Facebook - Scary

[Chuckanut]

Do what the US Government did when it found out that spies were sending the Space Shuttle specs to the Russians - feed them false information.

 

[ERD50]

This looks like a pretty good background on cookies (I'm fairly ignorant about cookies myself, but this seemed to explain it pretty well):

Fact and Fiction: The Truth About Browser Cookies

This does not mean that advertisers can read the cookies from the web site you are visiting—they can only read their own cookies, but because the advertising Javascript is embedded in the page, they will know the URL you are visiting. These cookies are considered third-party cookies, because they are not set by the actual page you are visiting, and they can generally be blocked without causing any serious problems.

No, I did not visit the beers website.

OK, did you visit the Grocery Store web-site? If they have a FB ad or button, FB might be able to make a connection from there (the store puts up ads for things you've bought before?).

FB just wants to feed you ads to pay the bills. I guess I fail to see the harm in any of this. Just ignore the ads. I suppose it could raise eyebrows if some ads came up related to sites you visited that you might not want others to be aware that you visited (like if you were in AA and this ad popped up). But they send the ads to you - not to other people.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

... I do not see any possible way they can link the fake account to the real me, yet somehow they do. ...

So just to be clear on this - they have not linked the 'real you' to the fake account/email. All they know is the same computer/browser that has logged into Facebook has also visited other sites with FB links. They may be able to get some information from the url/content of those sites, but they are not making a connection between the 'real you' and the 'FB you' - other than connecting information from common cookies.

-ERD50

 

[JustMeUC]

Yes, I probably did visit the grocery store website to look at the Wednesday ads.

I was looking to get a massage last week and did a search for certified massage therapists. Clicked on a couple links that Google spit out at me that took me to websites that ended up being Asian massage parlors. I am now getting emails and ads popping up with my name on them from Ashley Madison. Anyone looking over my shoulder or using my computer would assume I was frequenting such places. I don't have a hubby but if I did he would probably not be too pleased with my explanation.

******

At the end of the day, I guess I need to have several computers and be very careful to always use my VPN and make sure to always use different IP addresses. Or just accept the new reality. OK, I'm tired of thinking about it, I gonna go walk the dog and forget about it.

 

[rbmrtn]

Can you explain how they 'report stored email addresses'? I don't understand this.

-ERD50

There are tools that can search your PC and extract email addresses from registry or outlook files etc. Could be run from a browser as a addon or activeX control or some JAVA app. They even sell the stuff mass mail marketers.

Email Harvester - e-mail addresses extractor, harvest emails from files stored on your PC, Outlook, compressed files.

 

[ERD50]

Yes, I probably did visit the grocery store website to look at the Wednesday ads.

I was looking to get a massage last week and did a search for certified massage therapists. Clicked on a couple links that Google spit out at me that took me to websites that ended up being Asian massage parlors. I am now getting emails and ads popping up with my name on them from Ashley Madison. Anyone looking over my shoulder or using my computer would assume I was frequenting such places. I don't have a hubby but if I did he would probably not be too pleased with my explanation.

Well, even though I'm not too concerned about this, I wouldn't click on one of the ad links that google serves up, unless I was already familiar with the buiness. Google obviously tracks some of that - since you seem so concerned, I'm surprised you would do that.

I've can't recall ever getting any email from an internet advertiser or web-site I've visited sent to my gmail account, unless I actually opted in and provided my address (outside of some obvious mass-mail spam). Did you actually get emails from Ashley Madison, or did their ads pop up when you read your email on the web based gmail reader? I read my gmail-email with
a local client (Thunderbird) and I never see any Google-placed ads. Hmmm, I just went on-line to read there, and I didn;t see any ads either - I have adblock on, but it reported zero blocked.

Did my explanation of 'do you know this person' make sense to you?

-ERD50

 

[MichaelB]

If you went from Facebook to another social media website, such as YouTube, then looked at specific videos or posted there using another email address FB might have a clue it could use to make an association and then some suggestions. I only use FB for family matters, but always log out and close browser windows before going anywhere else.

 

[ERD50]

...

I just deleted my "fake" account, reset my IP address on my router and really don't think I will ever get back on facebook again. It is creepy scary that they track me like this.....

