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How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

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Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#21

Post by ramphastidae »

dwaltrip wrote: post #10
13of40 wrote: post #8

I had a related thing happen a couple of months ago: I started getting some lower back pain that I thought might be kidney stones based on a couple of Google searches. Went to my doctor, who prescribed a muscle relaxant, which I got at the pharmacy across the street. It went away. Over the next few weeks I got several robocalls on my cell phone from a pain clinic offering me relief for my "chronic pain", so it was ei…

Does anyone know how effective incognito mode is at preventing data and privacy abuses like this? I've been using it more and more, but I imagine there may some clever ways of tracking even across incognito sessions (or between incognito and regular).

Incognito mode still exposes your IP. My approach is to use a VPN, NoScript to block tracking / ad domains, Disconnect.me to block social domains, uBlock Origin for ads, disable location services, and use incognito mode. Even that's not perfect given browser fingerprinting technology.

Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#22

Post by friedman23 »

13of40 wrote: post #8

I had a related thing happen a couple of months ago: I started getting some lower back pain that I thought might be kidney stones based on a couple of Google searches. Went to my doctor, who prescribed a muscle relaxant, which I got at the pharmacy across the street. It went away. Over the next few weeks I got several robocalls on my cell phone from a pain clinic offering me relief for my "chronic pain", so it was ei…

Google is not the one selling your information, one of the websites you clicked probably is. They have pixels on their websites that will then match some fingerprint they generate on your browser with audiences (that contain info such as your email/phone number/etc) that already exist.

If you want to challenge my assertion that Google is not selling your information please point me to where I can buy lists of emails or phone numbers with metadata from google.

Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#23

Post by darpa_escapee »

13of40 wrote: post #18
chronid wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If google is the issue maybe - but I seriously doubt they are the issue: they sell their ability to target you, and selling your data to third parties would essentially be against their interest. This kind of FUD has been repeated ad nauseam here and everywhere in tech sites (against Facebook too usually), but that's not the way their business model works. If it's your doctor or your pharmacist, or the shop you bough…

When I said triggered by my google searches, I mean the sites I clicked on were able to correlate to my personal details that got collected somewhere else, not that google sold my details. The thing that makes me suspect the doctor or pharmacy, though, is that I've done that sort of search in the past, but I didn't start getting the pill mill calls until I got that prescription.

Read the documents doctors have you sign very carefully.

They often include a waiver that allows them to share your PHI with whomever they want.

You're under no obligation to allow them to do so.

Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#24

Post by forgotmypw »

chronid wrote: post #12
dwaltrip wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone know how effective incognito mode is at preventing data and privacy abuses like this? I've been using it more and more, but I imagine there may some clever ways of tracking even across incognito sessions (or between incognito and regular).

If google is the issue maybe - but I seriously doubt they are the issue: they sell their ability to target you, and selling your data to third parties would essentially be against their interest. This kind of FUD has been repeated ad nauseam here and everywhere in tech sites (against Facebook too usually), but that's not the way their business model works. If it's your doctor or your pharmacist, or the shop you bough…

The source of the information could also be a rogue employee at any of those places, especially for something shady, like robocalls.

In most places, it is not difficult for an employee, especially someone like a sysadmin or a DBA, to simply siphon the data into a CSV. Chances are that no one will ever figure it out.

I think that once law enforcement catches up, slow as they always are, they will start creating honeypot identities and then tracing the information leaks to their source. For now, there is little to be afraid of for the leakers.

Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#25

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

ramphastidae wrote: post #21
dwaltrip wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone know how effective incognito mode is at preventing data and privacy abuses like this? I've been using it more and more, but I imagine there may some clever ways of tracking even across incognito sessions (or between incognito and regular).

Incognito mode still exposes your IP. My approach is to use a VPN, NoScript to block tracking / ad domains, Disconnect.me to block social domains, uBlock Origin for ads, disable location services, and use incognito mode. Even that's not perfect given browser fingerprinting technology.

You still need self destructing cookies and randomized user agent to cover all bases.

Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#26

Post by Avamander »

chongli wrote: post #7
jlangenauer wrote: post #2

Further proof, as if any was needed, why other countries require something like the GDPR, backed up be significant penalties, and well-resourced enforcement. It won't happen in Australia though, as we are governed by fools who barely understand technology, and if they need to, rely on the representations of business to make any decisions.

From the perspective of a casual, non-European observer, the only effect of the GDPR that I've witnessed is the explosion of websites being extremely aggressive about forcing me to consent to their tracking cookies. Where is the real benefit to Europeans' privacy?

Do you think that at least being aware how your data is abused is not a good thing?

Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#27

Post by coldtea »

MaxGabriel wrote: post #11
chongli wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the perspective of a casual, non-European observer, the only effect of the GDPR that I've witnessed is the explosion of websites being extremely aggressive about forcing me to consent to their tracking cookies. Where is the real benefit to Europeans' privacy?

Are you potentially confusing GODR with the EU cookie law?

No, GDPR created a new storm of more fine-grained requests for permissions to store information -- on top of the old cookie-law related cookie popups.

Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#28

Post by tdb7893 »

13of40 wrote: post #8

I had a related thing happen a couple of months ago: I started getting some lower back pain that I thought might be kidney stones based on a couple of Google searches. Went to my doctor, who prescribed a muscle relaxant, which I got at the pharmacy across the street. It went away. Over the next few weeks I got several robocalls on my cell phone from a pain clinic offering me relief for my "chronic pain", so it was ei…

Do they often give up information on people like this? I always thought they made all their money by hoarding info then being the middleman. It just seems like a departure from their general business plan.

Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#29

Post by zachlatta »

Avamander wrote: post #26
chongli wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the perspective of a casual, non-European observer, the only effect of the GDPR that I've witnessed is the explosion of websites being extremely aggressive about forcing me to consent to their tracking cookies. Where is the real benefit to Europeans' privacy?

Do you think that at least being aware how your data is abused is not a good thing?

I'd bet if you surveyed Europeans they wouldn't be more aware of how data is being used pre vs. post GDPR.

When I watch my non-technical friends use websites, they dismiss the prompts without reading or understanding them.

Re: How my sexual health searches ended up in the hands of big tech companies

#30

Post by emmelaich »

chronid wrote: post #12
dwaltrip wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone know how effective incognito mode is at preventing data and privacy abuses like this? I've been using it more and more, but I imagine there may some clever ways of tracking even across incognito sessions (or between incognito and regular).

If google is the issue maybe - but I seriously doubt they are the issue: they sell their ability to target you, and selling your data to third parties would essentially be against their interest. This kind of FUD has been repeated ad nauseam here and everywhere in tech sites (against Facebook too usually), but that's not the way their business model works. If it's your doctor or your pharmacist, or the shop you bough…

Sometimes it's mere proximity. If your family or friends find you have condition X or treatment Y then they may look it up to find more.

If you share the same public IP, as most homes do then that adds to it.

I started getting invitations to add a Google review to a restaurant I've never been too. But some of my family had.

I can figure out other stuff too - music tastes, social media trends, etc. Just by seeing ads and stories I'm offered on Google News and other places.

There's that famous story about a guy who discovered his daughter pregnant (or feared she was pregnant) a few years back because he started getting ads for baby clothes.

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