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What misinformation have you been convinced of because you saw a targeted advertisement? Or a slightly different version: What views do you hold that originated

What misinformation have you been convinced of because you saw a targeted advertisement? Or a slightly different version: What views do you hold that originated from a targeted ad? Or for some more specific examples: In elections, do you start out looking to elect one candidate and then you see a targeted ad and you change your vote because of it? For COVID vaccines, did you start off with a stance and then you see a targeted ad and you change your stance because of that ad?

bcrl 5y ago
As I post every so often here on Hacker News, have a look at this ad my elderly father got a couple of years ago just before COVID hit: https://imgur.com/a/Lk85lST https://imgur.com/a/Lk85lST . It's a perfectly innocent search by someone looking for help with a problem that directs towards an ad for a phishing site. The worst part is that it's highly targeted. I tried doing EXACTLY the same search from my own phone and laptop and got completely different results despite coming in from the same wifi network at the same location and the same time. This isn't acceptable. If malicious ads couldn't be targeted like that so that more people saw the same unacceptable content, it sure as hell would be reported a lot more. Instead, someone has made a decision that nobody should be held accountable. It generates a profit, so it's OK, right?
- FFRefresh 5y ago
  Oh totally, that ad seems malicious. I was just curious about the misinformation angle that you mentioned and how you in particular have been duped or had your opinions changed because of a targeted ad.
  - bcrl 5y ago
    I don't see those ads. My filter bubble is completely different. Personally, I think it would be beneficial for society if all of us were exposed to information that falls outside of what our individual filter bubble normally shows us from time to time. Another example that came up in my life yesterday relates to the trucker protest here in Ottawa. One of the news stories from last month about restrictions is being heavily promoted by people sympathetic to the cause. However, in the intervening 4 weeks since this particular story was published, those restrictions were lifted and are no longer being enforced. The people promoting the old article do so because it benefits their narrative, but they are effectively spreading misinformation now by failing to acknowledge that the content is no longer true. That's a problem, and that kind of behaviour is not easy to solve. Maybe someday our web browsers will have the ability to flag content that is obsolete, but that's a pipe dream at present.

bcrl 5y ago

As I post every so often here on Hacker News, have a look at this ad my elderly father got a couple of years ago just before COVID hit: https://imgur.com/a/Lk85lST https://imgur.com/a/Lk85lST . It's a perfectly innocent search by someone looking for help with a problem that directs towards an ad for a phishing site. The worst part is that it's highly targeted. I tried doing EXACTLY the same search from my own phone and laptop and got completely different results despite coming in from the same wifi network at the same location and the same time. This isn't acceptable. If malicious ads couldn't be targeted like that so that more people saw the same unacceptable content, it sure as hell would be reported a lot more. Instead, someone has made a decision that nobody should be held accountable. It generates a profit, so it's OK, right?

FFRefresh 5y ago
Oh totally, that ad seems malicious. I was just curious about the misinformation angle that you mentioned and how you in particular have been duped or had your opinions changed because of a targeted ad.
- bcrl 5y ago
  I don't see those ads. My filter bubble is completely different. Personally, I think it would be beneficial for society if all of us were exposed to information that falls outside of what our individual filter bubble normally shows us from time to time. Another example that came up in my life yesterday relates to the trucker protest here in Ottawa. One of the news stories from last month about restrictions is being heavily promoted by people sympathetic to the cause. However, in the intervening 4 weeks since this particular story was published, those restrictions were lifted and are no longer being enforced. The people promoting the old article do so because it benefits their narrative, but they are effectively spreading misinformation now by failing to acknowledge that the content is no longer true. That's a problem, and that kind of behaviour is not easy to solve. Maybe someday our web browsers will have the ability to flag content that is obsolete, but that's a pipe dream at present.