diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/01/b4e614671f4c84b7944d18d0ac6f5b30778686602c17e1ed9b91763080a854 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/01/b4e614671f4c84b7944d18d0ac6f5b30778686602c17e1ed9b91763080a854 deleted file mode 100644 index 943a836a..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/01/b4e614671f4c84b7944d18d0ac6f5b30778686602c17e1ed9b91763080a854 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,105 +0,0 @@ -I""
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-

Social Media Advertising

-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

-
- -
-

Behavioral Advertising

-
- -

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

- -
-

Search Engine Advertising

-
- -

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-
Use an ad blocker where you can
-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-
Use private browsing mode
-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-
Clear your cookies on a schedule
-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

If you’d like to laugh, here are some sources (some written in a comedic way)

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/09/96b2ba9e45d1436155e126c716b5449c2537679c8b56e568b33c06c2d1e3a6 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/09/96b2ba9e45d1436155e126c716b5449c2537679c8b56e568b33c06c2d1e3a6 deleted file mode 100644 index e2c9d140..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/09/96b2ba9e45d1436155e126c716b5449c2537679c8b56e568b33c06c2d1e3a6 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,105 +0,0 @@ -I""
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-

Social Media Advertising

-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

-
- -
-

Behavioral Advertising

-
- -

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

- -
-

Search Engine Advertising

-
- -

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

If you’d like to laugh, here are some sources (some written in a comedic way)

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/11/346b0bf40a510cc0e70af3e47c5058af4ea9073d0f387dce141fa3a7e6a126 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/11/346b0bf40a510cc0e70af3e47c5058af4ea9073d0f387dce141fa3a7e6a126 deleted file mode 100644 index 20f028b6..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/11/346b0bf40a510cc0e70af3e47c5058af4ea9073d0f387dce141fa3a7e6a126 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,106 +0,0 @@ -I"J"
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-

Social Media Advertising

-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

-
- -
-

Behavioral Advertising

-

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

-
- -
-

Search Engine Advertising

-

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

-
- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

Here are some sources:

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

- -

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

- -:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/1c/73d8d22b5071c0474000a0752a9d2ce86629a8d3df563369a1d11b72896c42 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/1c/73d8d22b5071c0474000a0752a9d2ce86629a8d3df563369a1d11b72896c42 deleted file mode 100644 index 965b9155..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/1c/73d8d22b5071c0474000a0752a9d2ce86629a8d3df563369a1d11b72896c42 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,105 +0,0 @@ -I"I"
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-

Social Media Advertising

-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

-
- -
-

Behavioral Advertising

-

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

-
- -
-

Search Engine Advertising

-

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

-
- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

Here are some sources:

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

- -

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/38/10fd5ec0be56808dc8154aeb9db00871001b22252070dc5a20c30feb0866df b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/38/10fd5ec0be56808dc8154aeb9db00871001b22252070dc5a20c30feb0866df new file mode 100644 index 00000000..7e197864 --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/38/10fd5ec0be56808dc8154aeb9db00871001b22252070dc5a20c30feb0866df @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +I"w"
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d1/addd414f0e92574ed76a2f83f88f3cee1c88201c88bc20751cfc3f205d39e8 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/3b/9d4b8a5dd6ff470739dc81c9f2e5ec370fc77524dd5a0d2e6071f29a6324d5 similarity index 88% rename from .jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d1/addd414f0e92574ed76a2f83f88f3cee1c88201c88bc20751cfc3f205d39e8 rename to .jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/3b/9d4b8a5dd6ff470739dc81c9f2e5ec370fc77524dd5a0d2e6071f29a6324d5 index 0bf65b47..7755001b 100644 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d1/addd414f0e92574ed76a2f83f88f3cee1c88201c88bc20751cfc3f205d39e8 +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/3b/9d4b8a5dd6ff470739dc81c9f2e5ec370fc77524dd5a0d2e6071f29a6324d5 @@ -1,10 +1,10 @@ -I"#"
+I""

For my email subscribers, please click here

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

(Don't we all?)
-

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

+

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

{insert reel}

@@ -12,15 +12,15 @@

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

-

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

-

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

The “What”

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

Social Media Advertising

-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app.

