Stalked by an M an S Top

Just been followed onto the Guardian website.... This is getting really irritating.

How odd! I've been stalked by items I've viewed online, but never after mentioning something I've bought, on here or anywhere else.

I was once followed by a floor steamer for a few weeks oh and a selection of dog collars from Pets for Us.

I was absolutely incandescent a couple of years back, I had been looking at good quality cotton bathrobes as a possible Christmas present for Mr P.

He came down after doing some internet stuff and asked me if I was planning to get him the said item, as when he had been doing his stuff he kept getting ads and banners across the top for bloody bath robes!

You could have fun in the future with that one Phoenix. Sky diving ads? Animal onesies?

I get fed up with all these people trying to tell me how to get rid of wrinkles and fat. I've never, ever looked at cosmetic sites so how do they know?

I looked at the top and tried to look around the new M&S site after you mentioned it Jess and I too am being stalked everywhere by the very same top and skirt!
I think it's particularly annoying because the ads are constantly moving at the side of the screen, which sort of irritates my eyes IYSWIM.

When my ds first got hens I had chickens all over the place (on my screen)

I have a free app on my PC called Adblock, which does what it says, it's great. Unfortunately I don't know what can be done on an IPad etc. I shall have to find out from my computer advisor - ie son.

Isn't it when they say they have cookies and they are there to "improve "the shopping experience?M&S tops don't just stalk you on screen. I was in Hanoi a few weeks ago and someone sat down next to me and we both blinked. Same M&S blouse but we came from opposite ends of the Uk.

There is probably something one could do in terms of erasing cookies if I knew how.
The wrinkles and tummy fat are demographically targeted because you have put your gender and date of birth into Facebook etc. Those "what kind of xx are you" quizzes on FB are hoovering up more detailed info that can be used for marketing. Along with everything else on the Internet that asks you to "register".
Free wifi often asks for details, but it dawned on me you could do fictional ones and the computer would accept these quite happily.
Had not occurred to me that they might reveal the online shopping habits of family members.

What irritates me a lot is if eg I have an on line shop delivered today, I will just have unpacked when I am asked if I would like to do another on line shop.

I am stalked by Landsend on the Independent and Guardian web sites. Hotter shoes crops up too.

Hotter shoes are definitely after me!!

I also find adverts irritating and a bit spookie sometimes but if you use a free website like facebook, gransnet or a webmail account the money to pay for it has to come from somewhere. They must get some response or I guess if it didn't pay them to do it they wouldn't. I think most of this stalking comes from the google search engine. I get stalked by "Roman" tops.

I play a game called 'Big Farm' on Miniclip. This must indicate to Google that I am a real life farmer as my banners and pop-ups consist of adverts for hen-houses, cattle feed and sheep dip.

I get all this too, and as phoenix says it's a dead give away [if you share a computer] as to what you are planning to buy either for yourself or for a present for DH. So much so, that I had to buy DH's Christmas presents actually in a shop rather than online.GRRRRRRRRR.

I am now being stalked by painted pine wardrobes.

I don't know why they suddenly think I'm interested in log cabins! (and no, DH hasn't been near the computer)

I get wight loss ones

I have not had many problems like this and I do quite a lot of internet shopping.

I think you should be able to upgrade privacy settings to not allow tracking cookies and other offers but it probably depends on your computer.

With "Firefox" click on "Tools" "options" "Privacy" and a box come up that provides "tracking options."

You can tick any of the three boxes but read the "Learn More, " which gives you further information about this.

On Windows look at "Tools" "Internet options," "Privacy" and look at stuff on there. It does explain how to stop tracking cookies and your geographical location and 3rd party cookies etc.

Or just Google "Windows privacy settings" there are explanations on how to do this for various versions of Windows.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/settings-privacy-browsing-history-do-not-track

These might be helpful, forgive me if you already know this.

Thanks, nelliemoser - I did know, but had forgotten! I've now changed my Windows privacy setting from medium to medium/high and will see what difference that makes.

For me it's the RNLI.
I sent off a donation, by cheque, on 4th April possibly posted a couple of days later.
Today I received another invitation to donate.... is that a record?
I know it's a worthy organisation and I am happy to support them but I do get a bit fed up of repeated requests.
Sorry to digress a little but 'stalking' also describes my situation!

Once you're on their list, they never give up, OGM...DH and I are fed up with charity begging letters (from charities we already donate to). Don't they realise it can be counter-productive?

I have been stalked by M&S anoraks for little girls. And anything else I have bought from there.

I also get stalked by popups offering to get rid of my wrinkles, although I have not told anyone about my wrinkles, and am wondering if they can see me through my webcam?

Just wondering if the other post re M&S about an unsolicited email regarding Criteo has anything to do with all this?