Maybe Google really is watching....

[Peri]

A while ago I posted up how, while sitting at home, my wife had asked me if I'd ever watched a very long running British soap called 'Emmerdale Farm'.
I replied "I used to watch it when I was a kid, with my Mom......when it had Amos and Mr Wilkes in it".
Next day my Amazon had DVD box sets of 'classic Emmerdale' from the 70's in my 'suggested items'

Spooky enough.

Today, I'm at work (in a college), talking rubbish with three other engineers in the staff room. We get talking about pneumatics and robotics.
A colleague asks if I'd seen the robots performing Motorhead's 'Ace of Spades'?
'No' I said, so he opens up his browser, goes to YouTube and finds the video.

About 3 years ago I'd seen a similar video with performing KUKA robots called 'Automatica', so I ask if he's seen it.
'No' he said.
So I get out of my chair, go over to his computer, to his YouTube tab (where he isn't even signed in to it), and search for the video, which we watch.

I get home this evening, open up YouTube, and guess what's in my recommendations?

 

[9fingers]

Exactly so. I cannot understand why anyone invites these spies into their homes.
Bob

 

[Trevanion]

My father recently made himself a Facebook account to access the local village "goings-on" page, he has a completely blank account aside from his name and whatever other details he inputted when registering, he has no friends on there and the only page he follows is that "goings-on" page. What we've noticed is that when people call around for a period of time, he will have "friend suggestions" from Facebook pop up of those people, so it obviously is tracking that you A: Spend a lot of time here in this location, therefore, it is where you live or work, and B: these people that are coming to your property must know you, rather than passing other people by on the street for example. He'll also have suggestions of people he worked with or knew 30+ years ago and hasn't seen since, even if they never even lived locally, and it all freaks him out a little, the only thing I can think of is maybe other people have been searching for him in the past?

I recently had a similar thing on Instagram, which is obviously also owned by Facebook. I had a rep turn up one day to introduce himself, never met him before, etc... A couple of days later on my Instagram he popped up as a "Suggested for you" account, with no mutual followers and it was his personal account, nothing related to the business.

I saw a thread on UKW the other day talking about the cookies the site puts upon you, some lasted for two years and one lasted six years, and these would refresh their cycle each time the site was opened!

[youtubessl]8xn1rO1oQmk[/youtubessl]

 

[RogerS]

Surely it must be 'listening' ?

 

[Dr.Al]

I've no idea how likely it is that all this is genuine rather than coincidence, but I went into the security settings in my phone and stopped the google apps (and a few others) from having access to the microphone. It popped up a warning to say it may affect the functionality of the device, but I never use voice input or "Hey Google" or anything like that so I haven't noticed any ill effects.

 

[novocaine]

it's correct term is metadata, they aren't listening via you device, why would they when you leave such a lovely line of crumbs behind you everywhere you go, from google location services (GPS on your phone that you use intentionally rather than unitentionally), ebay purchases, amazon purchases, credit card purchases, who you bank with, where you ate, who else ate there, when you ate there, your name on the electroral register, your emails, what email lists you are a subscriber on (get an email from axi, your on the list, buy something from them, you are on the list, buy it in person using your card, your in the list) the list is endless and there are companies out there (facefuck being one of the larger ones) who mine this data constantly, it all comes together to give a very very good digital likeness of you whether you like it or not.

don't invite them in to your home if you don't want, it won't make a blind bit of difference unless you completely remove yourself from every single modern day activity and live in a shed in the middle of a remote island somewhere in the pacific.

YOU ARE ON THE LIST.
it isn't worth trying to fight it, it's to late anyway.

 

[Blackswanwood]

I recently had a similar thing on Instagram, which is obviously also owned by Facebook. I had a rep turn up one day to introduce himself, never met him before, etc... A couple of days later on my Instagram he popped up as a "Suggested for you" account, with no mutual followers and it was his personal account, nothing related to the business.

I experienced this after I'd changed phones and found it was because I hadn't disabled the location tracking on the Instagram app. It was quite amusing to see one of the "you may knows" who was on the other side of a rather sensitive negotiation on her hen do in Las Vegas though!

I am really pleased to see the big tech companies getting hauled into court in the Molly Russell inquest. The inter web brings a lot of benefits but it doesn't feel as if those running it are acting responsibly in quite a few respects.

 

[9fingers]

I see tiktok may be in for a hefty fine for failure to protect minors

Another shady place on t’interweb

Bob

 

[Lurker]

it's correct term is metadata, they aren't listening via you device, why would they when you leave such a lovely line of crumbs behind you everywhere you go, from google location services (GPS on your phone that you use intentionally rather than unitentionally), ebay purchases, amazon purchases, credit card purchases, who you bank with, where you ate, who else ate there, when you ate there, your name on the electroral register, your emails, what email lists you are a subscriber on (get an email from axi, your on the list, buy something from them, you are on the list, buy it in person using your card, your in the list) the list is endless and there are companies out there (* being one of the larger ones) who mine this data constantly, it all comes together to give a very very good digital likeness of you whether you like it or not.

don't invite them in to your home if you don't want, it won't make a blind bit of difference unless you completely remove yourself from every single modern day activity and live in a shed in the middle of a remote island somewhere in the pacific.

YOU ARE ON THE LIST.
it isn't worth trying to fight it, it's to late anyway.

And here’s me thinking that it was them tracking me via the covid vaccine!

 

[novocaine]

And here’s me thinking that it was them tracking me via the covid vaccine!

You jest, and yet others don't, it's a small leap from assuming your device is listening to you to far greater conspiracy theories about nanobots and such like. amusingly though, the fact you went for your vaccination is part of the "meta you" and could alter what you see in terms of targeted adverts.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I presume some of us are old enough to remember the days people worried about electricity pylons being a blot on the landscape. Now we moan that social media firms know too much about our lives. There's something new for each generation to fret about. I've become resigned to it, perhaps it is better to see ads for things you just might be interested in after all.

 

[Lurker]

Surely it must be 'listening' ?

You will be getting unsolicited e mail invites, to join pedants anonymous !

 

[Peri]

Surely it must be 'listening' ?

I was going for the '1984' vibe