Does your cellphone listen to you

[wunderkind]

Not sure its the same thing, but related.
a graphic advertisement (for cantaloupe) appeared after I had purchased that at Uptown Market yesterday.

The ad was from Uptown Market. I had never searched for it, nor for anything involving Uptown.
So, the fact I had purchased cantaloupe that day at Uptown... info must be from my credit card?

Screenshot:

[stile99]

I'm not in the payment processing industry, have rather little interest in it and have done even less research, but based on my own personal experience, your credit card has no idea whatsoever what you bought. All they know is Uptown Market asked them for x number of dollars. Your credit card determined this was within your credit limit and authorized the transaction, with no details of the transaction.

Now, if Uptown Market has a loyalty card, the purpose of those is to sell your info to everyone who'll buy it...but it really wouldn't make sense to target you for something you already bought.

[wunderkind]

I ran across this:
http://www.sitepronews.com/2017/05/2...ine-purchases/

[Rover]

I'm not in the payment processing industry, have rather little interest in it and have done even less research, but based on my own personal experience, your credit card has no idea whatsoever what you bought. All they know is Uptown Market asked them for x number of dollars. Your credit card determined this was within your credit limit and authorized the transaction, with no details of the transaction.

Now, if Uptown Market has a loyalty card, the purpose of those is to sell your info to everyone who'll buy it...but it really wouldn't make sense to target you for something you already bought.

Credit card company knows that you bought stuff at a grocery store and where, but not particular items. Some of the comments on here are like those regarding horoscopes in the newspaper. Have you ever noticed they always apply to you. Lol.

[wunderkind]

I'm not paranoid (seriously) and haven't read a horoscope in 20 years. Never felt they had any value.

Just trying to understand, if I hadn't been in Uptown Market in two months, and went in yesterday, purchased cantaloupe, and later that same day an advertisement for Uptown Market featuring cantaloupe appeared....

coincidence?

[wunderkind]

I've not used an Uptown loyalty card, if they have one.

from Yahoo news:
(excerpt from article)

Google’s new service, called Google Attribution, will allow the company to track offline consumer purchasing activity in a means to improve success rates for advertisers.
The firm will leverage third-party partnerships that reportedly give it access to 70% of US credit and debit card transactions, as well as its own tools like Maps, to figure out when consumers visit a retail store and make a purchase. It will then match that batched data to users who saw ads for specific products to figure out if those exposed to ads were buying those offerings offline. It's worth noting that physical retail still dwarfs e-commerce, so this could be particularly useful.

This could be an affront to consumer privacy at a time when concern is at a high. Google asserts that the information is protected — for example, the tech company can see that 1,000 people went to a restaurant they were served an ad for, but not which people, according to CNN Money. But security experts remain concerned, because of how challenging it is to truly mask data. And rightfully so, because consumer privacy concerns are at an all-time high — only half of consumers trust businesses to protect their payments information. This distrust is largely a result of high-profile breaches over the past several years in a number of settings, including Target and JPMorgan Chase, that have contributed to rising overall identity fraud in the US and worldwide.
But it’s illustrative of why gathering payments information is valuable to tech companies. This is an indirect method for Google, since it relies on partnerships and numerous data sources. But tech companies have increasingly been making direct payments plays, like peer-to-peer (P2P) offerings or commerce opportunities in apps like Facebook Messenger.

BI Intelligence has long noted that this could have a clear advertising use case, especially since the payments themselves aren’t particularly profitable — by gleaning information about consumer purchasing behaviors, these companies can give data to advertisers that allow them to more precisely target potential consumers, for example. Google’s actions point to that, and if the backlash isn’t too strong, this could lead to more tech commerce plays moving forward.

Again, I'm not really concerned, just found it impressive, how keen they are.

[Laramie]

I ran across this:
http://www.sitepronews.com/2017/05/2...ine-purchases/

This most of us experience especially if you use Google; they are known for tracking purchases & related items. Now can they read your mind; that gets us into 21st Century witchcraft.

