Ok I have a question. I’m kinda a noob when it comes to privacy. I’ll follow the guides and do the things to try to minimize ad companies selling my data etc.

Some basic stats: I have a Samsung running stock android. My GF has an iPhone. I use brave as my standard browser (I know that’s not super popular but I haven’t made the move to Firefox yet.) I have DNS level ad blocking on my router cause I hate ads with a passion. She uses safari.

So here’s the deal. I was browsing the web looking for gift ideas for Christmas and came across some moccasins I liked. I mentioned to her that I liked them and browsed their website for a few minutes.

About 10 minutes after that, she’s checking her Instagram and sees an ad for the exact brand of moccasin I just told her about. Just for kicks, she also checks her Facebook and sees the same ad there (makes sense cause it’s the same company).

My question is basically how on earth did she get an ad for something I looked up? And how can we prevent that from happening? It’s very very disconcerting to have ads pop up on others’ phones right after looking that thing up.

  • edric@lemm.ee
    85·
    11 months ago

    One possibility: Are you on the same network (i.e. wifi) without a vpn? If yes, then both of you have the same public IP, so it’s trivial to figure out you’re likely in the same household.

    • rtfm_modular@lemmy.world
      41·
      11 months ago

      I also hear people make the same claims against Alexa, but I usually start explaining what cookies are and how ad networks collects your data to more effectively target you. It doesn’t make fiscal sense to do mass audio surveillance when you already freely hand over your data.

    • Knuschberkeks@feddit.de
      23·
      11 months ago

      Most likely this. If not, there is a host of other possibilities they could make the connection. Sone that come to mind:

      • You both have instagram and have connected in a way that makes it likely you are in a close relationship (tagged in photos, DMs)
      • She allows Instagram to access the contacts on her phone, and OP is saved in there as her S.O.
      • They are connected through Whatsapp or some other Meta service.
      • The Company targets their ads at category which they both fall into (companies can manage which groups see their ads VERY specifically)
      • Coincidence
      • Telcontar@lemmy.todayOP
        61·
        11 months ago

        Lemmy is the only social media I have, but we are connected via Whatsapp. I’m thinking that since we were both connected to the wifi without a VPN, that’s the probable source of information bleed.

        • baseless_discourse@mander.xyz
          8·
          11 months ago

          It can be the website you are browsing have trackers that share data with facebook, and facebook was able to infer you guys are in the same household via IP information (ISP also sales you info BTW), and push the ad to her. Or facebook might think that you guys could be the same person or have similar interest etc.

    • Altomes@lemm.ee
      13·
      11 months ago

      Between this and geolocation I’d say its not hard to figure out you guys are in the same house

    • xantoxis@lemmy.world
      163·
      11 months ago

      It’s basically always this. Your phone in the same room with someone else’s phone. This is stronger around christmas when people are looking for gift ideas, so they push this mind control shit on you even harder.

      It’s not actually listening to you–that’s been debunked multiple ways–but what it’s doing instead is arguably worse.

    • akilou@sh.itjust.works
      1·
      11 months ago

      So what are the mechanics of this? OP would also have had to interact with Meta somehow after finding the moccasins but before the girlfriend did, right?

      • sdoorex@slrpnk.netEnglish
        13·
        11 months ago

        No, you don’t have to interact with Meta. Websites that utilize Facebook ads in some fashion will install a Meta Pixel to their site in order to track users and better target their ads. That information can be correlated to others in the same household extremely easily.

        You can read about the specifics of how Meta does it in their developer information here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/meta-pixel/

  • Vexz@kbin.social
    20·
    11 months ago

    The first thing that pops up in my mind is your public IPv4. You see, in your home LAN every device uses the same public IPv4 to communicate in the internet. So if one device browses for something like an iPhone and you’re being tracked then those ad brokers deliver iPhone ads to this public IPv4 and every device behind this public IPv4 will see those ads. Nobody on the internet knows whether behind this public IPv4 is a single device or a LAN with many devices.

