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So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

theprivacydad.com

121–124 of 124 posts

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#121
post #4
post #2

"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? If the customer says yes, they give you a form to fill in your details. If you say no, they leave you alone, and you miss out on the discount or gifts." Hahahaha, yes, if you don't join their club, they don't collect personal information.

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

Don't worry, depending on the state, they have plenty of other ways to personally identify you. No need.

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yes, I believe they do work in that respect. But when is being able to name brands harmful?

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#123

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…

I was very unclear, sorry about that. The bulk of my comment addresses the content of the comment section here, not your article. Comments about how data collection can be used to manipulate behavior are woefully fatalistic. I want to challenge that mindset whenever I come across it.

As for Google Maps, I was under the impression that you used the app; I mostly use my phone for maps so I just assumed, and I may have misread your article.

Re: So what if Google sends me targeted ads?

#124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I was very unclear, sorry about that. The bulk of my comment addresses the content of the comment section here, not your article. Comments about how data collection can be used to manipulate behavior are woefully fatalistic. I want to challenge that mindset whenever I come across it. As for Google Maps, I was under the impression that you used the app; I mostly use my phone for maps so I just assumed, and I may have…

Thanks for the feedback. I'll take a look at rewording that better. It's not clear, as you say.
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