I’m on the outer banks in NC this week for a wedding. I needed sugar for my coffee so I stopped in at Food Lion. I was looking for sugar packets but only found Sugar in the Raw packets. I picked up the box and looked at it, considered buying it and decided not to. I bought regular sugar in a bag. Not less than an hour later I had an email recommendation from Amazon for sugar in the raw. Wtf. I have never searched for sugar or any food on Amazon. I get recommendations all the time but I know based my my search history why I got them. This one has me perplexed.

I also mentioned the story to the GF. Maybe Amazon is listening to me. Shit. Where’s the tinfoil. (I’ll probably get an email for tinfoil now)

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not monitoring you.

Q’s right

Q's right. Again.

H&K-Guy

And they’ll keep “monitoring” you ‘til you buy the dirty sugar.

happened to me as well, just start a random conversation about something you need thats off the wall and see if you get sent an advertisement.

Not the phone camera. The GPS knows where you are to the inch.

GF got a “web enabled” roomba.
She now gets furniture ads on amazon.

How did you pay for the sugar?

Not the camera, the microphone is listening to what you say. No tinfoil, it actually is listening.

quote:

Originally posted by XLT:
happened to me as well, just start a random conversation about something you need thats off the wall and see if you get sent an advertisement.

Same here. I started getting ads about things I have mentioned in spoken conversations with my wife.

Food lion probably sold your purchase info to someone. Some ad type agency.

Sugar in the raw bought info about people that shop for sugar ... any sugar. That’s their target audience. They bought an ad on Amazon, targeting you.

No people involved really, just Algorithms.

Or maybe not

Happens to me quite a bit. I can be watching something on my non-smart tv and I’ll start getting articles about that show on my google feed. I was also talking to a coworker one time about venison jerky and how I would have to find my marinade recipe for him. Not long after I was getting a lot of venison marinade recipes coming up on my google page. I also just read an article that said your television emits an inaudible signal that your phone can hear that tells it what you are watching.

We looked at a pool float that you walk in on display at Sams. After leaving the store I had ads for those floats on my phone

I was riding with SIL talking about something she wanted to purchase in the future. Sure enough the next AM she had an email for the exact same item.

Not listening? Give me a break....!!

I don't think my Jitterbug flip phone is doing that.

flashguy

I was asking somebody about uranium ore, and the next day I got an email from a Ukrainian whore.

Yep listening. So I use it to my advantage. When I want to get some bath and body works products on sale I just randomly talk about them to myself with my phone nearby. Usually about a day later they are on sale. The first time I thought, well, that’s just me being paranoid. After the 5th time I am a believer.

I thought I'd try that out.

I said out loud Gee I wish I had a hawt woman coming over tonight to...… yanno.

I said if several times, very close to the phone.

I said I'd wait and see what happened, and I would turn on the porch light.

I waited, then looked at my internet to see if I had ads for Hawt women.

NO luck.

Just dang ads for porch lights.

My luck. Sigh.

Nah, no way anyone with a camera and microphone would EVER abuse using it....