It’s been a while since a Twitter thread by a privacy tech user went viral, explaining the technical reasons why he suddenly received ads for his mother’s toothpaste brand on his phone after visiting his parents the toothpaste thing.
So if it feels like we’re getting ads for things we’re talking about or even just thinking about,. It not because our smartphones are eavesdropping on us (or even reading our minds), but simply because companies like Google or Meta know us so well that they can even predict our interests.
The technology behind tracking the toothpaste thing
Some web tracking methods us to track user behavior across platforms can almost be considerold hat: A Facebook pixel in an online shop tells Facebook which products might be relevant to us, new zealand business fax list and these are display to us as part of retargeting . Our advertising-relevant interests, determin by Instagram, ensure the same ads are display regardless of the device we log in on. This latter technology is classifias cross-device tracking. Apparently, the technology can even potentially determine clear data such as email addresses, IP addresses, and phone numbers .
Furthermore, ads are not display solely based on our demographic characteristics or the behavioral and interest profiles we determine. Location, determin via the IP address, can also be one factor among many in determining the ads display.
Data protection perspective
One thing is clear: Personaliz advertising, or the data processing requir for it, may only take place with the express consent of those affect – otherwise, it is illegal (as we reported ). Because Meta failed to obtain valid consent for years, popups can be used to a decision by the Irish Data Protection Authority now requires a fine of €390 million.
Some of the data types evaluat using probabilistic methods . Information that is process by default when visiting a website in order to make it technically available. Ensure security, or to conduct anonymous statistical evaluations. . If additional marketing purposes are pursued or the data is us for profiling, consent is also requir.
A self-test is need
After the aforemention tweet, my interest in data protection law was piqu. Are we being track as extensively in Europe as is apparently the case in the US? Or does the GDPR at least partially protect us here? And isn’t the appearance of advertisements for products immediately after we’ve talked about them or thought about them sometimes just a frequency illusion ?
I disabled personalized advertising and cros. Platform tracking as much as possible in all apps, albania business directory but it didn’t take long before. I observed the described effect within my own social media accounts. (What follows: anecdotal evidence of dubious scientific value.)
An alternative explanation emerged relatively quickly, however: Meta knows where I am from my smartphone and who’s nearby from my colleagues’ smartphones. In addition, several people in my area may follow their favorite beer brand on their own profiles due to regional ties and may also interact more frequently with their posts. The algorithm therefore concludes: I could be a suitable target audience for the same type of beer that the others also like. What remains somewhat curious here, however, is that I haven’t granted location access to Facebook at all.