SIGforum
Computer searches spill over to wife's email
November 29, 2020, 09:50 AM
cne32507Computer searches spill over to wife's email
This is not hard to explain, but my Google searches returned non-relevant junk. So I humbly ask the all-knowing forum (that NEVER returns non-relevant junk).
Example: I searched Google on Chrome on my Win 10 PC for toenail fungus and found good info. I didn't have it: just a stubbed toe, thanks. A few days later, my wife let me know that she was getting junk email related to toe fungus. Her PC runs Win 7, Chrome, and AOL.
My question is: Did my Google search trigger junk mail to her AOL account?
November 29, 2020, 10:07 AM
CharlieSWShort answer -- Yes.
Pragmatism: the relentless pursuit of seeing things as they really are.
November 29, 2020, 10:08 AM
walkinghorseYes!
Jim
November 29, 2020, 10:12 AM
BytesDo you both log on to your pc with the same user account? If yes, yes.
November 29, 2020, 10:22 AM
ensigmaticquote:
Originally posted by cne32507:
My question is: Did my Google search trigger junk mail to her AOL account?
Let me see if I understand this correctly: You used Google (why?) to search on toenail fungus on one computer, using, I presume, a computer login specific to
you, and not shared by your wife.
Your wife, using a separate computer, with, one presumes, her own login, not shared by you, and her own email account, began getting spam related to toenail fungus.
Assuming I have the specifics correct: Think about it. For your wife to get spam related to a search you did, somebody (Google?) would have to have a record of the relationship between you and your wife, trigger on your searches, associate your searches with your wife, then send that information off to toenail fungus spammers.
What do
you think the likelihood of all that is?
Before you answer that, consider: It is estimated there are over 4.33
billion Internet users as of 2019 and about 3.5
billion Google searches per day.
I'm not going to say it's
impossible what you suspect happened happened. I will say I think it so unlikely as to be nearly so.
Lastly: Why would "they" choose to spam your wife, rather than you?
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher November 29, 2020, 10:36 AM
chongosuertequote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
quote:
Originally posted by cne32507:
My question is: Did my Google search trigger junk mail to her AOL account?
Let me see if I understand this correctly: You used Google (why?) to search on toenail fungus on one computer, using, I presume, a computer login specific to
you, and not shared by your wife.
Your wife, using a separate computer, with, one presumes, her own login, not shared by you, and her own email account, began getting spam related to toenail fungus.
Assuming I have the specifics correct: Think about it. For your wife to get spam related to a search you did, somebody (Google?) would have to have a record of the relationship between you and your wife, trigger on your searches, associate your searches with your wife, then send that information off to toenail fungus spammers.
What do
you think the likelihood of all that is?
Before you answer that, consider: It is estimated there are over 4.33
billion Internet users as of 2019 and about 3.5
billion Google searches per day.
I'm not going to say it's
impossible what you suspect happened happened. I will say I think it so unlikely as to be nearly so.
Lastly: Why would "they" choose to spam your wife, rather than you?
I think you’re selling google short. I’d about guarantee you the above. That’s why they are rich. Advertising and algorithms.
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November 29, 2020, 10:52 AM
AlyronWife and I have our own computers, own passwords, I use Safari, she uses Google. We constantly get ads, etc for things the other searches for. Same IP address?
November 29, 2020, 11:03 AM
MikeinNCBet both computers go thru one router, and that is why you and her are “sharing” targets ads.
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“A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker November 29, 2020, 12:33 PM
YooperSigsI agree with the router as being the common factor.
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November 29, 2020, 12:39 PM
ensigmaticquote:
Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I think you’re selling google short. I’d about guarantee you the above. That’s why they are rich. Advertising and algorithms.
As I wrote: I suppose it's possible. I still think it unlikely.
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher November 29, 2020, 12:44 PM
Sailor1911Yep, IP address.
Place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark.
“If in winning a race, you lose the respect of your fellow competitors, then you have won nothing” - Paul Elvstrom "The Great Dane" 1928 - 2016 November 29, 2020, 12:50 PM
bdylanYes, no question about it. The toenail fungus advertisements aren't some weird coincidence.
November 29, 2020, 01:31 PM
83v45magnaI agree, not a coincidence. Same Router, IP, etc
They (spammers) cast a very wide net. It costs virtually nothing (pun intended). What do they have to lose?
November 29, 2020, 01:45 PM
cne32507We do use the same router. And both use Chrome. But why share with AOL? Does Google have an info sharing arrangement with AOL? She does use the AOL.com web site over Chrome, though.
November 29, 2020, 03:19 PM
46and2Ad Serving networks are shared by many companies across many platforms. I suspect AOL uses Google's.
And yes, there is a 0% chance that Google doesn't know you and your wife are two separate but related adults cohabiting at the same physical address, with a shared ISP and IP Addresse(s) and more.
These are trivial connections to make for them.
November 29, 2020, 04:27 PM
r0guequote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
quote:
Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I think you’re selling google short. I’d about guarantee you the above. That’s why they are rich. Advertising and algorithms.
As I wrote: I suppose it's possible. I still think it unlikely.
Same IP address. Easy as hell. And they could have done it even without that based on other data they suck up as you use your device/devices. SSIDs of WiFi, bluetooth beacons, geolocations. laughably easy. ESPECIALLY for Google.
November 29, 2020, 04:41 PM
sigmonkeyGoogle and AOL got in bed 15 years ago on sharing captured data.
It takes very little time to correlate data and "connections" of people to each other.
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב! November 29, 2020, 11:26 PM
cparktdquote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
quote:
Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I think you’re selling google short. I’d about guarantee you the above. That’s why they are rich. Advertising and algorithms.
As I wrote: I suppose it's possible. I still think it unlikely.
Social media platforms like Facebook allow you to assign relationship to any friends or followers like "wife", "son in law" or etc. Also I see the same can be done in my contacts list. Just a couple more ways to make a connection...
If it ain't woke... don't fix it. November 30, 2020, 02:42 AM
SIG228My wife was in another state on her iphone searching a specific item that was supposed to be a surprise gift, but started showing up on my Google phone. Showed as an advertisement on almost every page I opened. We have separate emails, etc.
Another time a friend and I were talking about an off the wall item while riding in a car together and within a day we both started getting advertisements for the item we discussed. Two different phones, two different carriers, both phones "locked".
They're listening to everything you say and tracking everything you search.
November 30, 2020, 03:47 AM
trapper189One, I'm glad I'm not the only one this happens to. Two, I'm glad to have an explanation that makes sense. The latest unexplained ad weirdness was things my sister-in-law was searching showing up on my wife's phone. The IP address would explain it because my sister-in-law was at our house, using our WiFi and internet access when this started to happen.