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Post by bridezilla on Mar 17, 2014 19:00:15 GMT -5
Ahh.. if you indeed mean listening as hearing your voices and conversation. Totally doable techwise (I heard they just released a new "feature" that you can send voice messages through facebook) but at the moment I would assume the amount of network bandwidth and CPU power to process them would be so immense, it's not feasible, unless they're letting some law enforcement official to eavesdrop certain targets. Generally, if you have a connected webcam with a build in microphone (as they usually have) it's not too difficult technically to activate the mic and use it. Most cams don't even turn on the light as long as the video is not enabled. I would assume the webcam in Facebook is controlled through generic flash code which needs your permission to access the cam. But most Facebook users who actively use video chat, quite likely already have given their permissions.. so.. who is to know.. If in doubt, suspicious or paranoid, just unplug your webcam when not needed and problem solved - for a while
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Post by lucky4u on Mar 17, 2014 19:51:05 GMT -5
If you have a built in microphone and camera, turn them off, the technology exists to listen and watch even when your computer is powered down.
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Post by msapple on Mar 17, 2014 21:16:52 GMT -5
If you have a built in microphone and camera, turn them off, the technology exists to listen and watch even when your computer is powered down. I understand that, but there were no computers around. How does this make any sense?
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Post by augustusmasonicus on Mar 17, 2014 21:27:33 GMT -5
There is an add-on for Firefox that removes LSO cookies upon closing out of Firefox. I like it a lot.
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Post by pimpsmackyou on Mar 17, 2014 22:35:09 GMT -5
In that case, I think everyone else who has said it is coincidental targeted advertising are right.
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Post by bonesmason on Mar 17, 2014 22:54:34 GMT -5
If you use the Firefox browser, there is a neat add-on that I use called, "Ad-Block" that works great to stop ads that normally would get through the pop-up blocker.
I would look into adding it.
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Post by msapple on Mar 18, 2014 1:03:53 GMT -5
I just don't know..... I've been eating Kraft Dinner for years. If it really was targeted advertising.....wouldn't I have encounterd this previous to this experience? I mean, it doesn't really add up to me.
I don't know; maybe, perhaps, it really was just a coincidence......
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Post by clueless on Mar 18, 2014 1:14:42 GMT -5
Alright, I have nothing to back this up, except my own account. Believe me or not, this is what happened. The other day, I was speaking to my brother; basically, I was telling him how much I loved Kraft Dinner when you put a tad of Ketchup in it (some people think thats gross lol). We had no Ketchup or Kraft Dinner, so I was saying how we should go pick some up, and as it was before the "End of the World" date (Dec 21st), I jokingly added that we should "Stock up on it", as well as plent of Kraft Dinner. So here comes the wierd part: The next day, I logged into facebook, and BAM! Right there in my news feed, is Kraft Dinner. Never before had it appeared, not even as an advertisement; 1 day after my conversation, there it was. I am Goddam crazy? Or is Facebook Listening? This was a real life conversation, which took place in my kitchen at home, and was not conducted on the internet. I have never search for Kraft Dinner on the internet before that. THIS HAPPENED TO ME TOO!!! None of the things were words / terms I searched, emailed about, or mentioned on the various social fora!! They were however things that I verbally talked about within my home!!! And bam! Like magic, ads started appearing about them online. It was really f**king weird! It's really made me think that the conspiracy-theories of how computers, mobiles, TVs, set-top boxes etc are listening/watching and recording our interactions and then being used for marketing purposes (at the very least!!!) might actually not be hogwash!! I closed my fb account some months ago coz I got sick of it - so this is not an exclusive FB thing I live in India, so it's obviously a worldwide thing (didn't notice where you live). big brother is here dudes. this is not imagination. I think we should test it further (controlled). Each of us picks something unique but doesn't google it, doesn't post it here, or do anything online relating to that thing - so it should be something that doesn't normally interest you.
Then talk about it aloud in various rooms which have electronic devices for a day or two. See if ads come up relating to that during routine internet usage, and report back here. Example: I don't have a cat nor am I a cat person, so I would loudly discuss cat food or toys for cats.
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Post by msapple on Mar 18, 2014 2:49:00 GMT -5
Really Glad someone has had a similar experience.....I don't feel so Crazy now!!
And yes, I thought about doing the controlled experiment thing......though presumably, since we're talking about it, they would already know about it lol. I suppose you'd have to be really subtle.
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Post by mranderson on Mar 18, 2014 4:12:41 GMT -5
You may not have encountered a targeted ad for Kraft before that day, or you may have and didn't pay any attention to it.
Do you remove cookies every time you close out your computer?
If not, you may have a lot of tracking cookies that send data back that would alert the ad company to anything you may have said about mac and cheese or similar foods, that would prompt an ad.
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