3 ms·

Speaking of "throw that test tube in the trash", I'll share my anecdote: One of the DNA testing companies was offering a free test for folks who suffer from th

Speaking of "throw that test tube in the trash", I'll share my anecdote: One of the DNA testing companies was offering a free test for folks who suffer from things like autoimmune disorders (which I do). I signed up, got the kit, filled out the survey which asks a bunch of specific questions about which particular medical condition you have, etc. I set the box aside, planning to take it to work and drop it off in outgoing mail the next day. Well, _literally the next morning_ my youtube account was suddenly showing ads for medication for my particular condition. They didn't even wait to receive my DNA before selling me out! Threw that test tube in the trash faster than you can say "scumbag"!

owlninja 8y ago
I find it a little hard to believe this was just because of the survey...
icelancer 8y ago
This is the kind of thing that makes people not believe in the OP's story, because this is absolutely ridiculous. It's called cookie and fragment tracking across the Internet. That's what happened to you. You sold yourself out by browsing the web without sufficient content blockers.
- g_sch 8y ago
  I mean, maybe, but GP also said they filled out a survey with their diagnosis information, so it's certainly plausible that the company added that information to their profile immediately.
- cwkoss 8y ago
  Maybe it should be illegal to do ad tracking on sites about medical information. The fact that someone is browsing that site may be private medical information.
  - joering2 8y ago
    Considering there are only two countries in which advertising of pharmacy as allowed (to a point of fear mongering, like "the entire baby boom generation has hidden shingles - protect yourself before you die") - that is USA and Brazil, you're going to have a hard time convincing politicians to move their finger.. especially since majority of them are heavily founded by big pharma.
- cellularmitosis 8y ago
  And all of that cookie tracking just so happened to catch up with me the day after submitting the survey? I had been performing related searches for months...

owlninja 8y ago

I find it a little hard to believe this was just because of the survey...

icelancer 8y ago

This is the kind of thing that makes people not believe in the OP's story, because this is absolutely ridiculous. It's called cookie and fragment tracking across the Internet. That's what happened to you. You sold yourself out by browsing the web without sufficient content blockers.

g_sch 8y ago
I mean, maybe, but GP also said they filled out a survey with their diagnosis information, so it's certainly plausible that the company added that information to their profile immediately.
cwkoss 8y ago
Maybe it should be illegal to do ad tracking on sites about medical information. The fact that someone is browsing that site may be private medical information.
- joering2 8y ago
  Considering there are only two countries in which advertising of pharmacy as allowed (to a point of fear mongering, like "the entire baby boom generation has hidden shingles - protect yourself before you die") - that is USA and Brazil, you're going to have a hard time convincing politicians to move their finger.. especially since majority of them are heavily founded by big pharma.
cellularmitosis 8y ago
And all of that cookie tracking just so happened to catch up with me the day after submitting the survey? I had been performing related searches for months...