Wow! Big Brother Google is Really Watching! Over the Top Nosey!

12 years ago

I've noticed this when I was checking out Dragon Naturally Speaking software. I did this right before Christmas and now it seems like every time I search on Google or visit a site...there's Dragon again with all kinds of discounts and specials. Google's definitely watching and taking notes of what people are searching for.

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KidCash

12 years ago

If you want to stop that, internet browsers such as Firefox have "don't track me" options and there are addons like ghostery that prevents all trackers from looking at your activity. I have both of these enabled and I haven't noticed the things you guys experienced.

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Shoot

12 years ago

I also recommend Ghostery

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sbucciarel Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Shoot

I also recommend Ghostery

Just installed this. I like it.
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ShaneGorry

12 years ago

lol Do you use Google Chrome or the Google toolbar or Gmail?

You know they only do these things because somewhere along the way we have agreed that they may do so by ticking a box and pressing an button in effect entering into a contract with them.

Of course we could always try getting around the net without making such agreements with the likes of Google, Facebook, MSN and others.

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JOSourcing

Banned 12 years ago

Advertising and Privacy ? Google provides some tools that will prevent this sort of tracking.

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Cool Hand Luke

12 years ago

Guys, absolutely NONE of this is new. If you are so determined to stop it, there are ways. Browser add-ons in Firefox can do the trick, as can proxies.

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J Bold 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

Guys, absolutely NONE of this is new. If you are so determined to stop it, there are ways. Browser add-ons in Firefox can do the trick, as can proxies.

I agree. This shouldn't be a surprise. It's been happening for a long time. There are advanced tracking and for advertising going on of basically everyone. There's also other logging going on of your internet activity.

For example, your Internet Service Provider whether it's Comcast, Charter or someone else logs every website you visit, as far as I know. What's the difference?

I understand the creepiness factor but I think we should understand it's all automated. It's not like a person is watching what sites you visit and then showing you ads based on that, it's an encrypted bot and no human is seeing this information.

But hey, maybe you don't trust that. If you don't, take measures to stop it. There are many you can take.
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Paul Short

12 years ago

Try smoking a cig (yup, I smoke

) and watching quit-smoking ads appear on totally unrelated sites. It happened to me earlier today. No joke.

I was looking at the webcam on my laptop with a blank stare, wondering if I had tape or a piece of chewing gum I could stick on the little lens.

Paul

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DianaHeuser

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Short

Try smoking a cig (yup, I smoke

) and watching quit-smoking ads appear on totally unrelated sites. It happened to me earlier today. No joke.

I was looking at the webcam on my laptop with a blank stare, wondering if I had tape or a piece of chewing gum I could stick on the little lens.

Paul

ROTF Paul. Now that was funny

Di

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wolfmanjack

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Short

Try smoking a cig (yup, I smoke

) and watching quit-smoking ads appear on totally unrelated sites. It happened to me earlier today. No joke.

I was looking at the webcam on my laptop with a blank stare, wondering if I had tape or a piece of chewing gum I could stick on the little lens.

Paul

They have spy software to spy on your cellphone even when it is turned off. I wonder if they can do the same thing through your laptops built in webcam?

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Paul Myers

12 years ago

Originally Posted by wolfmanjack

They have spy software to spy on your cellphone even when it is turned off. I wonder if they can do the same thing through your laptops built in webcam?

Not when it's powered down (yet), but the spyware exists for when there's juice to the machine. There was quite a kerfuffle here in PA when someone from a school's staff was caught spying on students using school laptops at home.

Nasty stuff. They should have nailed him to the barn door by his... anyways.

Paul

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Paul Myers

12 years ago

By the way, in case anyone thinks we're paranoid... Look up the story about that school near Philadelphia. I'm not making that stuff up.

Also, if you have a recent Samsung smartphone, try deleting the Facebook app. You can't. Not without rooting it. You can't remove it and you can't turn it off.

There is exactly no legitimate reason for any company to require that I have an app for a private service installed and operating on my phone at all times.

I'm moving up the phone chain, but I have ruled out anything that has this sort of app that I can't get rid of. That may mean actually going back to a "voice and text only" phone. Or having someone root an S3 for me and hoping it doesn't need service.

