Ok I have a question. I’m kinda a noob when it comes to privacy. I’ll follow the guides and do the things to try to minimize ad companies selling my data etc.

Some basic stats: I have a Samsung running stock android. My GF has an iPhone. I use brave as my standard browser (I know that’s not super popular but I haven’t made the move to Firefox yet.) I have DNS level ad blocking on my router cause I hate ads with a passion. She uses safari.

So here’s the deal. I was browsing the web looking for gift ideas for Christmas and came across some moccasins I liked. I mentioned to her that I liked them and browsed their website for a few minutes.

About 10 minutes after that, she’s checking her Instagram and sees an ad for the exact brand of moccasin I just told her about. Just for kicks, she also checks her Facebook and sees the same ad there (makes sense cause it’s the same company).

My question is basically how on earth did she get an ad for something I looked up? And how can we prevent that from happening? It’s very very disconcerting to have ads pop up on others’ phones right after looking that thing up.

  • edric@lemm.ee
    84·
    11 months ago

    One possibility: Are you on the same network (i.e. wifi) without a vpn? If yes, then both of you have the same public IP, so it’s trivial to figure out you’re likely in the same household.

    • rtfm_modular@lemmy.world
      39·
      11 months ago

      I also hear people make the same claims against Alexa, but I usually start explaining what cookies are and how ad networks collects your data to more effectively target you. It doesn’t make fiscal sense to do mass audio surveillance when you already freely hand over your data.

    • Knuschberkeks@feddit.de
      22·
      11 months ago

      Most likely this. If not, there is a host of other possibilities they could make the connection. Sone that come to mind:

      • You both have instagram and have connected in a way that makes it likely you are in a close relationship (tagged in photos, DMs)
      • She allows Instagram to access the contacts on her phone, and OP is saved in there as her S.O.
      • They are connected through Whatsapp or some other Meta service.
      • The Company targets their ads at category which they both fall into (companies can manage which groups see their ads VERY specifically)
      • Coincidence
      • Telcontar@lemmy.todayOP
        61·
        11 months ago

        Lemmy is the only social media I have, but we are connected via Whatsapp. I’m thinking that since we were both connected to the wifi without a VPN, that’s the probable source of information bleed.

        • baseless_discourse@mander.xyz
          8·
          11 months ago

          It can be the website you are browsing have trackers that share data with facebook, and facebook was able to infer you guys are in the same household via IP information (ISP also sales you info BTW), and push the ad to her. Or facebook might think that you guys could be the same person or have similar interest etc.

    • Altomes@lemm.ee
      13·
      11 months ago

      Between this and geolocation I’d say its not hard to figure out you guys are in the same house

    • xantoxis@lemmy.world
      163·
      11 months ago

      It’s basically always this. Your phone in the same room with someone else’s phone. This is stronger around christmas when people are looking for gift ideas, so they push this mind control shit on you even harder.

      It’s not actually listening to you–that’s been debunked multiple ways–but what it’s doing instead is arguably worse.

    • akilou@sh.itjust.works
      1·
      11 months ago

      So what are the mechanics of this? OP would also have had to interact with Meta somehow after finding the moccasins but before the girlfriend did, right?

      • sdoorex@slrpnk.netEnglish
        13·
        11 months ago

        No, you don’t have to interact with Meta. Websites that utilize Facebook ads in some fashion will install a Meta Pixel to their site in order to track users and better target their ads. That information can be correlated to others in the same household extremely easily.

        You can read about the specifics of how Meta does it in their developer information here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/meta-pixel/