Big brother is watching

I know this may not be the right forum but I do think this is of general interest.

You know, the whole internet thing is a bit scary. Some months ago I looked at a website that compared the prices of pickup trucks. Next thing I knew, everywhere I went on the web there were ads for pickup trucks….even here on Beesource. I understand the concept of targeted ads. But today…on Beesource one of the ads had a series of photos of hot looking, young women and the text read ‘We aren’t looking for young men, we want you.’

Somehow, the internet marketing bots figured out I’m male, older and single.
I don’t use any online dating service, frequent girly, porn or guy only sites. Basically, I bank, read the news, check the weather and visit Beesource.

I didn’t follow the link. I’m confident that none of those babes are really interested in a 60 year old, bald, beekeeping geezer. And, truth be told, I was involved with some twentish women when I was twentish….and I have no desire to repeat the experience.

At what point does this sort of thing become an invasion of privacy?

I had the same ad.... found it rather odd to see it here, so it really stood out.

You can thank Google for all this... I never choose to believe the conspiracy theories, but I love reading them. Listen to those guys about what Google has their hands into, and you start going down some scary paths.

Essentially, it all breaks down to this: Google = Cyberdyne from the Terminator movies. I like how I now get the YouTube pop-up ads in videos that are now selling me BK supplies.

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Originally Posted by TokerM

You can thank Google for all this...

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There may be some truth in this. I used to use Gmail until I saw several targeted ads that I could only associate with private emails that I'd sent. I mentioned it to a friend and he said he'd had the same issue with Gmail. As you might imagine, I no longer use Gmail.

Internet adversing is a simple thing to understand, "if you are receiving a service and not paying for it, you are not a customer, you are the product"
If you use the no script extension in your web browser you wont get any adds. Also set your web browser to clear all history , cookies and cache upon exiting.

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Originally Posted by certaut

Internet adversing is a simple thing to understand

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I am a pretty simple fellow…but I do understand cookies and caches. I really don’t care if the ads are present or not. It is when those ads are unrelated to my web browsing and yet appear to be accurately targeted to my demographic profile that I become a bit concerned.

I'll get worried when I see an add in the Beesource margins asking if I want to increase the size of my stinger.



Interestingly, I'm in about the same demographic (44 yr old, balding, weight-gaining caucasian beek) and my ad at the top of beesources is for The Salvation Army.

The government needs to know everything, like if you intend to buy tube socks this weekend or not.!!
Then they can create a committee to research the amount of money lost due to sock un-pairing.
Now about your truck...The govt "recommends" that you buy a GM, while using Aig for financing.

I am married and 37 and the "ladies" are on the top of my page too. Are the demographics telling us what we "should" want? I think one of those ladies is my aunt. JJ
You have to get a stolen computer with a fake passport and enter fictitious names/emails and leave it in the woods far away from your house and bounce everything through a server in Morocco. Wear a mask and gloves when you use the computer and don't breathe on it.
If you do all this you will probably still have ads...and they will be accurate, They just won't be in English.

Well I am 60, over weight, Married.

Me, I get forklift adds.
What's wrong with me?

[QUOTE=jrbbees;837492]Well I am 60, over weight, Married.

Me, I get forklift adds.
What's wrong with me?[/QUOTE


Well I'm 53, short bald and plump,,,well,,,,obese,,,,oh hell,,Im fat. I walk around my house in my underdraws,,, I just got an ad on the top of Beesource for "WINDOW REPLACEMENTS":( (And you thought yours was bad.)

you may want to consider add blocking addons for your browser

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir.../adblock-plus/

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...namgkkbiglidom

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Originally Posted by jrbbees

What's wrong with me?

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Originally Posted by dadandsonsbees

I just got an ad on the top of Beesource for "WINDOW REPLACEMENTS":(

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Next time that ad pops up…I’ll be happy to forward the link to ya.

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Originally Posted by Slow Modem

you may want to consider add blocking addons for your browser

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A couple of folks seem to have entirely missed my point. I don’t mind the targeted ads themselves. The ones linked to my browsing history may occasionally even hit the target….so to speak. It is the ads that appear to be a result of some sort of deep demographic mining that disturb me. I don’t care if there’s an ad with some hot babes at the top of the page…..I’m concerned that ‘they’ have figured out that I’m older and single. I don’t see how this can be garnered simply from my browsing history.

Ah well.

My son's girlfriend works for a software company and her job was to lead a group of software geeks to collect cookies. I was a bit surprised as to what they thought they could determine just from that, and I got the feeling that they were doing a lot more then she was telling. Yea just a bit scary.

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Originally Posted by dadandsonsbees

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Originally Posted by jrbbees

Well I am 60, over weight, Married.

Me, I get forklift adds.
What's wrong with me?

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Well I'm 53, short bald and plump,,,well,,,,obese,,,,oh hell,,Im fat. I walk around my house in my underdraws,,,

I just got an ad on the top of Beesource for "WINDOW REPLACEMENTS":( (And you thought yours was bad.)

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Winner of the "Ultra-targeted marketing" award of the day?

Perhaps your neighbors are searching for "blinds" or "thick ground level shrubs."

I for one welcome our new computer overlords, and I'm not just typing that because I want it on record I will not resist.

I'm 36 married male with kids I got the same ad for older men. Think that maybe just being on beesource makes them think older, single, male... For the most part I'd guess they are right three quarters of the time (laugh)

I'd worry more about big business that big brother he can't get his act together enough to watch that he is sending over 100 tax returns to the same address (recent news story)... i delete history, cache, and cookies often.

I am 45, married and FEmale. I got the same ad. I agree, I think they just assume "older male" will be the majority in conjunction with beekeeping.

I'm thinkin' some of you are right. The ad at the top now is for Laser Liposuction. A mere $1249 per area...whatever that means. Ok...the babes weren't specifically directed to me. I can reign in the paranoia......for the time being.

HEY HEY, Are you saying that I am.................. uh I guess you are,, Well Im sexy and I know it :lpf:

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Originally Posted by TokerM

Winner of the "Ultra-targeted marketing" award of the day?

Perhaps your neighbors are searching for "blinds" or "thick ground level shrubs."

I for one welcome our new computer overlords, and I'm not just typing that because I want it on record I will not resist.

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I'm a 48 year old married guy too and get those ads too. Your right from some of the demographics I've seen beeks usually are over 40. The thing I wonder is, are those 20 year old women getting ads for 40 something year old geezers looking for them when they go online? :) You have to remember that free sites have sponsors and those sponsors have your info then turn around and sell their lists to other marketing firms who make the ads. I use ad blockers and it does cut down on some of the ads but anytime you fill out a profile, or anything with a little info on them it goes to some marketing list somewhere. That's just one of the downfalls of technological advances. How many get junk mail in your postal mailbox? Same thing only cheaper and faster. JMO

I generally get Cabela’s add for specially what I have been searching for. I know they are tracking me. The links above will they keep big brother off my case? BTW I just got a my first ‘date’ add saying they don’t want younger men they want me! Maybe it is this site?

Welcome... to the age of the machine.

I keep a piece of masking tape over the cam in the laptop lid.
Anyone else do this or am I just overly paranoid ?