Someone else can correct me if this is wrong, but I don't think resetting an IP on your router changes anything from the outside looking in. Your ISP sets your IP address. Your router sets the local addresses, but those aren't seen on the outside anyhow. I have some familiarity with this trying to set up some SW so I can get on and remotely control computers for family members - I needed the IP the ISP assigned (which can/will change, unless you pay for a 'static IP'), and then I needed to set up static routing on their router for their MAC, so I could point to their sub-address (local address?). I eventually set up a free account with 'TeamViewer' - since they provide a server connection that we each connect to, I don't need their IP or any router info - they make the connection when they click the TeamViewer app.

... I use a VPN, change countries frequently, clear my history and cookies daily. I have my prepaid smartphone hooked up to a prepaid CC that can't be traced back to me.

I hope I'm not pushing it in making light of this a bit, but.... If I were 'Big Brother', that activity would look suspicious to me, and I would focus an immense amount of effort in tracking anyone who is working so hard to be under the radar. I'd figure they must be hiding something. Did you ever consider that all this effort may be counter-productive?

However, I suppose the fact that I check my emails on it, pretty much negates all that if companies can freely read my emails without my permission.

Well, Google has machines scanning your emails for key words in order to serve ads to you, but there is no evidence that they are 'reading' your emails. They are upfront about that, and it is well known. I'm surprised you go to all these other lengths, and then use gmail.

And that is pretty easy to get around - get an account that you pay for that does not scan your emails. They are out there, maybe $30/year - you can also buy your own domain and do this yourself.

-ERD50

 

[Nodak]

I have a Gmail account that I never use (use Outlook for my email) and only occasionally use Google for searches. Normally I will use Ixqwick or DuckDuckGo for searches because they claim to not save anything. I still get about 60 spam emails per day but my filter takes care of almost all of them. I also have Firefox set to clear all cookies whenever I exit it. I also never give my cell phone number out to anyone but people I know; never use it on anything submitted to the internet.

 

[GrayHare]

I still want to know if me buying Serendipity beer with my grocery store card or my AMEX caused them to send me the "do you know them" email. It just seems quite unlikely that it is a coincidence.

I used ZOHO as my email address with facebook and I never used that email address for anything else. My real me email address is with Gmail.

Email often passes through multiple computers between the sender and recipient. Look at the source headers of an email in your inbox and you'll see one or more "Received:" tags. Any one of them could have peeked at your message, and obviously they know the "To:" address (yours) otherwise the email would not have arrived in your inbox.

 

[rbmrtn]

Someone else can correct me if this is wrong, but I don't think resetting an IP on your router changes anything from the outside looking in.
-ERD50

No it doesn't matter ( for the most part ). Most individuals have DHCP enabled so you get a different IP all the time ( well sometimes ).

If you have a static IP with your own domain, You could have brute force, DOS attacks or other things sniffing around but you should have a firewall appliance in place.

 

[martyp]

This just goes to show that all the collective angst about the NSA metadata collection is nothing compared to the commercial data collection. We've been living with the commercial data collection for so long (knowingly or unknowingly) that of course the government would not think that what they are collecting is at all a big deal.

Besides reading the cookies and other digital tags on your computer there is also a whole industry of companies the buy and sell digital data that you leave as you live your lives. It just a massive extension of the direct marketing mailing lists that became prevalent during the 70's. They probably just need the IP address you are using and your geolocation and they can (more or less) connect you with all the other demographic data about you and others that is out there.

Really, your only choice is to live off the grid and not commit any crimes.

 

[M Paquette]

The grocery store, or possibly AMEX must have sold my information, but HOW did they link up the real me buying that beer to the fake Facebook me? That is what I don't understand....

The same computer or private network and computer user, as determined by a signature analysis, is associated with both Facebook accounts.

The data used to do this is freely offered by the typical browser, and includes things like the browser and it's version, details on all available plug-ins, your display resolution information, operating system version, installed system fonts, cookie settings, and other similar properties. These, even without an IP address, tend to be common to only one in many thousands of users. Add in an IP address that identifies your Internet service provider and locale, and you are uniquely identified.

https://panopticlick.eff.org/


"Citizen! Trust The Computer! The Computer is Your Friend!"

