Technology is creepy, or is it just intuitive?

[Barbara Joanne74]

So the last 2 days, on my Instagram feed, there have been ads for breast augmentation. I realize that social media and online sellers share information, but this one has me puzzled. I have NOT searched online about breast surgery or anything to do with it. However, I have been thinking in my mind about it, :what it would be like, what size would I want, how much does it cost, and all of that. However it has not left the quiet little voices inside my head. Can Instagram read my mind now?:eek::doh:

Or

I have been looking online for small cup bras that would fit my small natural girls. Perhaps the algorithms identified me as a small chested woman in need of some improvement?:lol2:

I hope you find this humorous like I did

[OrdinaryAverageGuy]

The algorithms amaze me sometimes. And I'd love to have some boobs, but I'm not willing to play with hormones or surgery, so perhaps some algorithm will read my response and give me a cool alternative. Anyone out there?? Hello?

[Sandi Beech]

Yes it can be a bit creepy and intrusive to a degree. I recently searched for a specific electronic product on eBay and something like a day later I am getting email adds for a a totally different product but had the similar name so I am pretty sure eBay leaks stuff to sellers for profit. It was just too coincidental since I had not searched for it anywhere else.

Sandi

[TamT]

I do help my SO to do some online shopping on her stuff, so it is not strange that some bras and women jeans ads appear in my browsing sessions. As I'm in DADT mode, it could be bad to get those ads in front of her if she doesn't know what we have done. A while ago that kind of things ended in discussions. I must be careful and make sure to use the private mode of the browser so as not to leave traces in the cookies.

[LydiaL]

It has gotten so bad that if I google something or look at something on an online catalog that I start getting related emails or popup ads the same day. Invasive indeed!

[Aka_Donna]

Too many trackers. Most are client side, i.e. your system, but some are server side, i.e. system providing web page. For example, view an item at macys and
other tablets/computers/phones sharing the home router will show your views in their recently viewed at the bottom of the page, unless you edit it out and SAVE edits.

[Helen_Highwater]

Not sure what it's like in the States but generally in the UK/EU when you access a site you get the "We use cookies..." message and the option to accept or edit. Most sites if you choose edit now come with a reject all button which while not stopping essential cookies does stop the abundance of tracking ones.

It's a bit of a pain having to keep doing it but it does help stop the plethora of stray emails or pop ups you'd otherwise be plagued with.

[kimdl93]

Very intrusive and very creepy. Almost all the ads that pop up for me are womens wear?and I suppose that is because I spend too much time browsing/virtual window shopping.

The algorithms can produce amusing results. I once received correspondence from an acquaintance who reported having shingles?the long term complication of the herpes (chickenpox) virus. Almost instantly Gmail produced a side ad for roofing materials at Lowes.

[Rileyaz]

I use a separate browser for anything having to do with this side of my life. I also use a VPN and clear everything out prior to closing the browser.

[Judy-Somthing]

I hate how we're being tracked.
I purchased fem things years ago and paid with PayPal and they never erase them, it's a real bummer.
And boy do cell phones track everything. Google OMG.
I didn't know until a friend told about that Google kept a record of every time and place I've been.
When I looked at the data I could see all the times I went to the wig store, dress store, thrift store etc.
Also the cookies on web-browsers, and if I click don't save password it would save a list of websites not to save showing I've been there.
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Aunt Kelly]

While you may not have searched, specifically, for information on BA, it is likely that you have been tracked doing other things for which the algorithms would put you in the "wants bigger boobs" group.

[Jane G]

Surely every one wants bigger boobs, so they could just send that out randomly and hit the spot.:heehee:

Know what you mean though, quite spooky the way adds pop up sometimes. Usualy I take the time to reject cookies, but sometimes I'm a bit lazy and those computer spies get through. :eek:

[giuseppina]

I've found that Firefox in permanent private browsing mode stops almost all advertising.

[Stephanie47]

Maybe SirDonna comment (#6) explains some of the questions I have about intrusive ads. I have an ad blocker. All the time I get a notice that I am using an ad blocker. But, does that stop the ads. No. The ads seem to sneak in on the MSN news page as news. Sure I get on emails all sorts of reminders from sites I have perused; ebay, Macy's, everyone. I guess I should expect those since they are not really ads thrown out there, but, are based on me accessing them. But, if I look at something/anything I will get an ad for that product from any company selling it. That suggests to me a server is selling visitations to web pages. Recently I was diagnosed with a disease. When I "Google" medical sites I get ads on the MSN page for that disease. It applies to anything. I don't have any issues with cell phone as all we use occasionally is a 'flip phone' which is turned off unless we need to make a call. I've watched too many crime dramas about tracking down criminals for crimes done years ago.

I have to interject a chuckle about cell phone. Apparently, traffic jam reports are based on cell phone data. Someone took 50+ cell phones and put them all on a bridge span which resulted in the traffic guy reporting a traffic jam when there wasn't anything happening. Privacy? Drive a car, use a cell phone, peruse on the computer. No wonder people think there are micro chips in covid vaccines.

[Linda K.]

Google is ..... I mean, Big Brother is watching all of us! :eek:

[sometimes_miss]

Yes it can be a bit creepy and intrusive to a degree. I recently searched for a specific electronic product on eBay and something like a day later I am getting email adds for a a totally different product but had the similar name so I am pretty sure eBay leaks stuff to sellers for profit. It was just too coincidental since I had not searched for it anywhere else.

