Ever get the feeling you are being watched?

I always specify what cookies I will accept, and have something called CCleaner on my computer - it's free and does get rid of some of the cookies if you remember to run it regularly.

This can surely not come as a surprise to anyone here.

For years if you use a free e-mail service such as hotmail, which ages ago changed its name to outlook or gmail, or google anything this has been the case.

If we feel apprehensive about this, we can limit the amount of information others can access by restricting the use of cookies on homepages, etc.

A good firewall and anti-virus program will give some level of security as well.

The only way to completely restrict others from watching us is to not use the Internet, as someone has already said.

This not being practical, you might want to keep truly sensitive information on a computer or at least an external hard drive that is not connected to the Internet at all.

We are being watched and targeted! I was so bored with the lead-up to Brexit! My son and I joked that puppies and kittens on Facebook were preferable to going down the road to Brexit. We clicked on a few kitty/puppy pics and ended up inundated, so, being more of a dog lover (cat allergy) I imagine I clicked less on kittens because soon it was almost all puppies. Next thing I know it's streams of cockapoo and cavapoo puppies.... Yes, they could see which ones I liked and targeted us and now we have a lovely little dog, just celebrated her 3rd birthday. One of the best things we ever did was to click on an ad for cockapoo puppies! I must say I am a great deal more circumspect when it comes to politics and money, but the same algorithms apply and the internet shows us what we appear to be most interested in and confirm our biases. Can be fun if you you understand that it works this way, but can alsos be very dangerous in limiting our exposure to a balanced view of the world.

Someone mentioned algorithms earlier. My son works in Music and when a song/album is released or they advertise it on Social Media, they just input the target age range/gender/interest etc. from a computer generated interest list and it will auto-send an advert to the targetted audience. Can you imagine going though lists of people by hand? Nobody does that anymore. So the answer is, yes you could loosely say your details are available, but most 'mail' is just automated and nobody really reads your data - it being just a quick way to reach the targets.

They’re called “ burner phones” cheap disposable pay-as-you go ones that are difficult to track. Drug dealers use them.

I turn off "personalised adverts" so they don't seem to bother me much.

My husband is inundated with adverts for things I've looked at if I use his phone/laptop - so obviously his are targeted.

What creeps me out - daft I know since it’s all automated and not some Big Brother watching - is when I’ve been looking at something online and then decided not to buy.

But later there will be an email (I’m looking at you, Joules!) to say, ‘Why not take another look at what caught your eye earlier?’

There is a large slice of irony in being on the internet and complaining about lack of privacy.

Fashionista1

Someone mentioned algorithms earlier. My son works in Music and when a song/album is released or they advertise it on Social Media, they just input the target age range/gender/interest etc. from a computer generated interest list and it will auto-send an advert to the targetted audience. Can you imagine going though lists of people by hand? Nobody does that anymore. So the answer is, yes you could loosely say your details are available, but most 'mail' is just automated and nobody really reads your data - it being just a quick way to reach the targets.

Best tell your son about data mining. They're not doing it by hand

Adverts for running shoes are targeted at people with FitBits who have done a lot of running. "They" forecast when you might want to buy new running shoes.

They really do read your data. But "they" are a data mining system, not somebody with a pencil and paper....

I think that’s what Fashionista was saying, isn’t it?

Sorry if I misunderstood - I read it as nobody really reads your data . OK, no real person, but "they" do.

Apologies Fashionista, if I have got your post wrong.

Doodledog

If you turn off Siri on an iPhone it will stop conversations being heard. Go to settings, choose ‘Siri and search’ and toggle everything off.

There will be a similar setting on Android phones - is it Google?

Thank you for that. I’ve just turned everything off.

My son reckons his Alexa is listening in after discussing something and then adverts coming up on his phone ?

What worries me the most is a few times I have been talking with my daughter about something I may get or do and the next time I am on the Internet I am getting adverts for it, like something is listening.
I know the Alexa and the Google one do keep a record of things you ask it, the makers have said that themselves

Doodledog Thank You!
Siri is now switched off and I’m hoping for a little peace. I try so hard but I know I am foolish and very backward with all tech. ?‍♀️

I’ve wondered too if my iPhone or iPad can hear me, as I have spoken about things to my husband and next thing a similar thing pops up on Facebook advertising this ??

There was a programme on last year about Amazon, where they openly admitted that they listened in to household talk when there was an Alexa in the room. They stressed it was random, but they are able to tune in when Alexa is on, but silent, and hear conversations. From there they send targeted advertising. (Mention you are having peas for dinner, and an ad for Bird's-eye frozen peas, or Thompson and Morgan pea seeds will appear on your device - you get the picture)

As already mentioned. Do not use google. Duckduckgo.com is a safer search engine. You can even modify your search to a specific country, eg. South Africa or UK. Remember that anything "smart" is watching you, your phone, tv, watch.

The funniest product ‘suggestion’ I ever had invited me to buy a chainsaw as a Mother’s Day gift.

Whenever my DH searches for something on the internet using his ipad, it pops up on my FB page, that I access through my laptop. I can't work out how 'they' know we are married. I often joke that he couldn't buy me a surprise present online, because I would see it in my FB feed.
One day an advert for expensive jewellery popped up and I got really excited! Sadly, he denied searching for it and no gift of jewellery materialised.

My online info is so targeted i thought Jeremy Corbyn was going to win the 2019 GE because i had only received positive news and nothing from right wing media.
At 10.15 that night when it came on the radio that it looked like BoJo had won i was in deep shock and drank myself into oblivion still haven't really got over the shock!

You can also browse online incognito which stops trackers being set on your laptop/computer.

HillyN
You’ve both got the same IP address. All your devices will connect.

I always known that our devices are listening ( it’s happened too many times) This happened in the past half hour.
I was discussing with my late friends girlfriend what songs to play at his funeral.
I said it has to be a Dr Feelgood song. I went onto YouTube to help me decide. First ad that pops up is for funerals.?

Sara1954

It’s scary, my plumber, my daughter and I were standing in the kitchen discussing a very specialised valve, within minutes an advert for one had popped up on my phone.

Recently I was thinking about a lawnmower, I did not utter a word of what I was thinking to anyone and later that day up pops up ads for lawnmowers on Facebook! My mind was being read?

MerylStreep I put a load of washing into the machine, and sat down to look at Gransnet while it chuntered on. The page on screen contained ads for washing machines. I decided that someone on GN must have been posting about laundry - I was right, there was a thread on whether to dry it indoors or out.