 

[Texas Proud]

This just goes to show that all the collective angst about the NSA metadata collection is nothing compared to the commercial data collection. We've been living with the commercial data collection for so long (knowingly or unknowingly) that of course the government would not think that what they are collecting is at all a big deal.

Besides reading the cookies and other digital tags on your computer there is also a whole industry of companies the buy and sell digital data that you leave as you live your lives. It just a massive extension of the direct marketing mailing lists that became prevalent during the 70's. They probably just need the IP address you are using and your geolocation and they can (more or less) connect you with all the other demographic data about you and others that is out there.

Really, your only choice is to live off the grid and not commit any crimes.

One main difference is that the companies that are looking at our 'stuff' cannot put you in a jail...

 

[martyp]

The hobby magazine doesn't know everything about you, you are probably getting mail somehow related to the hobby. Facebook is aware of what brand of beer I am buying at the grocery store. Big difference.

I could be that some company knows that your special beer is sold by retailers located near you. They are trying to sell the beer to anyone in your area. The fact that you already bought the beer could just be a coincidence.

 

[martyp]

One main difference is that the companies that are looking at our 'stuff' cannot put you in a jail...

True. But what is worse . . . getting bombarded with ads, which happens every day or the government putting me in jail which essentially never happens. There are plenty of commercial abuse possibilities that are more likely to happen such as denial of insurance; denial of a loan; identity theft.

 

[martyp]

LinkedIn is another site that has an amazing ability to find people I know. I joined while I was still w*rking and it made a lot of connection suggestions based on my place of w*rk. Now it looks like they are mining my emails because I can start to see non-w*rk people showing up. It's actually pretty interesting to see what they can do. It's not scary to me because, in this case, I can see how they are doing it through my email communication. I doubt it is looking at my computer directly. They are probably seeing it on email servers.

 

[aja8888]

You would be shocked if you knew how much personal info is out on the web available for free or for a small charge.

Throw you name in this search engine and see what happens: https://pipl.com/

We have a limited Facebook account to keep track of the kids who don't call us very much , or to keep up with distant family members . If you want total immunity from this stuff, you almost have to move to a distant, uninhabited island and live off the land.

 

[veremchuka]

I joined FB about 6 years ago and used a screen name like ABC555 for example but after a while I got a FB message and was blocked. I had to use my real name to get back on. Maybe I could have used a fake name but I didn't want to be banned so I used my real name, that disgusts me today. I've tried to open another account but they know it's me, that's another story for another thread. At the time I was following someone but that lasted 4-5 months and I seldom go to FB over the past 6 years. My real name at FB is associated with a throw away gmail address. I seldom post there but have one or two times a year on average. No one friends me and I friend no one. Seldom have any messages there.

I use YouTube a lot and while I use a bogus name there I use my real email address as I subscribed to a few people's channels so I get an email about new videos they put up.

I use courtesy cards at the different grocery stores and have looked at their flyers online from time to time.

I have shopped at Amazon, Overstock, other online retailers but never get any anything from them in email or USPO mail.

Like all (?) of you my "private" info is splashed all over the web by aholes that get it from the phone company, post office, local real estate et al, Google will show you my yard and tell you how to get here from anywhere in the USA to kill me if that floats your boat! You can pay to find out my criminal history, credit history and probably how long my, well never mind that. My relatives are mentioned btw on these public sites so you can track them down too.

I am on many forums under different names, though I use this name at BH (but have other userids there too) so no one out there can connect me to comments on other sites. At most places I am cordial and polite like here but there's 2 places where you can pretty much take off the gloves and I say some outlandish stuff! The cops or FBI haven't showed up (not yet anyway ) but I don't say things like threatening to harm anyone. I do say some very unsavory things about politicians and the general state of affairs in this state and country. In my emails to friends we say things about those idiots that if we said them publicly may attract attention, when we hate we do it with a vengeance.

I NEVER get any FB emails at the throw away gmail account and I just checked it now. YouTube as I mentioned sends me an email only if there is a new video for the 2 people I subscribed to. Only 1 of the 3 local grocery stores ever has sent me anything in the mail and when they do it is for coupons for stuff I may buy, I'm OK with that.

