Shhh! Online Advertisers Can Read Your Mind
Published 14/08/2020
Isn’t it annoying how targeted ads haunt you wherever you go and whatever you do?
Have you ever thinking to buy something, or you saw a new product that you wanted to try, and the next thing you know, you’re miraculously seeing ads for it everywhere?
As for me, I usually filter them in my mind, not paying attention to what they say, but sometimes they are making so annoying.
But the question is, How do internet advertisers read our minds?
You see, like everyone else, I’m used to getting targeted ads on my browser after each search season, and that’s not surprising after all, I’m spelling all the beans myself.
If I need a trimmer the first thing I do is search where I can find one and ads go crazy after that, It will suggest all companies which some of them I’ve never heard of offering best deals ever, and I think that’s ok, That’s how they work.
But sometimes when You’re just idly scrolling through Facebook or watching YouTube, and an ad pops up for something you were just thinking about and haven’t even mentioned out loud yet.
How in the world could my phone knew that I need that thing which I even didn’t search or didn’t say it aloud?
It can be co-incidence for one time, not every time.
You know it has to be more than coincidence and you’re right. That is downright creepy.
Ok, let’s see how they track you.
Using Wifi and GPS:
First thing: If you research on this, you can understand that advertiser follow you everywhere.
For example, If you pass by say, a company name, you’ll most likely soon get a targeted ad most probably even with this same address.
Know how to remove access control of your datas from online advertisers.
It happens because companies installed individual Wi-Fi routers in their offices that have a more extensive range of operations when you go about your business your phone is busy too it’s constantly scanning the networks around it sending signals to every possible connection point.
Hence, you pass by a company with a particular router in it your phone sends its signals.
The company has your phones digital ID.
It’s not a massive piece of info nothing personal can be stolen from you, but that’s still enough to send you targeted.
The good thing here is that only larger companies can afford such a method of targeting the costs of equipment along with the price tag on the ad itself is too high for smaller businesses.
But still, it’s unsettling to know that your phone gives away your location to anyone who asks trader on a broader scale advertisers may use geotags to target.
Your these tags are points on the map, and when you happen to be within a certain distance from one of these points you start getting specific ads, and it’s even easier to get you personally.
If you use public Wi-Fi networks when you connect to Wi-Fi on public transport, you voluntarily give away information about yourself.
And where you’re heading so ads on your phone will adjust themselves and give you places along your route.
Using Apps:
Another thing you should be worried about is the so-called matching like everyone else I’m using different apps on my phone.
I admit I never really read the end-user agreement which does but perhaps I should start paying more attention to it the thing is apps often collect your offline data and send it to advertisers.
The best example you can think of is a fitness tracker, Which you allow this device or app access to your phone.
It begins doing its job immediately things like your heart rate monitoring, the distance you covered on this or that day pretty sensitive stuff if you ask me all this goes to some third party and you gave your permission for that.
So, I mentioned matching here’s where it comes into play when an app you’ve given permissions to send your info to advertisers it’s matched with the offers they can throw at you.
Using Your Social Media Page:
Most of us know that the things we all do on our social media seem to paint a digital statistical picture of us, the videos we like or watch, the posts we react to, the things we share, where we check-in, all of it.
For example, Someone who pins recipes can get targeted by agencies for the food brands they service, with methods that include their products.
Engaged by clicking on an ad:
If you click on an ad online or in your social media feed for a baby carrier and ultimately buy it, you’ve been tagged as an “engaged shopper,” as well as someone who is very likely expecting a child or who have a child.
So that’s how they can track you.
Keep track using Your Family Members Data:
Nowadays, everyone in our family uses social media sites. So Advertiser not only tracks you they also follow everyone in your family members social media site, GPS, apps everywhere.
Yes, it may be true that you didn’t know that your kid wanted specific things until he/she is asking you for this and saying you about how Everyone on his/her friends’ circle has one.
But somehow when you got home, the first thing you see on your phone is an ad for that exact product.
How?
Because Social media knows you’re every relative of your friends. You share similar interests and are frequently in the same locations.
Those other parents have been busy searching for, posting about and buying this same thing – that makes you a prime candidate for that brand.