[Urbanized]

I'm not paranoid (seriously) and haven't read a horoscope in 20 years. Never felt they had any value.

Just trying to understand, if I hadn't been in Uptown Market in two months, and went in yesterday, purchased cantaloupe, and later that same day an advertisement for Uptown Market featuring cantaloupe appeared....

coincidence?

Just shooting from the hip based on what I’ve read - including the link you provided above - or know from using targeted online advertising over the years, but depending on your privacy/location settings it’s possible - even likely - that Google knew you went to Uptown Market. It’s also possible - even likely - that they know you made a purchase there. I think it’s less likely that they know you purchased cantaloupe, unless of course you took a photo of it, texted someone about it (especially via a a Google product like Hangouts), posted about it on social media, etc, in which case all bets are off.

What is most likely is that they knew you went to Uptown Market, and also coincidentally Uptown Market made a great buy on cantaloupe and are pushing it hard both in the stores and online. Since they were pushing it inside the store you responded by checking out the cantaloupe. You liked the deal in the store and bought some.

Separately, because Google knows you went to the store and because Uptown Market is doing targeted ads to people who they know already visit there (based on location and other data), you got the ad. And since they’re pushing cantaloupe you got an ad for cantaloupe. You also did NOT get an ad for a bunch of stuff you also bought. Also, a bunch of other people who’ve visited there recently but NOT brought cantaloupe also...got an ad for cantaloupe. It just seems stranger to you because you are one of the people who happened to buy cantaloupe while you were there, and also because you ran across this discussion. These coincidences combine to make it SEEM even more remarkable than it actually is.

[Urbanized]

Also by the way, we are ALL now more likely to see the ad in question, because we are now in a thread which discusses Uptown Market...and cantaloupe.

[wunderkind]

"And since they’re pushing cantaloupe you got an ad for cantaloupe."

Makes sense. That part was a coincidence. (that I visited store/purchased something, and it is something they're running a special on = ad).

[TheTravellers]

I've not used an Uptown loyalty card, if they have one.

...

Uptown doesn't have a loyalty card system.

[BBatesokc]

Sort of on topic...I've seen more than a few people who have placed tape or a post-it over their computer cameras.

I do the same with mine. The camera built into my laptops and desktops is not something I ever use. Plus, unfortunately, over the years, because of my activism, I've been targeted by individuals who have recruited others to hack my personal computers and even home surveillance system.

The most notable was a California human trafficker named Taquarius Ford. He was actively paying hackers on the dark web to take down my website and hack my home computers and security camera system - after I outed him and his operation. Fortunately two different hackers contacted me and sent me copies of the emails he had sent them. Also, fortunately, he was using stolen credit card numbers to pay people. The FBI eventually got involved. He is now serving time in a federal prison for trafficking.

Most recently, a 19-year Boy Scott named Cheyenne Edgemon (using the alias 'Night Shade') was trying to extort a Scout Leader with an IT background to hack into my computers at my house. Extremely weird story - I wrote about it on my JohnTV website. He was eventually charged with 6-counts of felony computer crimes and one count of stalking. I believe he is in the RID program for youthful offenders now.

So, because of all this, I also disconnected my primary surveillance camera system from the Internet (16 cameras). My secondary system of Internet enabled cameras (8) have a privacy mode that points the cameras back at the wall - so you know nobody is hacking in and watching them.

Gotta love technology!

[turnpup]

I do the same with mine. The camera built into my laptops and desktops is not something I ever use. Plus, unfortunately, over the years, because of my activism, I've been targeted by individuals who have recruited others to hack my personal computers and even home surveillance system.

The most notable was a Florida human trafficker named Taquarius Ford. He was actively paying hackers on the dark web to take down my website and hack my home computers and security camera system - after I outed him and his operation. Fortunately two different hackers contacted me and sent me copies of the emails he had sent them. Also, fortunately, he was using stolen credit card numbers to pay people. The FBI eventually got involved. He is now serving time in a federal prison for trafficking.