@@ -81,13 +81,13 @@

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

-
Share less of your info online
+

Share less of your info online

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/44/82d65b42fcce4f75c4bda479c92be637cdde50c7053a2b6be7b8c5357d0e76 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/44/82d65b42fcce4f75c4bda479c92be637cdde50c7053a2b6be7b8c5357d0e76 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..c382ff71 --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/44/82d65b42fcce4f75c4bda479c92be637cdde50c7053a2b6be7b8c5357d0e76 @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +I"~"

+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially given that Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent in April of 2017.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/5a/fc8b553982d7eaf7e6e142536bb86694881cb72de8137a607fc356e6b33af1 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/49/45d57d09827ee53c2ac5a952f4b248f4ba43b8be552179bfafce9ad8f812ef similarity index 98% rename from .jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/5a/fc8b553982d7eaf7e6e142536bb86694881cb72de8137a607fc356e6b33af1 rename to .jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/49/45d57d09827ee53c2ac5a952f4b248f4ba43b8be552179bfafce9ad8f812ef index 33c06de1..0b587f89 100644 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/5a/fc8b553982d7eaf7e6e142536bb86694881cb72de8137a607fc356e6b33af1 +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/49/45d57d09827ee53c2ac5a952f4b248f4ba43b8be552179bfafce9ad8f812ef @@ -1,10 +1,10 @@ -I"#"
+I"%"

For my email subscribers, please click here

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

(Don't we all?)
-

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

+

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

{insert reel}

diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/5f/df07c0e13d3b9742e2beeb1aa25e3edf557ed40ad847baf41472cf507be7d5 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/5f/df07c0e13d3b9742e2beeb1aa25e3edf557ed40ad847baf41472cf507be7d5 deleted file mode 100644 index 44af795b..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/5f/df07c0e13d3b9742e2beeb1aa25e3edf557ed40ad847baf41472cf507be7d5 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,70 +0,0 @@ -I"
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to login again on all your daily sites. But if

- -

If you’d like to laugh, here are some sources (some written in a comedic way) -(“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”)[https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/25/17887796/facebook-ad-targeted-algorithm]

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/5f/f48c9369e89185ffddf03d991e22fa4d3e1368efb430275bf94e77e035393e b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/5f/f48c9369e89185ffddf03d991e22fa4d3e1368efb430275bf94e77e035393e new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e80804d5 --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/5f/f48c9369e89185ffddf03d991e22fa4d3e1368efb430275bf94e77e035393e @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +I"W"
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day() regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/62/059757e2245376f48b4b0d9ad10532722b5be168890fd2bb1036e2627c24e6 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/62/059757e2245376f48b4b0d9ad10532722b5be168890fd2bb1036e2627c24e6 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..3d34206f --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/62/059757e2245376f48b4b0d9ad10532722b5be168890fd2bb1036e2627c24e6 @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +I""
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially given that Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent in April of 2017.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data,and preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/66/470c09a1ec29d6d2cbf8de87772d46cbacd0a8aa034f7b3e825cdcd005e7b0 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/66/470c09a1ec29d6d2cbf8de87772d46cbacd0a8aa034f7b3e825cdcd005e7b0 deleted file mode 100644 index 2a2449bd..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/66/470c09a1ec29d6d2cbf8de87772d46cbacd0a8aa034f7b3e825cdcd005e7b0 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,71 +0,0 @@ -I"
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies.

- -

If you’d like to laugh, here are some sources (some written in a comedic way)

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d8/8ebb4f0158833e4e5b2c57d89e73e993d6dbfba654224c3ade2f73d5c40f03 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/6e/1a5f2336517585b2bd1e5776d965241377ebe55e363e6b9b57d3e7531b30e5 similarity index 89% rename from .jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d8/8ebb4f0158833e4e5b2c57d89e73e993d6dbfba654224c3ade2f73d5c40f03 rename to .jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/6e/1a5f2336517585b2bd1e5776d965241377ebe55e363e6b9b57d3e7531b30e5 index 7b2cc239..89d37b7e 100644 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d8/8ebb4f0158833e4e5b2c57d89e73e993d6dbfba654224c3ade2f73d5c40f03 +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/6e/1a5f2336517585b2bd1e5776d965241377ebe55e363e6b9b57d3e7531b30e5 @@ -1,10 +1,10 @@ -I"#"
+I" "

