Advertisements being scarily accurate
thompson
I've never use any Facebook / meta products if you can call it that .
Grapheneos is a TOOL, it can't protect you from yourself. If I where to any meta products they would each have their separate profiles so they can be turned off . A DNS service can mitigate some of the targeted adds . Privacy is a lifestyle not something one product can solve . Remember you are the product when it comes to big tech .
thompson It's understandable that you're curious and concerned about the targeted ads you've been experiencing on platforms like Instagram. While some of it can be attributed to the human brain's pattern-seeking tendencies, it is indeed surprising when ads appear for things you haven't mentioned or bought before. Companies like Meta/Facebook employ sophisticated algorithms to collect and analyze user data from various sources, including your online activities, purchases, and even conversations. While the exact extent of data collection and sources can be unclear, it's possible that data from grocery stores or other sources could be utilized for targeted advertising.
Your decision to explore GrapheneOS as an alternative is driven by this unease, and it's a valid choice to prioritize your privacy and data security. By using a privacy-focused operating system like GrapheneOS, you can have more control over your personal information and reduce the likelihood of targeted ads based on extensive data from the device.
NorthPole78 if you are using an AI-generator to respond to comments, I urge to please stop. We don't this in our forum. Thank you.
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I have an editing and publishing background. I noticed it. How do you tell? Word usage wasn't a natural flow. Certain words or phrases which seemed more formal rather than casual.
"pattern-seeking tendencies"
"driven by this unease"
"employ sophisticated algorithms" (just use the word "use" or "uses")
Yeah right. Lol. 🤨
So back on track, are there any methods of purging my data from Meta? (Couldn't find anything to disable targeted ads in instagram).
Is there any specifics on the back end of how/where companies buy/sell data from, or what they search for?
I've read that Wired article before and seen some similar youtube videos but I still cannot shake the fact that he was targeted ads for a very specific construction tool that was only ever referenced in a conversations with our phones 'off' in our pockets. I've had many other instances of this happening, it just too accurate.
They will still create a profile of you even when you delete your stuff. Not for undelete like Reddit does, but for completing the whole picture of who people are and why they say and do what they do. And that requires data from other platforms, small and large.
In the digital world we live in now it's more about not giving them personal info they really shouldn't have. The rest can be "easily" found with money and promise of influence/power. So beware of the innocent and highly useful apps with multiyear excellent userfeedback that are supposed to charge you money each month, then suddenly goes free and hidden in settings shows they are selling "ads" to Facebook, although no ads were ever shown. Makes sense that the app tries to tell you to always be recording sound for best performance.
With enough money you don't need direct sourcing. There are so many who are willing to do it for you for pennies, while you are used to shell out billions just for keeping the CEO out of court/deposition.
My advice to you is to try live a normal life. Just limit sharing personal info to those who don't need it. If you don't want ANY info be available about you then go watch some Alaska/Canada mountainmen shows. Few want to live like that. Meaning if you want to have a "normal" life you need to give up some info. Just try limit exactly what.
As others have mentioned; that's where GrapheneOS comes into the picture. User profiles, split tunneling VPN and remove all app permissions they don't actually need will give you a jumpstart.
Shopping receipts can be shared with the big data complex. Try using cash and see if you get the same results.
F0SSIL Although it's not as simple as sharing receipts, Google correlates offline purchases with your online account. For those unaware, they buy something like 70% of all credit card transaction data in the U.S., if I recall correctly. I'm not aware of Facebook having a similar program, but I also consider all Facebook products to be radioactive and that they will use any legal or illegal method of invading privacy.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/24/google-can-now-track-your-offline-purchases.html
Apparently there are tools that enable retailers to upload offline transaction information to Facebook
https://leadsbridge.com/blog/facebook-offline-conversions/
"What is Facebook Offline Conversions?
Facebook Offline Conversions enable you to upload your sales data to Facebook and match the transactions that take place offline with people who have seen or clicked on your Facebook ads. If there is a match, Facebook attributes the sale to your Facebook ads.
According to Facebook, “With offline conversion measurement on Facebook, you can track when transactions occur in your physical retail store and other offline channels (ex: orders made over the phone) after people see or engage with your Facebook ad.”
There are many reasons why Facebook Offline Conversions can benefit businesses.
For example, a car dealership business can set up Facebook Offline Conversions to know the number of people who bought or serviced their cars as a result of seeing or clicking on a Facebook ad."