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This is a ridiculous example but the weaponization risks for adtech are interesting to contemplate. Do ad networks take any steps to verify who is placing ads?

by 2sk21 8y ago

emodendroket 8y ago
I feel like there must be a lot of holes considering ads' popularity as a vector for viruses.
simias 8y ago
I immediately though that this might be somehow more successful (and somewhat less creepy) if this was used to prank other people. "Send this link to your friend and they'll get ads for dragon dildos everywhere". IIRC there are online services to glitter bomb people, it would fit in that niche I suppose. I'm utterly doubtful that sending your wife ads like "3 reasons to initiate sex with your husband" would have any effect at all (besides making it more likely to install ad ad blocker) but it is definitely one of the creepiest things I've read in a while. They're really preying on desperate people with that thing. Utterly immoral. The only positive thing that can come out from this is making people even more aware of the risks of online tracking and how far it can go. After all if your creepy husband can use it to send you targeted ads in an attempt to change your habits, what can Google and friends do?
- emodendroket 8y ago
  They can basically do the same thing -- if you ever have looked at a product on a Web site and then saw ads for that exact product for weeks you'd be familiar with it.
  - SAI_Peregrinus 8y ago
    The really dumb one is when you've bought a product and then get ads (or recommendations) for the same thing for weeks. Thanks, Amazon, I really don't need another framing hammer, I've got one already.
    - emodendroket 8y ago
      I was more focusing on the way ads can already be highly targeted on the retailer's behalf; it seems to me that there is nothing technically implausible about what the wife seduction service advertises.

This is a ridiculous example but the weaponization risks for adtech are interesting to contemplate. Do ad networks take any steps to verify who is placing ads?

by 2sk21 8y ago

This is a ridiculous example but the weaponization risks for adtech are interesting to contemplate. Do ad networks take any steps to verify who is placing ads?

emodendroket 8y ago

I feel like there must be a lot of holes considering ads' popularity as a vector for viruses.

simias 8y ago

I immediately though that this might be somehow more successful (and somewhat less creepy) if this was used to prank other people. "Send this link to your friend and they'll get ads for dragon dildos everywhere". IIRC there are online services to glitter bomb people, it would fit in that niche I suppose. I'm utterly doubtful that sending your wife ads like "3 reasons to initiate sex with your husband" would have any effect at all (besides making it more likely to install ad ad blocker) but it is definitely one of the creepiest things I've read in a while. They're really preying on desperate people with that thing. Utterly immoral. The only positive thing that can come out from this is making people even more aware of the risks of online tracking and how far it can go. After all if your creepy husband can use it to send you targeted ads in an attempt to change your habits, what can Google and friends do?

emodendroket 8y ago
They can basically do the same thing -- if you ever have looked at a product on a Web site and then saw ads for that exact product for weeks you'd be familiar with it.
- SAI_Peregrinus 8y ago
  The really dumb one is when you've bought a product and then get ads (or recommendations) for the same thing for weeks. Thanks, Amazon, I really don't need another framing hammer, I've got one already.
  - emodendroket 8y ago
    I was more focusing on the way ads can already be highly targeted on the retailer's behalf; it seems to me that there is nothing technically implausible about what the wife seduction service advertises.