For my email subscribers, please click here

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

(Don't we all?)
-

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

+

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

{insert reel}

@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

-

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

-

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

The “What”

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/73/c16bb3a4402283484fe2c1058dbce75828dbfc3711b4739add05b757b7e338 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/73/c16bb3a4402283484fe2c1058dbce75828dbfc3711b4739add05b757b7e338 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..9f3eb849 --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/73/c16bb3a4402283484fe2c1058dbce75828dbfc3711b4739add05b757b7e338 @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +I"x"

+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day() regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/7b/5c7f9a53bc44e6c1a8caf1341b740184edbc5d93f1086cdb2645fe926753a9 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/7b/5c7f9a53bc44e6c1a8caf1341b740184edbc5d93f1086cdb2645fe926753a9 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..f68516ab --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/7b/5c7f9a53bc44e6c1a8caf1341b740184edbc5d93f1086cdb2645fe926753a9 @@ -0,0 +1,106 @@ +I""
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

   

+

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

   

+

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially given that Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent in April 2017.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data,and preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

   

+

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/7e/0d8170a68468b56009b350cdba6ecb36eb3c0a5826635f3a5ce8cca1d8cfb2 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/7e/0d8170a68468b56009b350cdba6ecb36eb3c0a5826635f3a5ce8cca1d8cfb2 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..313452e0 --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/7e/0d8170a68468b56009b350cdba6ecb36eb3c0a5826635f3a5ce8cca1d8cfb2 @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +I"|"
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially given that Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent in April of 2017.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data,and preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/86/21d8d9be463a4826d777451d17fec62a8ada985d00d837c2de21ca702e622a b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/86/21d8d9be463a4826d777451d17fec62a8ada985d00d837c2de21ca702e622a deleted file mode 100644 index a9996f35..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/86/21d8d9be463a4826d777451d17fec62a8ada985d00d837c2de21ca702e622a +++ /dev/null @@ -1,106 +0,0 @@ -I""
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-
Social Media Advertising
-
- -

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

- -
-
Behavioral Advertising
-
- -

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

- -
-
Search Engine Advertising
-
- -

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-
Use an ad blocker where you can
-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-
Use private browsing mode
-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-
Clear your cookies on a schedule
-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

If you’d like to laugh, here are some sources (some written in a comedic way)

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/88/6a8bafdcfa33aedf817b053af1fd98af78be4113559847c374636a9a7e076c b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/88/6a8bafdcfa33aedf817b053af1fd98af78be4113559847c374636a9a7e076c new file mode 100644 index 00000000..0a4e8f0e --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/88/6a8bafdcfa33aedf817b053af1fd98af78be4113559847c374636a9a7e076c @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +I"y"
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially given that Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent in April 2017.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data,and preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/97/50fff1218d223382ae0f1a0eae8a5bf8153e8d2d68eb96861521d8d5cb2639 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/97/50fff1218d223382ae0f1a0eae8a5bf8153e8d2d68eb96861521d8d5cb2639 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..12b23887 --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/97/50fff1218d223382ae0f1a0eae8a5bf8153e8d2d68eb96861521d8d5cb2639 @@ -0,0 +1,108 @@ +I""
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

   

+

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

   

+

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially given that Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent in April 2017.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data,and preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

   

+

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my laptop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media ads as discussed above. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Thank you and safe browsing to those who read this far.

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/98/e591e5eb5c26df89ee90ef6438560791fb386ddffd2282ab4f6de991d7d581 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/98/e591e5eb5c26df89ee90ef6438560791fb386ddffd2282ab4f6de991d7d581 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..8b9b27a3 --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/98/e591e5eb5c26df89ee90ef6438560791fb386ddffd2282ab4f6de991d7d581 @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +I"'"
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/a4/056ffda7c1fd761f358bda9786e0a90e7147e9467ab60e2f8ac39a5a33ed9b b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/a4/056ffda7c1fd761f358bda9786e0a90e7147e9467ab60e2f8ac39a5a33ed9b deleted file mode 100644 index a6d09e72..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/a4/056ffda7c1fd761f358bda9786e0a90e7147e9467ab60e2f8ac39a5a33ed9b +++ /dev/null @@ -1,103 +0,0 @@ -I""
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-