You don't have to search for it anywhere else. If you had any other tabs open, trackers from other websites can pick up what you do on other web pages; I noticed facebook was guilty of this way back when they started becoming popular, whether they still do this, I don't know, because I'm not on there anymore, nor am I on Instagram or whatsapp. In some cases, you don't even have to have any other tabs open; the little scripts or whatever may remain active as long (or maybe even after) your web browser is open. While the good guys keep trying to stop this 'leakage' from going on, the bad guys are just as busy finding new ways to steal your information, to sell to the advertisers on the net, in an effort to get you to buy stuff. And buy it once? Bingo, you're automatically on some new list somewhere.
The only safe thing I know, is to use a dedicated different browser for anything regarding crossdressing. There are enough browsers, so you can pick one of the non mainstream ones easily enough. For example, I use the microsoft ones for my banking, and nothing else. Chrome for video watching. Firefox for shopping. Vivaldi for here and other CD/TS/TG etc., stuff. And of course, delete all cookies and searches when closing your browsers, and don't ever store usernames or passwords. You can easily create a simple file with all that information, and make it password protected, perhaps even store it on removable storage.

[Aka_Donna]

Chrome is google and has a strong reputation for high tracking, watch what videos are viewed on chrome. Also, google will search your gmail for anything that can be converted to money by sharing with advertizers. The android system tracks way too much. Apple has lately joined them, so there is no good alternative I know of at this time.

[Michelle55]

In addition, your ISP "sees" everything you watch on NetFlix. Even if only for a short time.

I had ads come up that were exactly in line with recent streaming views, but not something my wife or I searched or viewed otherwise.

I also play the solitaire games by Microsoft most days and since the "account" was originally setup by my wife with a gender of female, most ads there are those you would expect to be
directed at women, and not surprisingly my Juno email has ads very much like those too.

[Gizmo, Debbie]

If you’ve been search for small cup bras then that’s where the algorithms got some of there information.
The word is still run my small minded men.
Small minded me like big breasted woman.
If you’ve been looking at small bras then the algorithms are assuming your a small breasted woman and trying to body shame you.

Well, that’s my view anyway.

[Alice K]

Don?t know how your original search is going but try here.
https://www.wearpepper.com/

[Aunt Kelly]

Ad blockers are not even close to 100% effective. The are absolutely not the same as anti-tracking technology. Use Firefox, Edge or some other browser besides Chrome. Learn and use all the privacy features they have. Don't use Google as your default search engine. Duck-Duck-Go has come a long way and will respect your privacy. Use your browser's "private" mode whenever doing something that you're dead certain you don't want tracked.

[NancySue]

There?s no question in my mind, big brother is watching. When I visit different web site looking for things, usually lingerie, the next day our Facebook shows ads for lingerie, tops, etc. We do not think it?s coincidence. Incidentally, look at Leading Lady bras. They have a great selection of a cup bras. I have several, all underwires.

[Soriya]

Ad blockers are not even close to 100% effective. The are absolutely not the same as anti-tracking technology. Use Firefox, Edge or some other browser besides Chrome. Learn and use all the privacy features they have. Don't use Google as your default search engine. Duck-Duck-Go has come a long way and will respect your privacy. Use your browser's "private" mode whenever doing something that you're dead certain you don't want tracked.

Good suggestion Kelly. I use Duck Duck Go is good and 'supposedly' doesn't track. I haven't used it yet but the Brave Browser is supposedly good as well. VPN's help but won't stop tracking by themselves. Personally I use a different computer with a VPN for browsing and purchasing things on this side of life. I go the extra mile when buying things and use cash to buy Visa gift cards then use those for online purchases. I have a Soriya Amazon account and always use a Amazon locker for delivery. Overall though you can't stop tracking 100%. If you do something online there is always a record of it somewhere.

[rachellegsep]

I also use firefox as a browser in permanent private mode plus also clear history with all the options ticked

[ShelbyDawn]

I read an article about how they figure out what yo show you a few days ago (sorry no link) and it involves what you look at, what you search for, your location, the people close to you, what they look at, what they search for and it gives you it's best guess on what you or someone you spend time with might want to see. Lot's of really smart people figured this torture out and it is possible, just guessing, that maybe someone you know might have been looking into it and you got caught in the fringe.

The guy that wrote the article said the best you can do is to turn off Apple's ability to track your data, not sure about
android.

[ronny0]

In the past I noticed adds that appear to be directed at my IP not my email / user account.
I'll be looking at something on one computer while logged in as a female name.
Then minutes later on another computer totally different account but same IP address adds will come up for similar items.
Talk about spreading my searches to everyone on my network? Or I could just be getting more paranoid.

[JustJennifer]

ronny0 -- No, you're not paranoid. Regardless of your cookie settings, the ad optimization algorithms track IP addresses from the server side and will target similar ads for people with the same address or within a range. There's no getting around that unless you're using a VPN.

[Stephanie47]

What Jennifer and Ronny mentions sort of gets me thinking. I always bang away on the desk top computer while my wife always uses a tablet with our Wi-Fi. As indicated previously on this thread Ads seem to come through on the msn news page disguised as a news story. Now, although my wife knows I am a cross dresser (DADT) I wonder if ads bleed through to her on the tablet. This morning the msn news page is totally free of ads. I bet once I start looking at anything one of those ads will crop up. Recently, I perused Shadowline nightgowns of a particular style with the results of various retailers throwing up pictures of that style; Wal-Mart Marketplace; Herroom, etc. Life may be perilous for some trying to hide out.

[Aunt Kelly]

All of that is true, Shelby. The social media companies, search engines, and Internet advertisers are very good at finding out what interests you and putting it in front of you. Most people have no idea that it's happening, much less how it works. I could tell you stories... I used to work for a company that was encumbered by multiple privacy regulations. We did use Internet advertising and would occasionally receive a complaint from and indignant user (sometimes not even a customer) about why our ads showed up during their web surfing. Mind you, our privacy experts were meticulous about protecting privacy where we could, but what you do on your own places you at the mercy of that industry (advertising) unless you take steps to protect yourself.