this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2025
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Online Behavioral Ads Fuel the Surveillance Industry—Here’s How (www.eff.org)
submitted 1 day ago by pelespirit to c/[email protected]
6 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

What do these privacy violations have in common? They share a source of data that’s shockingly pervasive and unregulated: the technology powering nearly every ad you see online.

Each time you see a targeted ad, your personal information is exposed to thousands of advertisers and data brokers through a process called “real-time bidding” (RTB). This process does more than deliver ads—it fuels government surveillance, poses national security risks, and gives data brokers easy access to your online activity. RTB might be the most privacy-invasive surveillance system that you’ve never heard of.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why is it that if they have this information and build these supposedly accurate profiles about you that they would still be willing to show ads at all to the kind of people who are likely to frequent this community? For example, if someone who runs linux, adblockers, firefox with strict profile, etc, etc is being broadcast to these advertisers. Why would they want to bid for advertising space for that person at all?

[–] pelespirit 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

We get ads on television from our laptop usage. They could play your favorite songs when you go into stores or advertise when you're geofenced (kiosk billboards or airports, etc.) I'm not sure we're completely there yet, but we're definitely in the TV and laptop talking to each other phase. Why do you think they insist your TV is hooked up? Basically, we're not just talking about websites, think of how they advertise when you walk out the door too.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Again the type of people who probably visit communities like this know that. If the profile is accurate and they know that these people are more resistant to these kinds of tactics. Isn't just a waste of money to bid on showing that person an ad in the first place. I personally don't even connect my tv to the internet and I run linux, so I doubt either of said devices are talking to anything. Ads outside that someone play your favorite song would need to build a profile on you on your digital devices and then somehow correlate that to you the individual when you go into stores.

I know you said you don't think are all the way there, but without getting facial recognition involved. I don't see how they would correlate the two in the first place. Even then there are still holes, but that is besides the point. My main point is that someone whom meets the criteria that I described in my first comment seems like a waste on money to advertise to if you are one of the advertisers who are bidding on these spots.

[–] pelespirit 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

To be fair, you're probably more resistant than I am, since you're on Linux. I've gotten ads and bought it if it's unique and by local artists before. It has worked occasionally on me from Insta back in the day. Not recently though, so you're right about that part.

I know you said you don’t think are all the way there, but without getting facial recognition involved. I don’t see how they would correlate the two in the first place.

If you have a phone in your pocket, they know who you are and where you are.

Device fingerprinting is a sophisticated technique employed to recognize, monitor, and track individual devices as they interact with websites and applications, by analyzing their unique characteristics. In the digital realm, it allows websites, advertisers, and security experts to monitor user activity, safeguard against cyber threats, and personalize content.

In device fingerprinting, various data points are collected to create a unique identifier for individual devices. Each data point provides specific information about the device or user, contributing to a comprehensive fingerprint.

https://www.appsealing.com/device-fingerprinting/

As soon as someone enters the virtual boundary around your business or a competitor’s, your geofencing advertising campaign will send a notification or mobile ad to that person’s phone that advertises your local store, service, or product.

https://www.webfx.com/blog/marketing/geofencing-marketing/