Social Media Advertising

-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

-
- -
-

Behavioral Advertising

-

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

-
- -
-

Search Engine Advertising

-

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

-
- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

Here are some sources:

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

- -

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/b8/da1d26ff31b8a1589db8bbb3791b4287f1e4393c1fdcb269c3dd55ea0b4ba9 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/b8/da1d26ff31b8a1589db8bbb3791b4287f1e4393c1fdcb269c3dd55ea0b4ba9 deleted file mode 100644 index 965b9155..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/b8/da1d26ff31b8a1589db8bbb3791b4287f1e4393c1fdcb269c3dd55ea0b4ba9 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,105 +0,0 @@ -I"I"
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-

Social Media Advertising

-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

-
- -
-

Behavioral Advertising

-

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

-
- -
-

Search Engine Advertising

-

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

-
- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

Here are some sources:

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

- -

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/bd/8653a15ca7380d0dc26a221b2e56dd4bbfad9b2cc34e155b5904b3b41f44e8 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/bd/8653a15ca7380d0dc26a221b2e56dd4bbfad9b2cc34e155b5904b3b41f44e8 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..72611a0a --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/bd/8653a15ca7380d0dc26a221b2e56dd4bbfad9b2cc34e155b5904b3b41f44e8 @@ -0,0 +1,106 @@ +I""
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

   

+

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

   

+

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially given that Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent in April 2017.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data,and preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

   

+

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my laptop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/be/d036488fe89a1fd75110c668c6a05131dc2cd9239b0a3f933fa29f0954e289 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/be/d036488fe89a1fd75110c668c6a05131dc2cd9239b0a3f933fa29f0954e289 deleted file mode 100644 index 886941d3..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/be/d036488fe89a1fd75110c668c6a05131dc2cd9239b0a3f933fa29f0954e289 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,103 +0,0 @@ -I""
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-

Social Media Advertising

-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

-
- -
-

Behavioral Advertising

-

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

-
- -
-

Search Engine Advertising

-

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

-
- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

If you’d like to laugh, here are some sources (some written in a comedic way)

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/a8/fc09fde7dc0571dcead6d6f0ed36dddda906e68ed5b75e10dc9e6a58499a52 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/cc/3251ff77eef06e89377a4b44e9666dc81867e60a5e803516dfa7d77076b7af similarity index 92% rename from .jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/a8/fc09fde7dc0571dcead6d6f0ed36dddda906e68ed5b75e10dc9e6a58499a52 rename to .jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/cc/3251ff77eef06e89377a4b44e9666dc81867e60a5e803516dfa7d77076b7af index 39ec5e6f..d6b5b56e 100644 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/a8/fc09fde7dc0571dcead6d6f0ed36dddda906e68ed5b75e10dc9e6a58499a52 +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/cc/3251ff77eef06e89377a4b44e9666dc81867e60a5e803516dfa7d77076b7af @@ -1,10 +1,11 @@ -I"!
+I" +"

For my email subscribers, please click here

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

(Don't we all?)
-

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

+

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

{insert reel}

@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

-

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

-

####\ Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/cf/af07ba370af617b252a887cf0174fe208d07186940801833876b03129ee04d b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/cf/af07ba370af617b252a887cf0174fe208d07186940801833876b03129ee04d deleted file mode 100644 index cb689d70..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/cf/af07ba370af617b252a887cf0174fe208d07186940801833876b03129ee04d +++ /dev/null @@ -1,70 +0,0 @@ -I"

-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to login again on all your daily sites. But if

- -

If you’d like to laugh, here are some sources (some written in a comedic way) -“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d2/bb4fae1ac1632fb508da47a4b4e3a785585586693bb51302c654b69827ee9b b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d2/bb4fae1ac1632fb508da47a4b4e3a785585586693bb51302c654b69827ee9b deleted file mode 100644 index 5606f32e..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d2/bb4fae1ac1632fb508da47a4b4e3a785585586693bb51302c654b69827ee9b +++ /dev/null @@ -1,105 +0,0 @@ -I"I"
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-

Social Media Advertising

-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

-
- -
-

Behavioral Advertising

-

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

-
- -
-

Search Engine Advertising

-

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

-
- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

Here are some sources:

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

- -

Is FB listening to me? on PHYS.org

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d6/9122ebdc5f6caa9b640b9e17e9ab4699e7ff72db5599de2917b4280a98c3a4 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d6/9122ebdc5f6caa9b640b9e17e9ab4699e7ff72db5599de2917b4280a98c3a4 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..042c106c --- /dev/null +++ b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/d6/9122ebdc5f6caa9b640b9e17e9ab4699e7ff72db5599de2917b4280a98c3a4 @@ -0,0 +1,106 @@ +I""
+

For my email subscribers, please click here

+
+

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

+
(Don't we all?)
+ +

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little too personal pops up on your feed?

