How paranoid should I be? i have a bandaid over the camera and mic of my lap top. Is this crazy?

[ultrarunner]

I think everyone has had ads pop up “Randomly”

For me it is always after the fact…

I was visiting a friend who was asking about travel and she had lots of ads pop up about places I suggested she had not thought about…

On the other hand when she had fallen and could not get up it was Siri who summoned help…

I have a co-worker in her 40’s named Siree… she has no end to stories about devices reacting at the sound of her name… many in public places.

 

[lman]

I think everyone has had ads pop up “Randomly”

For me it is always after the fact…

I was visiting a friend who was asking about travel and she had lots of ads pop up about places I suggested she had not thought about…

On the other hand when she had fallen and could not get up it was Siri who summoned help…

I have a co-worker in her 40’s named Siree… she has no end to stories about devices reacting at the sound of her name… many in public places.

I haven't.

 

[Dftodd]

Three Horse Ranch, I had the same thing happen. I know with certainty that I had done no searches online. I was just talking about pergolas with my wife, before going on-line and looking for vendors. Maybe she did searches, but I didn't. And maybe I had talked to other people, just face to face, or in email correspondence, but I know I didn't do any online searching. And the next time I'm on Facebot, there are ads for pergolas. Wife doesn't have a facebook account. Very strange case happened while I was getting new tires for my car. I had called and made an appointment, did no lookup on the internet cause i had a long time deal with a local shop to get me 12 inch tires. Which they had found some. And just after swiping my C-Card, and while the tires were being installed, my ad stream is filled with 12 inch tire sales. I had to laugh cause what purpose was there for the algorithm to try and sell me tires I had just bought. I've explored this in a strange way, just by picking something I really have no interest in. And just talk about it near the phone or the computer, and then see that it does indeed show up in an ad stream.

Scantily clad women........ scantily clad women....... scantily clad women...... Victoria secrets.. .

I volunteer to do a little research and get back to you

So far any adds that pop up have been for a things to do in..... search that I did over the weekend for an upcoming vacation.

 

[kenmbz]

Companies collect this data in droves. They know where you drive, who you talk to and what you say.
Unless you don't drive a car, use a phone or computer, you are being watched to generate revenue.

When the states started putting in license plate readers on non-toll roads, I knew that battle had been lost.

The government does listen to every call etc. but that goes through filters, and unless it's interesting just goes to storage.

Those little echos and etc. are always listening as proven when a vendor got caught with audio files they were not "supposed" to have access to. They were using them to "tune" their ad engine.

We did get adverts based on our conversations more than once, so don't underestimate what can be done.
We don't have any echo or those type boxes anywhere now.
As long as the data is anonymized they can get away with it. But it still knows where the data came from.

 

[jyoutz]

No, actually the patriot act specifically provided a work around for a lot of requirements previously from courts. Specifically as they applies to US citizens and collecting intelligence on them.

Oh well I’m not a terrorist or a interesting enough to be watched. I don’t give a damn about the patriot act other than being glad that it facilitates catching those who threaten our security. But then I also don’t believe in conspiracies. Some people are fixated on those things; not me. But google is watching your emails and web browsing. They want to target bombarding you with ads.

 

[ultrarunner]

I haven't.

Noted and I stand corrected…

 

[sea2summit]

Oh well I’m not a terrorist or a interesting enough to be watched. I don’t give a damn about the patriot act other than being glad that it facilitates catching those who threaten our security. But then I also don’t believe in conspiracies. Some people are fixated on those things; not me. But google is watching your emails and web browsing. They want to target bombarding you with ads.

For sure, can you help us out and name one person who has helped catch? I mean, it's been 20 years surely there's dozens and dozens of terrorists it's helped capture.

 

[BnRidge]

smash it and go back to a landline

Or a party line - no one was listening then. I got an electronics kit when I was a kid. Made my own radio, alarms, fun stuff. It came with - ready - a mic you could put over a phone speaker. I swear - I never recorded anything.

 

[Hay Dude]

Companies collect this data in droves. They know where you drive, who you talk to and what you say.
Unless you don't drive a car, use a phone or computer, you are being watched to generate revenue.

When the states started putting in license plate readers on non-toll roads, I knew that battle had been lost.

The government does listen to every call etc. but that goes through filters, and unless it's interesting just goes to storage.

Those little echos and etc. are always listening as proven when a vendor got caught with audio files they were not "supposed" to have access to. They were using them to "tune" their ad engine.

We did get adverts based on our conversations more than once, so don't underestimate what can be done.
We don't have any echo or those type boxes anywhere now.
As long as the data is anonymized they can get away with it. But it still knows where the data came from.

Im sorry, but that is extremely disconcerting and uncomfortable to a LOT of people. (I know YOU don't have anything to do with it)
This was not done in the past. Now it is. Theres a lot of pushback against the Patriot Act and I can see why.

”Filters”???? What words are considered “bad”? Who makes those decisions?
Theres something wrong with that.

 

[MikePA]

Removed political posts by Dftodd and etpm. Please have the integrity to abide by the rules you agreed to when you registered.

If you have questions, please PM Muhammad.

I would have thought everyone would get enough politics from TV, newspapers, Twitter, Facebook, ad nauseam, that, in addition to being against the Terms Of Service, TBN would be an oasis from all those contentious discussions. Clearly I was wrong, at least for some people.