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Big Brother, not the TV show

Talking to someone through the laptop on Facebook messenger on Friday, about buying new chains for the chainsaw, now getting Facebook ads for chains and sharpening tools.

Definitely, 100% not Googled it...... 

I've done a fair bit of research in the past on Facebook pixels and website optimisation through Facebook, for my own and Mrs' website, but this does seem weird.

Thoughts?
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Comments

  • Pretty sure all Facebook messages get used for personalised advertising.
  • This was a voice call...
  • I’ve had similar mate. I’m not even sure I was online talking about things I then started getting ads for. Wondered whether it was linked to our Alexa. 
  • I think the permissions for the facebook apps basically give them carte blanche to do as they see fit with your data.
  • I’ve had similar mate. I’m not even sure I was online talking about things I then started getting ads for. Wondered whether it was linked to our Alexa. 
    Heard some questionable things about them too mate. The fact they're never actually turned off and always listening for a command means they can hear everything else
  • edited March 2020
    I think the permissions for the facebook apps basically give them carte blanche to do as they see fit with your data.
    That's mad.

    Makes you question if Facebook etc. was invented for the technology, or than the other way round
  • There's a good BBC documentary about Amazon on iplayer
  • I’ve had similar mate. I’m not even sure I was online talking about things I then started getting ads for. Wondered whether it was linked to our Alexa. 
    I’m pretty sure that is the case. I gave my one away a few months ago. 

    I can’t imagine the sorts of thing Alexa picks up from you. 
  • We've had this many a time at home.  We've had a random conversation about something totally and utterly random, none of us have googled it and the first time you go to google on one of your devices, whether it be phone, ipad or laptop, its one of the first suggestions based on the very first word.

    I had alexa doing quite a few things for us in the house, linked up to lights, central heating and we ended up turning it off for 3 months as we were convinced it was listening.  Turned off Siri too but was still happening.

    I've got pixels installed on my photography website to I can track visitors coming back and I know my advertising works based on pixels but it doesnt explain that.  So weird.
  • Talking to someone through the laptop on Facebook messenger on Friday, about buying new chains for the chainsaw, now getting Facebook ads for chains and sharpening tools.

    Definitely, 100% not Googled it...... 

    I've done a fair bit of research in the past on Facebook pixels and website optimisation through Facebook, for my own and Mrs' website, but this does seem weird.

    Thoughts?
    I have only two thoughts that are relevant to this, so I'll share them both 

    1. If you've had a voice conversation with someone about a specific topic and then you start to see FB about that same topic, it's seems a bit weird. But, there are lots of ways in which FB can identify you as someone interested in that topic, even if you're adamant that you haven't Googled it. You might have clicked a link on to a site where they're sold, your likely to be friends with the other person and he may be identified as someone with an interest in that topic or you might just fit all the sociodemographic data the company is looking for and they got lucky. (You probably can't remember ever seeing those ads before - but that doesn't mean you weren't served them, you just wouldn't have noticed them). 

    2. If you think that FB is serving up ads based on the content of conversations you have, I have one bit of advice: talk about stuff that's more interesting to look at than chainsaws. 
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  • I’ve had similar mate. I’m not even sure I was online talking about things I then started getting ads for. Wondered whether it was linked to our Alexa. 
    Where were you seeing the ads?
  • Chizz said:
    Talking to someone through the laptop on Facebook messenger on Friday, about buying new chains for the chainsaw, now getting Facebook ads for chains and sharpening tools.

    Definitely, 100% not Googled it...... 

    I've done a fair bit of research in the past on Facebook pixels and website optimisation through Facebook, for my own and Mrs' website, but this does seem weird.

    Thoughts?
    I have only two thoughts that are relevant to this, so I'll share them both 

    1. If you've had a voice conversation with someone about a specific topic and then you start to see FB about that same topic, it's seems a bit weird. But, there are lots of ways in which FB can identify you as someone interested in that topic, even if you're adamant that you haven't Googled it. You might have clicked a link on to a site where they're sold, your likely to be friends with the other person and he may be identified as someone with an interest in that topic or you might just fit all the sociodemographic data the company is looking for and they got lucky. (You probably can't remember ever seeing those ads before - but that doesn't mean you weren't served them, you just wouldn't have noticed them). 

    2. If you think that FB is serving up ads based on the content of conversations you have, I have one bit of advice: talk about stuff that's more interesting to look at than chainsaws. 
    Yer, like I say, I've read up and learnt about Facebook pixels etc, but I have over 1000 people on my Facebook who are as much into floristry, fishing, motor racing etc etc but never get those coming up and it was weird that I'd just had a convo about it. 

    Tbh, it doesn't actually bother me as much as it should, but I do find it really weird
  • Deleted my Facebook after I started getting served ads for something I'd just emailed my wife about. 
  • Deleted my Facebook after I started getting served ads for something I'd just emailed my wife about. 
    When running Facebook ads you can make up an audience of age group / gender / where they live etc, and you can also set wage brackets / websites visited / what they searched for and if they bought what they were searching for, the list goes on, but to think they're actually maybe listening in and reading personal communications is a different level.