+ +

{insert reel}

+ +

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

+ +

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

+ +

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

+ +

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

+ +

   

+

The “What”

+

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

+
+

Social Media Advertising

+

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions within an app or platform.

+
+ +
+

Behavioral Advertising

+

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

+
+ +
+

Search Engine Advertising

+

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

+
+ +

   

+

The “How”

+

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

+ +

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

+
+

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

+
+ +
+

When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article’s website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink.

+
+ +
+

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

+
+ +
+

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

+
+ +

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially given that Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent in April 2017.

+ +

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data,and preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

+ +

   

+

What can you do?

+ +

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

+ +

Here are some things that you can do:

+
+

Use an ad blocker where you can

+
+ +

Online on my laptop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media ads as discussed above. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

+ +
+

Use private browsing mode

+
+ +

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

+ +
+

Clear your cookies on a schedule

+
+ +

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

+ +
+

Share less of your info online

+
+ +

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

+ +
+

Opt-out and lockdown where possible

+
+ +

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. +Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

+ +

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

+ +

Here are some sources:

+ +

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

+ +

Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

+:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/ee/b22335a559448a4ba290500a0fc6a280c8d98d4b2413d3221dceb83cdfbb13 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/ee/b22335a559448a4ba290500a0fc6a280c8d98d4b2413d3221dceb83cdfbb13 deleted file mode 100644 index 33eb5934..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/ee/b22335a559448a4ba290500a0fc6a280c8d98d4b2413d3221dceb83cdfbb13 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,71 +0,0 @@ -I"
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-

Use an ad blocker where you can

-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-

Use private browsing mode

-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-

Clear your cookies on a schedule

-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to login again on all your daily sites. But if

- -

If you’d like to laugh, here are some sources (some written in a comedic way)

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/f2/dd48a8ad200000ca8b01233786fc0a893904018240bc6730147018732de987 b/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/f2/dd48a8ad200000ca8b01233786fc0a893904018240bc6730147018732de987 deleted file mode 100644 index 8920f1d6..00000000 --- a/.jekyll-cache/Jekyll/Cache/Jekyll--Converters--Markdown/f2/dd48a8ad200000ca8b01233786fc0a893904018240bc6730147018732de987 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,105 +0,0 @@ -I""
-

For my email subscribers, please click here

-
-

Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

-
(Don't we all?)
- -

Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

- -

{insert reel}

- -

It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

- -

Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

- -

We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

- -

Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

- -

The “What”

-

There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

-
-
Social Media Advertising
-

These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

-
- -
-
Behavioral Advertising
-
- -

Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

- -
-
Search Engine Advertising
-
- -

Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

- -

The “How”

-

There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

- -

Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

-
-

You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

-
- -
-

When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

-
- -
-

This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

-
- -
-

It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

-
- -

Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

- -

In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

- -

Cambridge Analytica

- -

What can you do?

- -

Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

- -

Here are some things that you can do:

-
-
Use an ad blocker where you can
-
- -

Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

- -
-
Use private browsing mode
-
- -

All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

- -
-
Clear your cookies on a schedule
-
- -

As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

- -
-
Share less of your info online
-
- -

Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

- -
-
Opt-out and lockdown where possible
-
- -

You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

- -

On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

- -

If you’d like to laugh, here are some sources (some written in a comedic way)

- -

“Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

-:ET \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/_site/niaapps-blog/index.html b/_site/niaapps-blog/index.html index e33a3a7b..2267d63c 100644 --- a/_site/niaapps-blog/index.html +++ b/_site/niaapps-blog/index.html @@ -86,10 +86,6 @@

Recent Posts

    -
  • - Internet Privacy -
    • -
  • Grow Where Planted
    • @@ -191,12 +187,6 @@