Paul

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MikeTucker

12 years ago

Originally Posted by rosetrees

Actually, I think it's a complete waste of advertisers time and money. What's the point of showing you ads for something you've already viewed and, possibly, rejected.

The exact same thing happened to me a few weeks ago when I was searching for a holiday cottage. For a couple of weeks I was literally pursued by a holiday company ad for the same 4 cottages that I had viewed and rejected. The results was that I never wanted to set eyes on that company again!

An opportunity was wasted - I should have been shown a selection of ads for similar companies/properties NOT ads for the exact products I had already viewed.

I think this goes along with the old theory of trying to get the same message in front of the consumer at least 3 times within a week...

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

By the way, in case anyone thinks we're paranoid... Look up the story about that school near Philadelphia. I'm not making that stuff up.

Also, if you have a recent Samsung smartphone, try deleting the Facebook app. You can't. Not without rooting it. You can't remove it and you can't turn it off.

There is exactly no legitimate reason for any company to require that I have an app for a private service installed and operating on my phone at all times.

I'm moving up the phone chain, but I have ruled out anything that has this sort of app that I can't get rid of. That may mean actually going back to a "voice and text only" phone. Or having someone root an S3 for me and hoping it doesn't need service.

Paul

I love bluetooth. I'm not sure if it is the biggest hole in security in the history of electronics, but sitting in Barnes & Nobles here in downtown Houston makes me think that it is... Maybe I'll go file for a PI license tomorrow, lmao!!!

By the way, folks, have you ever gone by an electronic billboard and wondered how it displayed an ad that seemed tailor-made for you? What a coincidence, right!?

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Paul Myers 12 years ago

Mike,

By the way, folks, have you ever gone by an electronic billboard and wondered how it displayed an ad that seemed tailor-made for you? What a coincidence, right!?

If I'm ever anywhere more than 100 miles from Kaycee, Wyoming and they start showing ads for Chris Ledoux, I'll get paranoid about those. Until then, me and my "worn out tape" will leave them off the list.

Paul
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Michael Oksa 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Nasty stuff. They should have nailed him to the barn door by his... anyways.

Okay...I will totally freak out if I ever scratch my anyways while online, and then see ads for anyways anti-itch cream.
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Paul Myers 12 years ago

Paul,

I was looking at the webcam on my laptop with a blank stare, wondering if I had tape or a piece of chewing gum I could stick on the little lens.

Band-aids. They'll cover the thing without leaving any residue.

Just sayin'.

Paul
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ShaneGorry

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Short

Try smoking a cig (yup, I smoke

) and watching quit-smoking ads appear on totally unrelated sites. It happened to me earlier today. No joke.

I was looking at the webcam on my laptop with a blank stare, wondering if I had tape or a piece of chewing gum I could stick on the little lens.

Paul

lol

I wonder if Google has it's own satellite? Cringe!

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OnlineMkter

12 years ago

Yes proxies, Firefox TOR button, private browsing mode etc. At least log out from your google account when browsing!!!

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dcristo

12 years ago

I don't get why people get frustrated by advertising based on user behavior. What makes it so much more annoying then regular advertising?

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JEasy 12 years ago

Originally Posted by dcristo

I don't get why people get frustrated by advertising based on user behavior. What makes it so much more annoying then regular advertising?

It's like having someone following you around all day watching what you do and where you go. It just seems a little "not right" you know what i mean?
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- dcristo 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by JEasy
  
  It's like having someone following you around all day watching what you do and where you go. It just seems a little "not right" you know what i mean?
  
  Not at all. I just think it's being paranoid. In a way I think they're doing me a favor for reminding me about something I was interested in buying.
  
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Michelle Strait

12 years ago

Me and a friend were discussing a television show via a Gmail conversation. I realized that Gmail started showing me ads related to the show being discussed. Me and my friend started talking about crazy off the wall stuff to see what type of advertising would show up. LOL

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Michael Meaney

12 years ago

This is actually a good thing for us.

The technology Google is using makes sure that:

Adsense blocks on our sites get a higher CTR.

Our Adwords campaigns get seen by the right people.

If you're making money from either of these methods, this stuff is helping you.

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sirtiman

12 years ago

That's good. I don't like blind ads.

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rosetrees

12 years ago

Originally Posted by LilBlackDress

I was stunned today when I was browsing the net, to see an ad for Istock show up, with 8 pictures in the ad, the exact pictures I was looking at.

