4 ms·
I thought targeted ads let you buy an audience using all the information the ad network had about them. So in your framing, the “company targeting” would be Goo
by shuckles 5y ago
I thought targeted ads let you buy an audience using all the information the ad network had about them. So in your framing, the “company targeting” would be Google, and they already know more than a FLOC cohort worth of information about you.
- josefx 5y agoOfficially Google doesn't hand out information who belongs to what group. With FLOC your browser tells everyone in what "cohort" you are, if a cohort can be used to identify gay people just visiting government websites in an anti gay country could end very badly.
- Spivak 5y agoSome additional context because it's not super clear how you turn some opaque cohort ID into something that can find gay people. Being gay is a really strong really specific signal online. Every content recommendation algorithm once it gets even a whiff you like girl in red will start recommending you other queers like there's no tomorrow. Content for gays is niche, doesn't have much broad appeal, and is a strong predictor you'll like other content aimed at gays. So all you need to do to find closeted gay people is to look at the cohorts of an out gay person.
- vineyardmike 5y agoYes this is true of major ad networks, but there is also straight data brokers who "just" buy/sell data. FB and google used to (idk about now, don't care to check) allow you to upload data you gathered/bought and use it for tracking. To prove a point, i created a fb ad to target my parents and family (uploaded their email, phone number, identifiers, interests, locations they frequent - only data i knew fb already had) and watched as their ads became "hey vineyardmike's parents. the internet is not private".