidebar ad comes up with Remit2India - so I can send money for only 70 piastres. WTHeck?0
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The ads are not from MFP - they are based on your search history, so any weirdness you get, you need to look at what your computer has been used for in the recent past.
What I can't figure out is why I keep getting ads for women's clothing (I am a guy)... my wife has her own computer and never uses mine... WTH????1 -
The ads are not from MFP - they are based on your search history, so any weirdness you get, you need to look at what your computer has been used for in the recent past.
What I can't figure out is why I keep getting ads for women's clothing (I am a guy)... my wife has her own computer and never uses mine... WTH????
Linking you with the IP address maybe?1 -
Could be. My wife does most of her clothes shopping online.1
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The ads are not from MFP - they are based on your search history, so any weirdness you get, you need to look at what your computer has been used for in the recent past.
What I can't figure out is why I keep getting ads for women's clothing (I am a guy)... my wife has her own computer and never uses mine... WTH????
Not going to dicker but I'd concur on the desk top. My ads on the desk top when I'm on MFP are for rugs, gardening supplies, etc and clearly related to things I have searched. Ads when on the cell phone? Not so much. At all.0 -
Riddle me this... before Christmas, was shopping in the mall with my daughter for a wallet for her boyfriend. Cell phone tucked away in my pocket or purse. Did not do internet searches, but we discussed the pros and cons of many varieties of wallets.
Wallet ads popped up ON MY DESKTOP. Horrifying actually.
There have been many instances where I was suspicious, but the wallet situation confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt because I was 100% certain I had never browsed. It is readily apparent that apps are listening and I certainly access many from both my phone and desktop.2 -
kimberwolf71 wrote: »Riddle me this... before Christmas, was shopping in the mall with my daughter for a wallet for her boyfriend. Cell phone tucked away in my pocket or purse. Did not do internet searches, but we discussed the pros and cons of many varieties of wallets.
Wallet ads popped up ON MY DESKTOP. Horrifying actually.
There have been many instances where I was suspicious, but the wallet situation confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt because I was 100% certain I had never browsed. It is readily apparent that apps are listening and I certainly access many from both my phone and desktop.
Any chance your daughter searched wallets? If yes, then I'd guess IP address. It is creepy though what our phones/computers and "big brother" know about us these days.1 -
She would have searched using her phone. 98% of my desktop use is on my computer at work. From work, I typically access my banking, google account and MFP, rarely any others, but I would suspect it all ties in via google somehow.0
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Perhaps it is IP address ... though I don't think that any of the happy-healthy-eaters around me are likely to search for anything triggering these ads.
I'm now trying to think back over possible chocolatey conversations and staring accusingly at my sneak of a phone! 0 -
kimberwolf71 wrote: »Riddle me this... before Christmas, was shopping in the mall with my daughter for a wallet for her boyfriend. Cell phone tucked away in my pocket or purse. Did not do internet searches, but we discussed the pros and cons of many varieties of wallets.
Wallet ads popped up ON MY DESKTOP. Horrifying actually.
There have been many instances where I was suspicious, but the wallet situation confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt because I was 100% certain I had never browsed. It is readily apparent that apps are listening and I certainly access many from both my phone and desktop.
Your phone tracks your location via GPS and wifi and the tracking is good enough to pinpoint exactly which store you go into, even in a place with a bunch of different stores in close proximity. It's a segment of geofencing often used in marketing.
The big corps, especially Google and Facebook, can and will then tie that location data back to your account, which will then show up on other devices. It's touted as a good thing (seamless integration and whatnot), but it does clearly illuminate just how much surveillance they put us under.
Things like email receipts, especially if you have a Gmail account, are also included in that data collection for ad purposes. It's really quite pervasive these days.3 -
One thing that helps is doing things like switching to Brave browser or installing tools in your current browser to...shall we say...."handle" ads and tracking scripts. Ghostery is a good option. uBl0ck Origin (0 -> o) is another.
Oh, and regarding the insidiousness of all this. MFP has blocked me from posting to this thread three or four times, because I recommend using tools to handle said ads and tracking scripts -- a "feature" that I believe came with the recent update that asked us to allow them track location. :vomit:3 -
Interestingly, I just tried to post a response; but, my post is now under review - WOW - MFP 'big brother' in action.1
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Thank-you Dragonwolf. This is useful information.1
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Interestingly, I just tried to post a response; but, my post is now under review - WOW - MFP 'big brother' in action.
