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Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

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Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#31

Post by accountface »

smnscu wrote: post #30

Related to privacy, I just found out that Google has detailed data about everywhere I go, because it's tracked by default by Android phones. Check yours here if you haven't (and maybe turn it off): https://www.google.com/maps/timeline

This is an interesting feature that Google doesn't seem to really talk about — it will also list where you took photos, tell you which businesses you've been to, and even go as far to guess your mode of transportation (in the city it'll go as far as guessing bus/train/car/bike with some accuracy).

And there's that typical double-edged sword: there are a lot of situations where I'd find this information really useful... but in order to gain that usefulness Google knows all that information too.

Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#32

Post by xparadigm »

I meet a girl. She had a smartphone in which she had the Facebook app installed. I had a iPod which had a Facebook app installed too. But there was no wifi in the place we met. And my location services are always off in my device. I come home, and Facebook shows her as "People you may know." I had 32 mutual friends with her. So I let it go thinking it might be a coincidence.

Few days later, I meet a guy. Don't know if he had a smartphone or not. But I had my iPod. And there was no wifi. Location services are off. I come home. I see that guy as "People you may know." This time I had 2 mutual friends with him. Coincidence?

Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#33

Post by akerro »

onion2k wrote: post #21
akerro wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook knew he was interested in Campari, so they put Campari on menu in his local restaurant? That's smart!

That's amusing, but at the same time it could make an excellent business idea - restaurants could tailor their menu based on the preferences of people who're booked to eat there. If you knew that a group of people who all really like sea bass are arriving at 6pm a restaurant could put a high-profit sea bass special on the menu knowing that those people are likely to order it. The customers are happier because they ge…

Please. no.

Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#34

Post by xherberta »

sigi45 wrote: post #8

voice is not realistic in any scenario. Amazon echo or google doesn't understand everything, wide range microphone recording can't go unnoticed, the apps don't have access to it. You are just one of Billion Facebook users, those numbers are high enough to have coincidences.

Many apps do have access to microphone, don't they?

Voice recognition may not be good enough to transcribe the whole convo, but it would be sufficient to pick up repeated instances of "campari."

op: Is it possible something was said to accidentally trigger a search, like "Oh, que goo gel, blah-blah campari?" or "Way searing..."

Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#35

Post by icebraining »

J-dawg wrote: post #29
LSCanaan wrote: post #23

I can relate and you won't believe it. Last Sunday I was at a cocktail bar and while checking the menu with a friend I had the exact same short conversation about Campari, prompted by wanting to know what's in a Negroni. There's a phenomenon that explains this kind of illusion as a psychological effect, called the Baader-Meinhof complex. Coincidentally later that night we mentioned it too. It's basically a trick our…

To what extent does Facebook allow its advertising clients to target users based on location? Down to the level of individual buildings (e.g. a bar)? Is it possible that Campari could be running a campaign targeting people who recently visited bars that serve Campari? Or even simply people who recently visited a bar?

They can target based on "Behaviours", so, maybe? https://www.facebook.com/business/a/online-sales/ad-targetin...

EDIT: The "Behaviour" targets can even drill down to specific types of alcohol beverages (beer, wine, other). Not sure that means specifically having visited a bar.

Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#36

Post by sharemywin »

icebraining wrote: post #35
J-dawg wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To what extent does Facebook allow its advertising clients to target users based on location? Down to the level of individual buildings (e.g. a bar)? Is it possible that Campari could be running a campaign targeting people who recently visited bars that serve Campari? Or even simply people who recently visited a bar?

They can target based on "Behaviours", so, maybe? https://www.facebook.com/business/a/online-sales/ad-targetin... EDIT: The "Behaviour" targets can even drill down to specific types of alcohol beverages (beer, wine, other). Not sure that means specifically having visited a bar.

if any of your friends liked the wine or visited a site and the vendor had a look-a-like audience selected.

or maybe it uses voice recognition to target users "interests"

Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#37

Post by thatwebdude »

onion2k wrote: post #21
akerro wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook knew he was interested in Campari, so they put Campari on menu in his local restaurant? That's smart!

That's amusing, but at the same time it could make an excellent business idea - restaurants could tailor their menu based on the preferences of people who're booked to eat there. If you knew that a group of people who all really like sea bass are arriving at 6pm a restaurant could put a high-profit sea bass special on the menu knowing that those people are likely to order it. The customers are happier because they ge…

They could also change the pricing. Because they know you'll be more interested to try an expensive steak ($3 more than your neighbor pays).

You'll also find that same steak tastes better now.

Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#38

Post by sharemywin »

smnscu wrote: post #30

Related to privacy, I just found out that Google has detailed data about everywhere I go, because it's tracked by default by Android phones. Check yours here if you haven't (and maybe turn it off): https://www.google.com/maps/timeline

if foursquare can do this imagine what google or Facebook can do.

https://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/04/27/foursquares-predic...

Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#39

Post by spoiledtechie »

Its a well known fact Facebook stays open on your phone even after you close it. Gps and your bar seem to have told Facebook to serve you an ad. Crazy that Facebook can do this, I can only imagine what the govt agencies do with this data.

Re: Ask HN: Can we find out why a specific ad appears in our Facebook feed?

#40

Post by thatwebdude »

cm2012 wrote: post #3

Press "x" on the ad. There's an option to see how you're being targeted.

It's a dropdown arrow for me, but yes this gives a pretty good example of why you were targeted if you select the link asking "Why am I seeing this ad?" (Or something like that phrase)
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