I’m becoming more concerned by the day about targeted adverts.
When I was at MIPIM this year I very nearly bought a watch. I don’t actually need another watch – but that’s hardly the point is it? I saw a Meistersinger watch in one of the boutique stores and almost splashed the cash – I didn’t. I was sensible. I came home with a view to doing a bit more research.
I still haven’t bought a new watch.
But every time I log onto Facebook I am confronted with adverts for “Iconic Watches’ – and the link takes me to on-line stores I have visited. Yesterday I got my morning edition of Gizmag – with the days latest gadget offering and the mast advert is … watches. Iconic watches.
I have no real issue with being targeted as part of a wider demographic – but this is plain intrusive. It’s clever – but cannot be right.
They do say that Google know about your searches before you start them – that is why when you start typing in the search box it guesses the next part of the sentence or search. But this new level of ‘guessing’ is a step too far?
What else do they know about us?
And why do they think I want a Bellroy Wallet too? I have never searched for one of those?
This is one example of what happens when we blindly tick the T&C boxes in the websites we browse in the hurry to get to the ‘next stage’ of a purchase: we so often give up our rights to privacy. Google (there are other intrusive search engines available) are the worst/cleverest at interpreting data. And this is just the beginning…
Theo you’re absolutely right; the problem is that you can’t actually change the T&C’s in practice! It is worrying!
I definitely agree that the adds following you around are intrusive to say the least.
But i’m more freaked out by the extra ‘intelligence’ recently acquired by all my electronics that relate to google. For example, since the last google update my phone constantly tells me things like ‘leave now to get to work on time’. The thing is i never told my phone (or google) where is work and what time i should be there…!
Lu – that is really worrying! I just wonder what else they know about us all? I suspect more than we want them to (whoever they are!). I wonder if it possible to go of grid? Doubtful! Do they know we should have lunch soon….