Most recently, a 19-year Boy Scott named Cheyenne Edgemon (using the alias 'Night Shade') was trying to extort a Scout Leader with an IT background to hack into my computers at my house. Extremely weird story - I wrote about it on my JohnTV website. He was eventually charged with 6-counts of felony computer crimes and one count of stalking. I believe he is in the RID program for youthful offenders now.

So, because of all this, I also disconnected my primary surveillance camera system from the Internet (16 cameras). My secondary system of Internet enabled cameras (8) have a privacy mode that points the cameras back at the wall - so you know nobody is hacking in and watching them.

Gotta love technology!

Good gracious! But yes, in your line of work it's probably to be expected and I guess you get used to it. For you, being paranoid is a good thing.

[jerrywall]

This whole thread makes me paranoid about my video doorbell, but at least it faces outside.

I've covered my laptop webcam with tape for years.

[BBatesokc]

This whole thread makes me paranoid about my video doorbell, but at least it faces outside.

I've covered my laptop webcam with tape for years.

Just don't walk outside naked and bend over to get your paper - it's being streamed live somewhere - probably here!

[hoya]

Sort of on topic...I've seen more than a few people who have placed tape or a post-it over their computer cameras.

I can barely be bothered to put pants on when I answer the door. I'm not going to mess with hiding from my computer camera.

If someone really wants to see me naked, they can just look over the fence into my back yard.

[turnpup]

I must admit that I actually thought about this thread when I got up in the middle of the night as it was storming to check the radar loop on my computer.

[Steven Myers]

100% guarantee it's not really happening. At least not how it's being discussed here on this thread.

Is it possible? Yes. Would it be of value to advertisers? Yes. Is it happening on any large or measurable scale? No.

This has been tested to death. The fact is people are very easily convinced of things that simply are not true.

This could easily be discovered forensically if it was happening. Fact is, everyone relies on the "it's possible" and then some anecdotal story to try and force the issue into being a fact.

Thanks for being there to tell me what really is and isn't happening in my life, Bryan. 100% guarantee too. That's a great offer! I feel better knowing you have it all under control for me. I'll be sure to consult with you next time I need some deep insight into the nebulous, like where the best hookers hang out.

[Steven Myers]

Credit card company knows that you bought stuff at a grocery store and where, but not particular items. Some of the comments on here are like those regarding horoscopes in the newspaper. Have you ever noticed they always apply to you. Lol.

I read my horoscope today. It said "Watch out for jerks that like to push other people around." Noted.

[Thomas Vu]

Thanks for being there to tell me what really is and isn't happening in my life, Bryan. 100% guarantee too. That's a great offer! I feel better knowing you have it all under control for me. I'll be sure to consult with you next time I need some deep insight into the nebulous, like where the best hookers hang out.

The answer, in my limited experience, is the Amsterdam red light district.

[Steven Myers]

The answer, in my limited experience, is the Amsterdam red light district.

If it's good enough for Van Halen...

[Stew]

The answer, in my limited experience, is the Amsterdam red light district.

You might be right but to be honest I was way too awkward to do anything other than take quick glimpses and then slump in embarrassment.

[Jersey Boss]

The answer, in my limited experience, is the Amsterdam red light district.

Nevada is closer and you don't need a passport plus you're keeping your money in the USA

[Thomas Vu]

Nevada is closer and you don't need a passport plus you're keeping your money in the USA

All good points.

If I bothered to ask for the rates, I might have given it a go. Definitely wasn't embarrassed. Was also doing recreational stuff while in the district ahaha

[jerrywall]

I can barely be bothered to put pants on when I answer the door. I'm not going to mess with hiding from my computer camera.

If someone really wants to see me naked, they can just look over the fence into my back yard.

Well, pretty sure no one wants to see me naked besides my wife when she's feeling generous so I'm probably safe there. Fence went down last night in the storms so the back yard is out for me.