I really don't know how I never am targeted by email, USPO mail, pop up ads whatever. However, I do see that at YouTube some things I have Googled pop up when I start to watch videos. This is funny and sad but I was curious what a specific hemorrhoid was, never had any and probably never will, and much to my disgust ads for hemorrhoid meds kept popping up on YouTube or on the side where ads are when at Google but that has stopped.

So I don't know how any of you are getting crap from places or are concerned about privacy, as stated before there is no privacy today unless you live off the grid and use only cash, no phone, no car nothing to do with society. But if you own the land then there are real estate records so I guess unless you live on the moon there is no escaping it!

 

[target2019]

A long time ago Mom said, "Well, what did you think would happen?"

 

[Cat-tirement]

My solution is to not participate in Facebook or any other social media sites or applications. This forum is as close as I get.

I'm not naive enough to think that completely protects me, but it sure cuts down on the possible vectors.

 

[Amethyst]

I find the whole "advertisers following your activity in order to target you with ads" creepy but inevitable. And, given all the current fuss over phone records and the 4th amendment, I am surprised it is legal, and not subject to public outcry.

And then there are the gross errors. For example, I wear a wide shoe size, which I must order on-line. Advertisers apparently have concluded that the rest of me must also be wide, and elderly to boot, so I constantly receive mail-order catalogs for "plus-sized" underwear (hammock-sized, heavily reinforced brassieres) and elastic-waist slack and sweater sets "up to size 3X!". Actually, I am built like a bean-pole.

Amethyst

 

[Sarah in SC]

I guess I consider it part of participating in a connected world. The satisfaction I get from interacting with friends and meeting new folks far outweighs my irritation with advertisers. Back when I used to watch tv, I tuned out the ads there as well.

Privacy is a pretty quaint notion these days. I think I just try really hard to (my Southern father's favorite expression) "keep my nose clean"! Meaning to present the public me and the online me as the kind of person I want people to see (and like).

I tweet, I use FB, I participate in this forum, and I am grateful for all these free tools to find and interact with folks I enjoy. I just figure the ads are how they afford for them to be free for me.

 

[JustMeUC]

I have a blog that I set it up and have it registered I keep 100% separate from my regular life. It has a few high-value ads, CC's mostly, which pay for a half dozen first class international airline tickets a year. Otherwise, I just do it for fun. I have a few readers, obviously someone is signing up for those CC's, but my family and friends are not among them. And I would like to keep it that way. They would not go looking for the blog, but if they were directed to it, by some "do you know this person type of thing" there would be enough there for them to recognize me based on travel patterns. To keep the blog interesting, I share stuff that could be considered entertaining or ______. There is absolutely nothing illegal posted or inferred, so I am not worried about the government reading my little blog...... but, I often write about things I would prefer my family not read about.

I have tried to be careful within reason: I went to a bit of trouble to set it up so the blog is anonymous and I write the posts off line, then I do a drive by at a Starbucks or a McDonalds and hook up to an open wifi and upload it. I have NEVER signed onto my gmail account, or any other account related to the real me on this computer. However, over time, I have been lazy more than a couple of times and tethered to my phone and then searched for something on Google that could possibly be tied back into the "real" me. Google is uncanny in how they seem to know before you even finish typing what you are searching for.

The "real me" is pretty much an open book. Someone could get on my computer, or my email or my search history and there would be nothing there that would cause anyone to blush (too much) but this is not the case with the blog and therefore I want to keep the blog 100% separate from me. I realize now, that perhaps it isn't possible no matter how careful I normally am. I thought it over last night and It's just not worth it, today the blog will be over and done with.

 

[donheff]

I think this aspect of Facebook is a good thing. It lets you see concretely what simple cookie tracking can achieve. Everyone worries about what the Government might do with access to this data but at least laws put some blocks in the way of Government abuse of the data. The private sector collectors of this data are almost unlimited in what they can do with it -- just change the TOS and voila, new uses. And think what rogue employees (e.g. sys admins) of these services could do -- they can access your email, not just track your habits. Bad guys looking for info are more likely to bribe or otherwise compromise private sector sys admins than NSA analysts.