    Recent Posts

      -
    • - Internet Privacy -
      • - - -
    • Template
      • @@ -279,12 +269,6 @@

      Recent Posts

        -
      • - Internet Privacy -
        • - - -
      • Grow Where Planted
        • diff --git a/_site/niaapps-blog/updates-coding/updates-personal/2021/10/04/privacy.html b/_site/niaapps-blog/updates-coding/updates-personal/2021/10/04/privacy.html deleted file mode 100644 index 1476dc2c..00000000 --- a/_site/niaapps-blog/updates-coding/updates-personal/2021/10/04/privacy.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,263 +0,0 @@ - - - - - - - - Blog-Internet Privacy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
        -
        -
        - -
        - -
        -
        -
        - -

        -

        Nia's Blog

        -

        -
        - -
        -

        Internet Privacy

        -

        October 04, 2021

        -
        -

        For my email subscribers, please click here

        -
        -

        Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!

        -
        (Don't we all?)
        - -

        Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little too personal pops up on your feed?

        - -

        {insert reel}

        - -

        It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I am going to answer the question: “Why and how does this happen?”

        - -

        Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy.

        - -

        We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies.

        - -

        Companies collect this data and create a “profile” on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads.

        - -

        The “What”

        -

        There are 3 types of ads I’d like to mention:

        -
        -

        Social Media Advertising

        -

        These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends’ actions.

        -
        - -
        -

        Behavioral Advertising

        -

        Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought.

        -
        - -
        -

        Search Engine Advertising

        -

        Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines.

        -
        - -

        The “How”

        -

        There are some misconceptions about the “how”. Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I’ll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels this invasive when a targeted ad is shown.

        - -

        Let’s go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle.

        -
        -

        You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location.

        -
        - -
        -

        When you visit an article the next day. The article’s website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment.

        -
        - -
        -

        This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted.

        -
        - -
        -

        It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google’s Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time.

        -
        - -

        Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent.

        - -

        In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched.

        - -

        What can you do?

        - -

        Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option.

        - -

        Here are some things that you can do:

        -
        -

        Use an ad blocker where you can

        -
        - -

        Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching.

        - -
        -

        Use private browsing mode

        -
        - -

        All modern browsers have a private browsing mode which do not keep track of web history. If you are not going somewhere you’ll likely need to revisit private browsing is an option. Social media info and search history can still be tracked but taking this step cannot hurt.

        - -
        -

        Clear your cookies on a schedule

        -
        - -

        As mentioned before clearing your cookies can really help, but is a hassle, to have to log in again on all your daily sites. But if you find you get targeted ads say 2-3 months after clearing your cookies, you now know it takes about 2-3 months before the algorithm has gained enough info about you to do its job, and that is your schedule. It will vary from person to person as how much information we share varies, which leads me to my next point

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        Share less of your info online

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        Do you need to geo tag that post? Does the world absolutely need to know what brand those shoes are? This tip is a little give and take. If you know anything about running social media accounts for the purpose of growth, you know that geotagging, hashtagging and more are all very important to outreach. But on your personal accounts you don’t have to share this information unless you want to. Do so at your own risk.

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        Opt-out and lockdown where possible

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        You can say to ad companies you don’t want to be tracked here. -Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

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        On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram)

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        Here are some sources:

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        “Why Targeted Ads are the most brutal owns by Vox”

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        Is FB listening to me? by PHYS.org