Yeah. I've had it happen too. So has DragonWolf. I messed around to see what happened to on of her posts and discovered something. If you mention a specific phrase, pertaining to software or add-ons restraining the subject in question here, then you get a "needs mod approval" and will never post. You see I had to get really creative with the wording there.
It is what it is.2 -
Interestingly, I just tried to post a response; but, my post is now under review - WOW - MFP 'big brother' in action.
Yep. It's effectively black-holed. You'll have to rewrite your post if you want to re-try it. Be sure to keep a copy of it, so you can play around with the wording in the rather likely chance you'll hit that filter again.1 -
I thought I had worded it carefully; but, apparently not enough. I did not mention any specific 'work arounds.'0
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The ads are not from MFP - they are based on your search history, so any weirdness you get, you need to look at what your computer has been used for in the recent past.
This is correct. They use a combination of c00kies, I P addresses, search history, etc to serve you those things. Since I have a background in this field I use a combination of several things to circumvent this. Br0wser based extensi0ns, a D N S sinkhole that protects the entire home network from malicious sites, and a few other tricks. I also do most of my surfing via private/incognito windows so no history or cookies are left behind once closed out. For more risque browsing I have a VPN. I see no a d s anywhere.Dragonwolf wrote: »Your phone tracks your location via GPS and wifi and the tracking is good enough to pinpoint exactly which store you go into, even in a place with a bunch of different stores in close proximity. It's a segment of geofencing often used in marketing.
The big corps, especially Google and Facebook, can and will then tie that location data back to your account, which will then show up on other devices. It's touted as a good thing (seamless integration and whatnot), but it does clearly illuminate just how much surveillance they put us under.
Things like email receipts, especially if you have a Gmail account, are also included in that data collection for ad purposes. It's really quite pervasive these days.
This is also correct and why I limit my smartphone use. I don't have FB, Insta, or any social media apps on my device. I don't use public wi-fi or turn on my bluetooth unless it's needed. My phone is r00ted so I have complete access to what every application installed can and can't access. I disable my GPS unless I need to use it for something. Apps that are rarely used are either uninstalled, turned off, or frozen if they have a habit of wanting to auto start. I also block a d s on my mobile devices.
Email accounts for sites like M F P and others are generated just for these sites and aren't tied to my main email. I try to keep my real personal life as private as possible.I thought I had worded it carefully; but, apparently not enough. I did not mention any specific 'work arounds.'
Yeah, I wrote a very technical reply earlier and apparently it got sucked into a black hole.
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Yep, all this - me too on my smartphone - NO Data on my phone. I have a tablet to connect to WiFi if I want, and my desktop, which has C Cleaner to totally delete all cookies before we shut off both the computer and the modem after each browsing session.This is also correct and why I limit my smartphone use. I don't have FB, Insta, or any social media apps on my device. I don't use public wi-fi or turn on my bluetooth unless it's needed. My phone is r00ted so I have complete access to what every application installed can and can't access. I disable my GPS unless I need to use it for something. Apps that are rarely used are either uninstalled, turned off, or frozen if they have a habit of wanting to auto start. I also block a d s on my mobile devices.1
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My mil was telling me that she wanted to go by a particular store and see if they had compression stockings. A few hours later I was seeing adds for them on my phone!!
We live in a time where there is no more privacy!!1 -
kimberwolf71 wrote: »She would have searched using her phone. 98% of my desktop use is on my computer at work. From work, I typically access my banking, google account and MFP, rarely any others, but I would suspect it all ties in via google somehow.
Google is the reason. Most do not turn tracking off. This article explains how to do it. They are the feeder of most of the ads we see. If the info is connected to a google account, they can target ads to you.
https://www.pcmag.com/article/345340/how-to-get-google-to-quit-tracking-you0 -
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retirehappy wrote: »kimberwolf71 wrote: »She would have searched using her phone. 98% of my desktop use is on my computer at work. From work, I typically access my banking, google account and MFP, rarely any others, but I would suspect it all ties in via google somehow.
Google is the reason. Most do not turn tracking off. This article explains how to do it. They are the feeder of most of the ads we see. If the info is connected to a google account, they can target ads to you.
https://www.pcmag.com/article/345340/how-to-get-google-to-quit-tracking-you
Had to laugh when I did this....Google hasn't tracked me via my mobile device for at least 4 years. It had one ping when I was at University of BC for a few days 4 years ago. That's the only record, lol. Of course we don't sync our devices either.0
