Topic: Curious about the web and how it advertises to me...

[Cory Magel]

So, if someone is not allowed to see what is on my computer how am I being advertised things on various web sites that have no relation to each other that I looked at elsewhere?

Example: I look up information on rail tickets in Italy.  Next day I go to gaming web site and a banner add for rail tickets in Italy shows up.

If it's a cookie, on my computer, then the advertiser is gathering information FROM my computer... which I thought is a no-no.

The only possible legal way I can think of is if the Italy site tracked my IP, then immediately made it available to advertisers...

Anyone know how that stuff works?

[markc]

1) A lot of times in the terms and conditions of using a site/software/freeware(dose it really exist?) they require you to allow them to track your info. Then they advertise to you as you go or travel.
2) They do it illegally.


MDC

[jdale]

Suppose there is an ad on the site where you look up rail tickets. The service serving the ad (not necessarily the same people as those running the site you are on) gets your IP address and places a cookie on your computer.

The next day when you go to another site that also has ads served by the same people as before, they see the cookie and also the IP address, and use that info to decide what ad to show you this time.

To some extent you can block this by disallowing 3rd party cookies. Or you can block specific tracking services. Personally I use the Firefox extension Ghostery for this purpose.

[markc]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/18/tech/social-media/facebook-ads-web-browsing/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
 
Cory,
the above might be a story that applies to you.
MDC

[Cory Magel]

The thing that makes me curious is unless there is some kind of exchange of information between two entities (likely an IP address) that happens pretty quickly then either something on my computer is broadcasting my history (which means sites I visit are essentially broadcasting to other site what I've been doing) or sites that are advertising things to me which I looked at elsewhere are obtaining information from my computer.

It seems like both these things would be pretty frowned upon.

What I've been noticing is things I've looked at on say, Amazon.com, are showing up in ad's on... a message board somewhere (like a certain audio/video site).

[markc]

  Very common. What browser are you using? Google Chrome for example uses your browsing info to place adds based on your history, and I am sure other browsers do the same as they have to make $ also. Also G-mail uses info from your mail to advertise to you. I would not be surprised if Amazon did not also have a tracking cookie installed when you shop that advertises to you on other sites.
  Yes it should be good net practice to not share info but people/sites have to make $ and this seems like a victim-less crime. But we often know that is is not. Also as you read in the article specific cookies track your browsing history reporting the site info you are going to and from. 
 To get rid of them you might do a cookie clean up after each website or try and use incognito browsing. But the more normal stuff you do on incognito browsing the better they are able to track your data and match it back to you anyway.
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[GrumpyOldFart]

The bottom line is that "secure information transmission" over data lines owned by someone other than yourself is an oxymoron. Like locks on your doors, "internet security" only keeps out those willing to be kept out. That's true even of bank vaults. And like doors, if you're constantly using it every day it gets silly after a while to lock it behind you every time you go through.

But unlike a door left unlocked, your internet security software has the ability to go find pretty much everything that came through that open door and pitch it back outside.... where it will come back in again next time you leave the door open.

[jdale]

The thing that makes me curious is unless there is some kind of exchange of information between two entities (likely an IP address)

The thing is, it may not actually be different entities. You may be on a message board but the ads are served by someone else. That someone else may be (for example) Amazon. So they don't have to talk to anyone but themselves.

If you run Ghostery you can see who is sticking tracking devices on the page you view. It's not uncommon to have 10+ on a page.

[markc]

 Yes, you can secure yourself but as soon as you ask for anything on the web your security is now at the mercy of the net.
MDC


P.S. Thanks for the Ghostery info I added it to Chrome and will check it out.
MDC

[markc]

BTW, I love Ghostery and sent a couple of friends a message telling them to give it a try.
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