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So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

theprivacydad.com

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Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#111

Post by timmg »

philote wrote: post #66
timmg wrote: post #45

I'll probably get hate for this, but: I've never used an ad blocker. I (generally) always "accept all cookies" from that European thing. I do use "incognito mode" sometimes -- but not often. I've never gotten any malware or other things like that. I've never had someone show up at my door in a black coat. I personally think that most of the concerns people have about targeted ads is much ado about nothing. I'll also…

Do you also avoid getting life insurance because you've never died before? For me, like the author of the article, it's not the targeted ads that are concerning, but the amount of data one company can have and aggregate in once place. Even if that data isn't being used in a nefarious way now doesn't mean that it never will be. Also, I AM concerned about banks and telephone companies selling my data, but that wasn't t…

> Do you also avoid getting life insurance because you've never died before?

No, I get life insurance for free from my job ;)

But if your question can be translated to, "Do you avoid every possible risk in your life?" The answer is, "No. Ain't nobody got time for that. But I do try to be pragmatic about what risks I do take."

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#112

Post by javajosh »

skybrian wrote: post #71
javajosh wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The real reason, which I don't hear voiced often, is because you're not getting enough value for your data. Your data has value to advertisers, but to many other entities, private and public. Your data has value, and Google has high profit margins on that value. To be able to extract more value from your own data for yourself, you need to be able to deny Google access to it, and then sell it back to them. If enough p…

Maybe, but this is an example of a theoretical / ideological argument. If we needed more money, it seems like there are easier ways to get it than trying to get a better bargain for information about us? We could be more careful about spending. I could shop around more. There are games with credit card rewards that I don't really play. I could invest better.

I think you're ignoring an important cost/benefit analysis. The upside may be small, on the order of 10's of dollars per month. But the downside is very large - scammers or corrupt governments tracking your behavior to fuel prosecutions, etc. The expected value (EV) of controlling your data is actually rather high when you look at the whole picture, and Google buying you off with webmail, videos and search no longer seems like such a good deal.

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#113

Post by theprivacydad »

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #7

Meh, I'm still not convinced. I mean, I suppose I get possibly being creeped out that Google knows you prefer Pepsi over Coke and that you recently purchased an adult toy or whatever, but...meh? So they'll use that data to sell me targeted ads that I'm just going to block anyways. I just don't see how it's actually harmful beyond the government access issue that's just dropped in as a single sentence at the end of on…

But being censored on a social media platform is not in the same league as being cut off from your own money. That's a real problem.

If you can find it, check the Murdaugh murder trial document of his physical movements on the night of the murder extracted from his phone and the phones of his contacts.

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#114

Post by theprivacydad »

mathstuf wrote: post #80
ipython wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or you just provide someone else’s information. Who says you have to share your true name with your supermarket? Unfortunately it’s very difficult to lie to google

One strategy I heard about is to get a local group of like-minded individuals together, throw all of your loyalty cards in a communal pile then take one back randomly. That mixes the signal up for any kind of targeted tracking while also getting you the discounts. Or you can just say "I forgot my card" and use the store copy that is usually at the register (at least for groceries).

What a great idea :)

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#115

Post by trustmebro »

skybrian wrote: post #81
trustmebro wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do notice the ads, though. That's the whole point of visual ads: you are being influenced to buy certain brands in the periphery.

I don't think they influence me much? They might remind me of something I wanted to do anyway, but usually they are irrelevant. At scale, ads do something, but what it is isn't very clear. Some people are convinced that ads do real harm but the evidence seems fairly shaky. There are lots of dodgy psychological theories out there. Here's one dodgy theory (with little evidence behind it) about how ads might work: https…

There's a pretty simple test: name a brand.

Did you successfully name a brand? Then ads work.

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#116

Post by RajT88 »

theprivacydad wrote: post #101
RajT88 wrote: post #50

> My supermarket has a savings scheme, in exchange for my personal information. The way it works is that the cashier asks: do you want to join this savings scheme? They know all your personal info from the credit card you're using anyways. The phone number you provide at the supermarket is a formality. The proof is in the pudding: When I buy stuff at home depot, there was one time I provided my email address for a re…

What's in it for the supermarket then?

This is their legacy way of collecting that data.

The future is doing away with the discount program. The grocery stores near me briefly did away with those (before starting up again). I assume because the Adobe-type systems are still too expensive compared to the legacy methods.

Make no mistake - the future is taking your data without an exchange in value.

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#117

Post by vcg3rd »

I still use plaintext email without images so every so often I get one of those emails (required by regulation, I think) telling me they are going to stop unless I click a link.

If I want to keep getting it, I reply and tell them if my reply isn't enough to drop me because I don't click links (if something interests me more than what is in the email I go to the site and find it) or load their tracking pixels.

This is how it relates: I tell them no one knows if I receive [1], open, or read postal mail so why should they know I receive, open, or read email unless I want them to? They can't target ads to you without reading content you consume and tracking you.

So, let's rephrase: So what if the FBI reads my mail? So what if the IRS bugs my house? So what if Costco follows my car around to see where I shop? So what if Home Depot flys a drone over my house to see if I use a rusty hammer so they can sell me a new one?

In what sense should my digital life be any different because it's possible and easy? Fork them is reason enough for me.

[1] certified etc excepted.

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#118

Post by theprivacydad »

RajT88 wrote: post #116
theprivacydad wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's in it for the supermarket then?

This is their legacy way of collecting that data. The future is doing away with the discount program. The grocery stores near me briefly did away with those (before starting up again). I assume because the Adobe-type systems are still too expensive compared to the legacy methods. Make no mistake - the future is taking your data without an exchange in value.

You could be right, but for now, those supermarket discount schemes are still going strong.

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#119

Post by theprivacydad »

theprivacydad wrote: post #113
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #7

Meh, I'm still not convinced. I mean, I suppose I get possibly being creeped out that Google knows you prefer Pepsi over Coke and that you recently purchased an adult toy or whatever, but...meh? So they'll use that data to sell me targeted ads that I'm just going to block anyways. I just don't see how it's actually harmful beyond the government access issue that's just dropped in as a single sentence at the end of on…

But being censored on a social media platform is not in the same league as being cut off from your own money. That's a real problem. If you can find it, check the Murdaugh murder trial document of his physical movements on the night of the murder extracted from his phone and the phones of his contacts.

https://www.wjcl.com/article/hurricane-idalia-update-georgia... (set VPN to USA if not in the States)

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#120

Post by theprivacydad »

acumenical wrote: post #97

I find it tiresome that blogposts about privacy always end up devolving into a discussion about how data can be used against individuals. There is a flip side to that coin, which is the individual's free will. Every one of us here chooses our actions, every day. If we don't like what Google knows about us, maybe it is time to ask ourselves hard questions, and to learn to truly accept ourselves as well as improving wh…

I'm mainly worried about a permanent record of a profile of a range of my online activities. A realistic first step is to break that up a little.

With the Google Maps mention I was suggesting it's ok not to go hard core privacy, because that really takes a lot of time an energy. I use google Maps maybe 4 times a month on my PC, in a browser dedicated to it with a Google account just for that activity. I use a VPN. On the road, I use Organic Maps on CalyxOS.

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