I know we had a thread, but I can't find it.

I was using Chrome on my android tablet to show a used guitar to my daughter. She leaves, then comes back and says the exact guitar from the exact store just showed up on Instagram on her iPhone. I don't even have Instagram or Facebook.

This is also the only time I've ever looked at this guitar model online ever.

Something, something, something, privacy, something, something.

If you are using Chrome get Pie Ad Blocker even blocks You Tube ads they run before videos. Ad Block Plus didn't come close to blocking what Pie does.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...0601935/m/9960051805
since this old thread I moved to pi-hole, which is what mark123 suggested in the thread since it covers the entire network. It's a good solution that takes a few hours to set up and you have to have additional hardware like a raspberry pi for it to work.

but it's nice to not have to set up each computer/phone etc since it covers the entire network.

Honestly if you don't have a background in the basics of networking, I wouldn't try pi-hole unless you had help.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

I was using Chrome on my android tablet to show a used guitar to my daughter. She leaves, then comes back and says the exact guitar from the exact store just showed up on Instagram on her iPhone. I don't even have Instagram or Facebook.

This is also the only time I've ever looked at this guitar model online ever.

I wanted to also say... Yes, the tracking has become evil. I have no idea how the guitar ad got on your daughter's iphone, but you have every right to control (and block) what goes on your computer/phone, and in my opinion EVERYONE should use some type of ad blocker.

On a desktop and with the Edge browser, there is an "InPrivate" option. No Bing searches follow you with ads and your browsing history is not saved. (It erases when you close the window or tab. It does not keep it off your hard drive.)

The bitch is that one way or another you have to opt-out of tracking (or opt-in to installing an ad blocker). Not being tracked should be the default.

It’s not that something I looked at on one of my devices showed up on another of my devices. It’s also not a matter of using in private browsing.

Using my tablet, I was on Guitar Center’s website showing her a Martin 000-28EC at GC’s South Miami store. When we were done, she went her room, looked at her Instagram app on her iPhone and it served up an ad for the exact guitar at the exact store we were just looking at on my tablet. It was immediate. She’s never looked at Guitar Center’s website in her life. It was the first time I ever looked at Guitar Center’s site in my life.

The only physical connection between our devices is our lan and subsequent internet connection. Somehow out there on the internet, her phone has been logically/virtually connected to my tablet.

I’ve been looking at more robust router soloutions for a month.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

The only physical connection between our devices is our lan and subsequent internet connection. Somehow out there on the internet, her phone has been logically/virtually connected to my tablet.

if you are on the same LAN, then to the outside world, you share the same public IP address. That's enough to associate the devices together.

quote:

I’ve been looking at more robust router soloutions for a month.

That my friend is something that took me a long time to get right. I went with something called PFsense, which had a huge learning curve. Then I added the pi-hole ad blocker for my entire network.

that solves some of the problems with tracking, but not all. My devices will all share the same public IP address. I suppose a VPN service like NORD might help, but I'm not ready to do that yet.

For my friends / family who don't want to do PFse3nse (since it's complex) I'm starting to evaluate OpenWRT based routers. I'm still evaluating, but it looks promising.

(to be totally accurate, I'm using the OPNsense branch of the original PFsense. I use the term PFsense generically)

I installed a ubiquiti system in my house. The OS does a good job on most stuff. I was amazed at the pings I would get originating from around the globe. I’ve got over 1/2 dozen country’s blocked from originating server location (totally aware they can get around that if they really wanted to)

Paying attention to all app settings and turning off hey google/hey siri on every app. Deep dive into FB and Instagram setting and locking them both down. Something like 98% of all websites have a FB/IG tracking script in them. Turn off the microphone except for phone use, no voice to text or search stuff. Don’t just click OK when the website says it uses cookie, take the time to open it up and make sure only “essential” is activated. Make sure the other 3 or 4 sections are deactivated, we can thank the EU for this aspect

And now Netflix thinks I should watch a documentary about Norm’s Rare Guitars. I’m sure that’s not based on some Netflix algorithm analyzing what I’ve watched on Netflix compared to what others on Netflix have watched. I’m sure Netflix somehow knows I’ve been looking at vintage Martins on the internet the last few days which I haven’t done in almost 20 years.

I think I have all the Siri and stuff turned off. I never activated that stuff in the first place. I don’t have any social media apps to lockdown. Never have, never will.

My kids think I’m paranoid with all the things I refuse to use, but I just don’t see the need to be someone’s data point. They don’t see any harm in it even though I try to explain how the things being fed to them are shaping their perceptions. It’s the toy advertising during Saturday morning cartoons on steroids.