• Off Topic

  • Advertisements being scarily accurate

I've been keeping track of ads that I receive on Instagram that are related to things I've said, done, or even thought. If I eat lunch at Dairy Queen, I've gotten ads for it later that day of the exact thing I ordered. If I buy something I haven't bought or mentioned before like powerade or wafers, I've also gotten ads for it soon after. Amazon searches also yield exact product ads to me on Instagram. Even in discussion with my father we tried to figure out the name for something random (concrete deck block) by saying "its a block with a square hole for a beam" and he got a Facebook ad for it within an hour. This was while using iOS before I switched to a Pixel 7 with GrapheneOS.

I'd like to know more about how Meta/Facebook's ads have become so sophisticated, and what lengths they do/could go to get data. I do believe that some of my phenomenon can be explained simply by the pattern seeking of the human brain (noticing 10 out of 1000 ads are extremely accurate). But it is just a step to far to get ads for things I have never mentioned, bought before, or received ads for, just simply picked up at the store. It makes me wonder if grocery stores sell purchase data to advertisers.

What's also odd is I mentioned a friend by the name of "Denny" near my phone and received ads for the Denny's waffle house lol.

In any case, I'd like to learn more about it since its the main source of unease that pushed me towards the GrapheneOS project.

    Instagram is owned by Facebook. Your relatives and friends are Facebook users too, chances are almost everyone are on WhatsApp as well (also owned by Facebook). Facebook knows who you are (good) friends with, who your relatives are, what content you are interested in; thanks to invasive permissions like location also where you live, which places you tend to visit, your hobbies and eating habits, lifestyle. I could go on for hours. This data is then fed by other enormous companies like Amazon whom you also share insane amounts of data with (think of all the things you buy from there), selling and buying data between each other, filling the missing puzzle pieces.

    Now remember, all of this applies to your father and everyone else too. Algorithms are then let go on this endless stream of data and you have them dissect predictable behavioral patterns and output this kind of incredibly accurate advertisements.

    Are the Meta-apps still recording audio?

    They at least used to record everything all the time as long as the app was running in fore/background. It might have become less of a problem after Android introduced permission toggles some versions ago. Not sure if that exist on Apple.

    There are tons of similar examples of very specific info about private one-on-one voice convorsations have popped up as keywords in ads after using Meta-apps.

      Also more and more retail stores/shopping malls etc are now using wifi and bluetooth tracking technology. They can collect/store your signal and hence know where you are and what area of the store you are etc. Another great feature of GOS is the wifi and bluetooth scanning disabled by default.

      dgzeij Since iOS 10 and Android 12, microphone and camera indicators are shown on screen whenever an app makes use of them. I'm not aware of any Meta apps unexpectedly using microphone and camera today.

        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.

              L8437 It depends, they could be using a translator app too. However, the comment does seem to have a similar style written response to a prompt. There's also AI classifier tool(s) available which may indicate AI written text accurately.

              what do you mean? How can you tell

                • [deleted]

                • Post #13
                • Edited

                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.

                    thompson

                    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.

                      dgzeij They at least used to record everything all the time as long as the app was running in fore/background.

                      Source?

                        8 months later

                        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