    • NekuSoul@lemmy.nekusoul.de
      52·
      11 months ago

      Yup. Maybe even just pure coincidence. People are very susceptible to confirmation bias and, as an extra spicy hot take, people in communities like this one even more so.

  • Ebby@lemmy.ssba.com
    17·
    11 months ago

    Welcome to advertising tricks. My SO gets my ads because I block them too. “Blocks ads” is a data point that is tracking you around the web. They simply redirect your content to the next closest impressionable consumer. If they can’t reach you, they’ll market everywhere around you.

    But this takes off doubly so this time of year. This trick really ramps up around gift giving events like The holidays, v-day, birthdays, or other life events.

    • Telcontar@lemmy.todayOP
      2·
      11 months ago

      Is there any way to prevent search information from being linked to me? Like some way so ad companies can’t even gather than information That would be great

      • RmDebArc_5@lemmy.mlEnglish
        6·
        11 months ago

        -Privacy friendly sites (no google, ddg/searxng and stuff) -VPN (Proton is private with a free tier, Mullvad for maximum privacy) -Fingerprint blocking in browser (Brave has it too standard, put it on aggressive)

  • AnonStoleMyPants@sopuli.xyz
    121·
    11 months ago

    Very common. Advertisers already know everyone you come in contact with, or ar least those whom you spend time with. They will use that info to push ads to the group, or to the relevant people of that group.

    It’s Christmas time, you browse moccasins store for 10min, obviously you’re interested in them. Why wouldn’t advertisers show that item to your gf? That’s like the perfect ad for her.

  • wincing_nucleus073@lemm.ee
    121·
    11 months ago

    As long as you are running closed source Operating Systems, they can listen to whatever they want, and scan whatever they want that’s happening on your screen. Wake up people. Facepalm.

  • BmeBenji@lemm.ee
    8·
    11 months ago

    Do you have a Facebook/instagram account where you have marked your GF as your GF or tagged your GF in a lot of photos? More likely than not, Meta pays attention to those connections and shows ads to people it deems close to you based on your browsing history. And remember that Meta tracks user actions beyond what they do on Meta sites.

  • Pantherina@feddit.de
    91·
    11 months ago

    Same Wifi. If you want to not be identified to your home, use a VPN like Mullvad.

    But yeah GFs with iphones, love it.

  • sic_semper_tyrannis@feddit.chEnglish
    6·
    11 months ago

    A similar experience is what got me into privacy. Time to get off of social media and get rid of apps that have access to your keyboard, mic, files, etc.

  • Lorindól@sopuli.xyz
    72·
    11 months ago

    Few days ago I was talking with my wife about groceries, reminded her about buying more cat food. My daughter was sitting next to me, playing some game on her Android phone. Then she chirped “I got a cat food ad! I’ve never gotten a cat food ad before, ever! It’s like the phone heard what you just said, dad!”

    Yep. VPN and Adguard are now installed to every single mobile device in my household.

    • Dislodge3233@feddit.deEnglish
      5·
      11 months ago

      I got ads for sexual assault therapy after I talked to my friend about my assault. I was livid. The audacity to try to make money off assault victims.

  • rzlatic@lemmy.ml
    72·
    11 months ago

    same thing happened to me. talked about very specific health-related topic, didn’t googled it or anything, the next day instagram came up with ads for the very same specific health subject.

    for a start, you can check instagram’s permissions (and facebook of you use it, it’s meta too) and disable access to microphone.

    however, that leaves whatsapp which is also meta and mic is more of a neccesity than insta/fb, but in my case, haven’t seen weird ads for subjects i didn’t typed into any devices since i disabled insta mic access.

  • Zerush@lemmy.ml
    41·
    11 months ago

    It’s irrelevant which phone you use, iOS or Android, all smartphones are spyware by definition, risky to have important data in it.

  • SterbenDeathGun@lemmy.ml
    2·
    11 months ago

    As others have said, it may be the same WiFe.

    I am pretty sure the iPhone is listening though, because I saw a prank where a woman whispered to the husband’s iPhone about baby stuff (to have a baby), and he complained about receiving a ton of ads about baby stuff just after that. So yes, welcome to the apple garden ahah