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        - - \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/niaapps-blog/_drafts/privacy.md b/niaapps-blog/_drafts/privacy.md index 4bac4cc5..c4e82ea2 100644 --- a/niaapps-blog/_drafts/privacy.md +++ b/niaapps-blog/_drafts/privacy.md @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ --- layout: post title: "Internet Privacy" -date: 2021-10-04 12:00:00 -0400 +date: 2021-11-26 08:00:00 -0400 categories: updates-coding updates-personal --- @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ categories: updates-coding updates-personal Hey readers! Today I am writing about a topic that everyone should care about. If you use the internet or social media daily, this one is for you!
        (Don't we all?)
        -Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just little **_too_** personal pops up on your feed? +Have you ever been on social media, minding your business, when suddenly an ad that is just a little **_too_** personal pops up on your feed? {insert reel} @@ -20,14 +20,15 @@ It is not fun! It feels like someone is watching over your shoulder. So today I Internet privacy is how much of your personal information remains private when you are on the internet. This can include financial information, browsing history, and personal preferences. Internet privacy can also be referred to as digital privacy or online privacy. -We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday when you sign up for Gmail to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies. +We are constantly sharing data about ourselves on platforms we use. Google uses your birthday to make sure you get age-appropiate ads. When you like a photo on Instagram it will suggest similar ads containing products connected to it. When you visit a website you are sharing data: your location through IP, your habits (how long you spend on a page, what you click on etc.). Similarly, search engines collect both of these in addition to search history and cookies. -Companies collect this data and create a "profile" on all of to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads. +Companies collect this data and create a "profile" on all of us to give them an idea on our preferences from social media to browsing, from shopping to political stances. Sometimes this data is sold to third parties, and sometimes it is used directly by the company, for say targeted ads. +    ### The "What" There are 3 types of ads I'd like to mention: > #### Social Media Advertising -These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends' actions. +These are ads within your chosen platform. These change based on your and your friends' actions within an app or platform. > #### Behavioral Advertising Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect ad to go with the thing you previously bought. @@ -35,23 +36,25 @@ Sites like Amazon will use your previous purchasing habits to find the perfect a > #### Search Engine Advertising Self explanatory, but ads are based on keywords that you type into search engines. +    ### The "How" There are some misconceptions about the "how". Companies cannot listen to you through your phone and then give you an ad for the thing you verbally said (The government is a different story, but I'll save that for another post.). Nonetheless, it feels _this_ invasive when a targeted ad is shown. Let's go over an example and breakdown each step. Pretend you are shopping for a reusable water bottle. >You go to a retail website like Walmart.com or Amazon.com and a cookie is created associated with your computer. This includes you, your personal data and your location. ->When you visit an article the next day. The article's website reads your cookie data, and you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment. +>When you visit an article the next day (regardless if you purchased something or not) the article's website reads your cookie data. Then you start to get ads related to the cookie, say, fitness equipment, or a water-soluble health drink. >This paired with your search engine history, social media likes and dislikes and more help ads become more and more targeted. >It is multi-platformed too, if different sites or apps are using the same ad provider, for ex, Google's Ad sense. If you go on 5 different apps that all use the same ad provider you are likely to get ads from the same company, as the provider is drawing from the same pool of information each time. -Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially after April 2017 when Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent. +Your internet browser, search engines and websites all store this information for as long as you let them, so be sure to clear your cookies and data when you need to. The downside to this is having to sign in manually, as the same data, like a saved user-name or password is also stored this way. Targeted ads that feel way too personal are the culmination of websites having a large amount of information on you. The right to be forgotten, or the right to internet privacy is something we should all care about especially given that Trump signed into law a measure that allows ISPs to sell your data without consent in April 2017. -In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data, preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to make serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched. +In addition to the above, if you are on a social media site, your searches, data,and preferences can be used to draw up ads for your friends, or vice versa. If you have friends who are about the same age, or have some other similarity in data that an algorithm can make sense of, a targeted ad can be served. Companies are not listening to you, or reading your messages, but they are taking all of our combined information, piecing it together to serve ads that will make you cringe and feel watched. +    ### What can you do? Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completely. In this digital age especially with the pandemic it is especially hard to do this. From companies that check your Facebook before hiring to potential dates needing validation through Instagram that you are not a serial killer, going completely offline is not an option. @@ -59,7 +62,7 @@ Unfortunately the only way to 100% avoid the tracking is to go offline completel #### Here are some things that you can do: > #### Use an ad blocker where you can -Online on my desktop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching. +Online on my laptop I have an adblocker on all the time. The only time I get targeted ads is when on social media ads as discussed above. You can even find specific ad blockers for sites like youtube, and on your phone, work around apps that circumvent ads (ex: YoutubeVanced by XDA developers on Android). There are developers out there who also believe in the right to be forgotten, and the right to privacy, it just takes a little searching. > #### Use private browsing mode @@ -82,6 +85,8 @@ Not all of them will honor it, but it doesn't hurt to try. On your social media sites you can limit the location data you share, and control specific ad settings. (I do so on Facebook and Instagram) +Thank you and safe browsing to those who read this far. + Here are some sources: