Deke

Oh look. It's a transparent gif.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 12:21:13 AM

Weirdness, life, internet, advertising, privacy, rant, ecchh, google, grunch

I'm starting to worry about this 'net privacy thing. A few personal details on Facebook and suddenly I'm getting ads on my Googlemail for girls who are definitely under half my age, live almost next door, and want a date. At least on Facebook itself they seem to have some idea of my age, there's a girl with enormous boobies from 'Dating50s' looking at me very strangely even as I type... Ooh, and there's an ad for 'PC knowledge for seniors'. Listen you condescending jerks, I've probably forgotten more about computers than you'll ever know.

I think I preferred it when they thought I was a 17 year old from Brighton (No, I have no idea where they got that from either...).

Time for my medicine.

Angry Old Git - Welshpool.

Questions... questions...Happy 50th anniversary, 1962!

Comments

DHdarkesthour # Wednesday, February 15, 2012 2:58:24 AM

One personal detail you should never put on facebook.. Your e-mail

Deke # Wednesday, February 15, 2012 3:10:18 AM

Augh! No chance, but I wouldn't put it past Google to add my Googlemail on for me. I don't add anything, but apparently other people who know you can add details for you. I'd delete them but that might miff my friends off a bit.

I only joined to find out what had happened to someone I knew from another forum, now old band mates keep 'finding' me.

dapxin # Wednesday, February 15, 2012 7:07:21 PM

Hey,

Once you join, welcome to the world.

QuHno # Wednesday, February 15, 2012 9:10:04 PM

No need to join, they collect data about you anyway. Just look at the about 20kB upload that goes every "+1" button on the average webpage and at the not less amount of data that floats to farcebook for every "like" button - even if you don't have an account.

Yes, they analyze the pages content and yes they know it, if you posted somewhere - from that the step of associating the used nickname with a person is not too hard. Following you through the net is not so hard too, they get your IP with every button on a web page.
(in more detail in my blog here at my.opera)

We are not the customers of facebook, google and others but their goods. The real customers are the people who pay them, meaning the companies that pay for the advertisements.

DHdarkesthour # Wednesday, February 15, 2012 11:25:53 PM

True

Deke # Thursday, February 16, 2012 2:00:25 AM

Dapxin: And how! I never knew I had so many friends.

QuHno: I agree totally with your conclusions about 'customers'. That's exactly the same argument I've been having with people who think the BBC should be shut down or made to take advertisements. The BBC is the only broadcaster in this country for whom we are the customers, all the rest report to the advertisers.

Darko: Your head just fell off.

DHdarkesthour # Thursday, February 16, 2012 2:12:40 AM

I just hate it when that happens

Deke # Thursday, February 16, 2012 2:32:13 AM

Yeah. Trying to pick it up and put it back on again is a bit like trying to do something in the mirror except that everything's the right way around.

DHdarkesthour # Thursday, February 16, 2012 2:39:54 AM

Quit while you're ahead, that's what I say.. Or I would if my head wasn't on back to front

Deke # Thursday, February 16, 2012 1:20:25 PM

I've never been a head. Drugs do strange things to you.

And anyway I couldn't afford them.

And even if I could I didn't know where to buy them.

DHdarkesthour # Thursday, February 16, 2012 10:36:52 PM

Originally posted by Deke: