New advertising spying?

[Khandro]

ED. Perhaps because I have been posting on R & S, I am now getting German ads for organised visits to the Holy Land! Is someone spying on us?

[China Doll]

Not really... well unless she's the sort that will let me raid her gin and wine collection and borrow her wet room...

[Philtaz]

Let me know if you find one fitting that criteria, you could hook me up with her!

[China Doll]

Oh I dare say she's out there somewhere... <chuckle>

[vivandorron]

Ed... Please enlighten me on the way Adverts are thrown at me .

Does AB tap into my computer to see what sites I have visited and then keep putting before me further such adverts.?

For instance, this morning Viv clicked into M&S (Via Google not AB) and it now seems that wherever I go within AB there are adverts for M&S.

Incidentally, I do have Firefox Adblocker on my computer but refrain from using it on AB and now and again click an advert. I guess that's the reason for my having of recent being bombarded by Kia cars.

Ron.

[AB Editor]

"Does AB tap into my computer to see what sites I have visited and then keep putting before me further such adverts?"

No, the adverts can see where you've been in your cookies though. It's entirely anonymous though

"For instance, this morning Viv clicked into M&S (Via Google not AB) and it now seems that wherever I go within AB there are adverts for M&S."

That's because she got a cookie from M&S ("this isn't just a cookie this is a...") and now the google ads here recognise that. The ad next to best answers are also google ads.

[bednobs]

it seems a bit rubbish to me though - why would you want ads for M and S if you've already been there. i looked at some furniture the other day and bought it, and now i keep getting ads for it - useless because i already have it!
Advertising would make more sense if it's thought processes were more along the lines of "hmmm, viv has been looking at dresses on M and S, lets send her some BHS and littlewoods ads to see if she'd like any of those instead"

[vivandorron]

Ed...I do hope that Google is not taking over AB.

Talk about 'Big Brother'. It makes me sometimes wonder why I even bother with a computer. Having said that, I would be lost without one because it does have it's upside and AB is a genuine site with which I wish to be continually involved.

Hope I am being a good 'boy'.....Ron.

[Ellipsis]

> No, the adverts can see where you've been in your cookies though.

Not entirely true. The adverts come from Google. Other sites also serve Google ads, so Google knows when you've been to those sites. Also Google knows what you've searched for, e.g. "M & S", so can serve you M&S ads even though the M&S site itself doesn't serve Google ads.

So all the "stalking" is being done by Google, nobody else in this instance.

I put "stalking" in quotes because it's not really stalking, it's really just Google trying to make lots of money for itself and sites like AB by serving you more relevant ads. If it wasn't tracking you, it wouldn't mean you didn't see any ads - it would just mean the ads you DID see would be less relevant to you, which would be worse for you, worse for the advertiser, and worse for AB and Google because the advertiser would pay less.

Next to each of the Google ads on the page is a little triangle and/or "AdChoices" label - click these to find out more ...

[vivandorron]

I really do get lost with trying to understand the complexities of the Internet.

Incidentally, the Ed's Avatar has mysteriously changed to a silhouette. Is this Gravatar or just a temporary google within AB. !!??

Ron