Keep Tracking using your Inbox:
Those ads that show up in your inbox looking like an email didn’t get there by accident.
Don’t worry friends; no employees are reading all of your emails and messages.
It is an automated algorithm which is used to find keywords in the emails you send, receive, open, and interact with to flag your interests.
Look-a-like audience:
Even without much online activity, marketing teams can still find you based on “look-a-like audiences.”
These are databases of those people with certain desired activities, like watching any video, clicking on an ad, or purchasing any products.
Social media sites then use that information to find other users that “look” or act just like them.
This means that you can get targeted for something you have never searched, typed, engaged with or clicked on, but still get served an ad.
Weather-triggered targeting:
Something as entirely out of your hands as the weather can label you as part of the desired audience for a brand and its marketing team!
Weather targeting is the practice of targeting consumers by local weather (past, current, or future).
In other words, you can say, serving ads, or delivering promotions which correspond to the viewer’s weather conditions.
My Phone watching and listening to me:
Well, I was shocked to find out that my phone is listening to me and yours too.
If you have a smartphone and use any social media at all, you’ve already trapped.
How?
You see social media apps require access to many of your phone’s functions including phone's microphone and that makes sense if you want to create stories or videos with sound you’ll need the app to hear you.
Still, by giving this permission, you automatically let it listen to you even when you don’t want to record anything with this is not some speculation mind you.
Social media apps have verbal triggers or voice commands that activate them to record you and then send the things you say to advertisers.
Google or iOS, they start listening to you when you say ‘OK Google' or ‘Hey Siri'.
With social media though no one knows what their triggers are and how many there are of them out there to prove this theory.
You can experiment and started saying random things to your phone that could potentially be triggering.
If you did it for a few days and then looked closely whether your feed would be changed, namely the sponsored posts.
If you are saying clothes or planning to do any course, for a few days without searching,
The next day your social media feed will be presented with clothing store ads and posts about courses at different universities and centres.
Conclusion:
After that, I don’t know about you, but for me, this discovery was alarming now it all made sense that what I was thinking about something without searching.
Why I see my social media apps simply recorded me saying those things and sold them to some advertiser.
How to protect your data:
I know there are methods to protect myself from such occurrences, but unfortunately, there’s no full-proof way to exclude targeted ads for me entirely.
Ok, but here I found two ways:
Method 1:
If you don’t want ads to go barging into your personal space most vital of them is a VPN, or virtual private network it’s a perfectly legal means to hide your presence in the web and prevent others from snooping around in your business online getting a VPN is basically like purchasing your parking spot on the internet whatever the trouble you always have a safe place to return to advertisers won’t be able to track your actions.
There are some legal adblocking software and ad-blocking browser extension which blocks all unwanted ads.
Method 2:
In this method, you don’t have to pay anyone, and this method is effective. I tried this method before suggesting to you.
I saw effective results.
Ok, let me explain to you I have problems those private data which I didn’t even search or don’t want to share with the advertiser.
So I open settings and deny all permission to access my data for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, all social media, even Google.
I just give the agreement when it needs and trust me guys I see a big difference for this.
Yeah I know whenever I open Facebook I need to permit storage when I need I have to give all other permission for camera microphone everything.
Still, It is better than to share your private data with them.
If you don’t know how to do it then follow this process:
Open settings >> apps and notification >> click on apps permission >> click all apps see what they need to run >> if they are taking permissions for (Camera, Contact, Microphone, location, phone, SMS, storage) disable all permission except the storage.
Now give just microphone, Camera, contact permission when it needs and then disable it again to keep it secure and don’t forget to disable it back when it has done.
Just try it you will see the difference too.
OK, that’s it, for now, guys hope you like this post if you like this post then don’t forget to share it with your friends to keep them secure.
Thank you for reading this.
You might like these
India Cements Boosts Capacity by 0.3 mtpa
India Auto Sales Mixed in Q1 FY26
RBI Urges UCBs to Build Trust
Bank Credit Grows 9.8% YoY
NYT Licenses Content to Amazon for AI Use
India Bond Yields Set to Rise Amidst US Treasury Pressure
India Achieves Renewable Milestone
News that matters the most ⚡