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I don't think it can be observed because it's likely a bug. It freaks users out. People uninstall the app and start threads like this. It's sort of like gettin

by muzani 4y ago

I don't think it can be observed because it's likely a bug. It freaks users out. People uninstall the app and start threads like this. It's sort of like getting mugged once and then setting up a camera in a bunch of alleys to prove that muggers exist. You can even set up a camera of yourself running into dark alleys every night, but the odds of reproducing a mugging is still extremely low. There's a certain kind of precision that convinces me it's real though. Precision is common. I look at a book on Amazon, and a FB ad for that book appears. But I get rejected for a loan via WhatsApp and then used car ads appear for that model of car that I applied a loan for? That's a bit on the nose.

boltzmann-brain 4y ago
> the odds of reproducing a mugging is still extremely low I did that and I got a mugging on camera. The attacker was convicted.
dahdum 4y ago
> But I get rejected for a loan via WhatsApp and then used car ads appear for that model of car that I applied a loan for? That's a bit on the nose. Aside from random coincidence, I could see this happening if you provided your personal information (especially email) for the loan application. It could have been shared to multiple underlying lenders alongside a data vendor who ultimately provided interest targeting (which can include car models) to an ad network. Getting an ad for that specific model could also have been due to other online activity, such as checking the KBB.
- muzani 4y ago
  Ah thanks, I didn't know that was possible. It did have email. If it's integrated into such activities, it might actually be a good explanation for all the other similar scenarios blamed on WhatsApp.
- sangnoir 4y ago
  > Getting an ad for that specific model could also have been due to other online activity, such as checking the KBB I suspect op may have researched the car model and got retargeted: some ad networks keep track of specific products you've shown interest in (not generic interest-areas like Google ads) and track you via a cookie. You may be visiting a completely different site that uses the same network, and get ads on the exact product you've spent minutes reading about.
- RC_ITR 4y ago
  This is why incognito mode has the warnings it does about “people can still see your screen” No matter how secure the platform, if you apply for a loan through it, the loan provider will “know” you want a loan, and happily sell that data.

by muzani 4y ago

boltzmann-brain 4y ago

> the odds of reproducing a mugging is still extremely low I did that and I got a mugging on camera. The attacker was convicted.

dahdum 4y ago

> But I get rejected for a loan via WhatsApp and then used car ads appear for that model of car that I applied a loan for? That's a bit on the nose. Aside from random coincidence, I could see this happening if you provided your personal information (especially email) for the loan application. It could have been shared to multiple underlying lenders alongside a data vendor who ultimately provided interest targeting (which can include car models) to an ad network. Getting an ad for that specific model could also have been due to other online activity, such as checking the KBB.

muzani 4y ago
Ah thanks, I didn't know that was possible. It did have email. If it's integrated into such activities, it might actually be a good explanation for all the other similar scenarios blamed on WhatsApp.
sangnoir 4y ago
> Getting an ad for that specific model could also have been due to other online activity, such as checking the KBB I suspect op may have researched the car model and got retargeted: some ad networks keep track of specific products you've shown interest in (not generic interest-areas like Google ads) and track you via a cookie. You may be visiting a completely different site that uses the same network, and get ads on the exact product you've spent minutes reading about.
RC_ITR 4y ago
This is why incognito mode has the warnings it does about “people can still see your screen” No matter how secure the platform, if you apply for a loan through it, the loan provider will “know” you want a loan, and happily sell that data.