This is really over the top...

Actually, I think it's a complete waste of advertisers time and money. What's the point of showing you ads for something you've already viewed and, possibly, rejected.

The exact same thing happened to me a few weeks ago when I was searching for a holiday cottage. For a couple of weeks I was literally pursued by a holiday company ad for the same 4 cottages that I had viewed and rejected. The results was that I never wanted to set eyes on that company again!

An opportunity was wasted - I should have been shown a selection of ads for similar companies/properties NOT ads for the exact products I had already viewed.

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LilBlackDress

12 years ago

Originally Posted by rosetrees

Actually, I think it's a complete waste of advertisers time and money. What's the point of showing you ads for something you've already viewed and, possibly, rejected.

The exact same thing happened to me a few weeks ago when I was searching for a holiday cottage. For a couple of weeks I was literally pursued by a holiday company ad for the same 4 cottages that I had viewed and rejected. The results was that I never wanted to set eyes on that company again!

An opportunity was wasted - I should have been shown a selection of ads for similar companies/properties NOT ads for the exact products I had already viewed.

I did buy one of the photos when I visited the site.

In the ad they showed me later, I saw the one I bought and 7 others I had looked at.

Guess they wanted me back to buy the other 7.

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ibacklinkpro

12 years ago

Paranoid or not, but every time I walk by the Xbox Kinnect, I half wonder if I should just unplug the thing...

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Tony2010

12 years ago

Another thing though how does serving that ad benefit Istockphoto?

I visit sites like 123 reg and instantly I am getting ads for them showing everywhere, but how does that benefit 123 reg? I already know where the website is I have just been on it!

So does Google want me to click on an ad just to take me back to where I have come from? That won't benefit the advertiser much will it.

For me it gets kind of annoying with all these ads following me around, quite creepy really.

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KirkMcD

12 years ago

The Advertiser is choosing to show the ads again, not Google. It's called "Remarketing."
Google Ad Innovations - Remarketing

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MarketingChad 12 years ago

Originally Posted by KirkMcD

The Advertiser is choosing to show the ads again, not Google. It's called "Remarketing."
Google Ad Innovations - Remarketing

Yep and it can be really effective. For those asking why would an advertiser want to show you something after you've rejected it you are thinking about it in the wrong context.

By using remarketing, advertisers can target users who they KNOW have an inherent interest in at least the niche they are involved in. Much more accurate to target people who have been to your site than just targeting 2,000 keywords you think might attract people to your site.

This works well for people who have thought about signing up for a trial or offer and then leave the site for whatever reason. It creates a cookie and then the ad network can display ads to these people that are targeted as such.

A lot of times the ad will be an extra offer to entice the visitor to return. For example, if you visit the website and decide not to sign up for the $4.99 trial, they can remarket to you a limited time "FREE" trial later after they've cookied your site.

It's the same concept as downsells on traditional IM product sites. Provide further reasons for someone to accept your offer.

A good strategy if you use it correctly and it makes sense for your product.

And remember, the advertiser only pays for clicks...so if someone is clicking to return to a site they've been at to accept an offer, conversion rates are much likely vastly higher than new visits.
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danr62

12 years ago

I had some Hootsuite ads following me around yesterday.

The owl is watching.

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David Keith

12 years ago

I don't really see it as that big of a problem. But to all those who do, there is a very simple solution.

In a free market, businesses take actions based on money. If you don't like it, stop visiting google and stop using any service google owns / operates. Vote with your wallet, and they will listen.

If you just complain, and they still keep making boat loads of cash off of you, you can expect the behavior to continue.

The truth is, that most people are either too uneducated to know about this stuff or simple don't care, so google uses these methods to make money. There is only 1 answer, and its not more government regulation.

Vote with your feet people...move and don't use google or their products. That will cost them money and they will get the message loud and clear.

To all those who say it won't matter. Your right, if only 3 people find this to be a big enough problem to leave over, google won't care. But if the masses believe as some of you do, then google would have to change its stance on these things.

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Pongo

12 years ago

What freaks me out is the Government being able to turn on the mic and video camera on your computer and cell phone, even if the cell phones are off they can still do it. The only way to stop them is to remove the cell phone battery.