  • Something is 100% listening. I do have Alexa, so could be that.
    I was talking to my missus about back pain earlier in the week and now I'm getting back pain relief adverts pop up. I've not googled it, I asked her if she had been looking online and she said she hadn't.
    I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I do not believe this is a coincidence.
  • I get a monthly report from Google listing all the places I've been. I quite like it, though I think the next one is going to make dull reading.  I did start getting suspicious of what they are up to though when they started reporting whether I'd travelled by car, train or motorbike.  The train is no issue as it's quite obvious from the route taken, but how do they know my choice of wheels? Are they watching me as I filter past the traffic light queues, or do they have a little algorithm that flashes up, 'this bloke couldn't afford a car that could accelerate like that'?
  • It amazes me how people still dont get the Facebook business model, even after all this time. 

    Not surprising that others have copied the data gathering techniques and have taken it further. As Leroy said earlier, the Amazon documentary was an eye opener.

    Heat seeking drones that can tell when you're in your house as they fly past with someones elses delivery, anyone?

  • Off_it said:
    It amazes me how people still dont get the Facebook business model, even after all this time. 

    Not surprising that others have copied the data gathering techniques and have taken it further. As Leroy said earlier, the Amazon documentary was an eye opener.

    Heat seeking drones that can tell when you're in your house as they fly past with someones elses delivery, anyone?
    Like I said, makes me wonder if these targeting techniques where about first and Facebook etc. introduced to use them
  • Chizz said:
    I’ve had similar mate. I’m not even sure I was online talking about things I then started getting ads for. Wondered whether it was linked to our Alexa. 
    Where were you seeing the ads?
    I can’t remember but might have even seen one on here?

    Ive got a Facebook account but very rarely go on there.
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  • Talking in the car to the Mrs about the car getting serviced and that it needed 2 new tyres on the back. She asked if changing a car tyre is something I can do myself and I said no, that you need machines to do it,then to balance it etc. Anyway, browsing Facebook the following morning and this Ad comes up -



    Both had our mobiles on us, but neither of us have internet coverage as they're both UK registered mobiles and the minutes run out pretty quick
  • edited October 2020
    Facebook doesn’t listen to you through your phones microphone, nor does it listen in to phone conversations or even voice conversations over Messenger (although it does store these as recordings). And, a lot of the time the spooky coincidence is just that, a coincidence, which your cognitive bias starts trying to make sense of.

    There's been plenty of studies that, time and time again, prove that apps like Facebook don't activate your devices microphone in order to listen to your private conversations.

    And ultimately, the reason why is that they don't need to, and that's even more scary. Having an algorithm analyse and rationalise speech is difficult to do, and even when it's done well is hit and miss at best.

    But remember, Facebook can find you on whatever device you’ve ever checked Facebook on. It can exploit everything that retailers know about you. It can even track your in-store, cash-only purchases, for example if you have a loyalty card that is tied to your phone number of email address.

    The disconcerting truth it, the wealth of data linked to each of us means that these algorithms know enough about you that they can predict what you are discussing with your friends and family, sometimes even before you've had the discussion (or even know that it's something you want to discuss).
  • Talking in the car to the Mrs about the car getting serviced and that it needed 2 new tyres on the back. She asked if changing a car tyre is something I can do myself and I said no, that you need machines to do it,then to balance it etc. Anyway, browsing Facebook the following morning and this Ad comes up -



    Both had our mobiles on us, but neither of us have internet coverage as they're both UK registered mobiles and the minutes run out pretty quick
    It's more likely to have picked the 'Zipper' name up from your internet browsing mate.
  • Done a lot of research re' Facebook ads / Facebook pixels and creating audiences ect in the past, but this really is a coincidence. 100% positive we've never searched tyre changing machines or equipment on any of our devices, but we definitely did talk about them
  • ......I did buy tyres for the front of the car a couple of weeks ago, but find it strange it would then advertise machines off the back of that. Theses marketing people need to look at their audiences I think
  • A while ago I was visiting my Dad on the Isle of Wight. We went and saw a friend of his and had a cuppa in their lovely house on the beach. They had an interesting painting on the wall, quite distinctive. When I went on Facebook later that day there was an advert for a website selling prints of the exact same painting that was on the person's wall. None of us talked about the painting, I don't switch on mobile data, phone was tucked away in my bag. 
  • ......I did buy tyres for the front of the car a couple of weeks ago, but find it strange it would then advertise machines off the back of that. Theses marketing people need to look at their audiences I think
    It's worth noting the amount of times that the algorithm gets it wrong. If it was sophisticated enough to distill private conversations, process that and then serve ads off the back of it, then the hit rate would be considerably greater.
  • ah, it all makes sense now.  I keep getting adverts for Bexley Escorts pop up.  Will have to be careful who I talk to going forward.
  • This was a voice call...
    Think Alexa!

    They get you no matter what you do!

    You are being listened too and watched, lookout for a guy outside your window, standing under a lamplight, wearing a raincoat, trilby and reading a newspaper with eye holes cut out at midnight!
  • edited October 2020
    I would think Alexa Mart, but we ain't got one and  neither has our 95 year old neighbour over 1 km down the road.

    Although they have put these WIFI boxes outside every house and the locals ain't too happy about the new EDF "Linky" meters 
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