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I wonder what it will take for people to finally get fed up with creepy advertising companies. I received a letter from Target that by default they’ll sell my

I wonder what it will take for people to finally get fed up with creepy advertising companies. I received a letter from Target that by default they’ll sell my information to unaffiliated third parties and I have to call or write a letter to opt-out. I’m sure I agreed to that at some point (and anyone signing up for a loyalty program that doesn’t cost anything should realize that’s what they are agreeing to, even if they are not explicitly told that), but perhaps they should be required to explicitly list the actual costs to the customer along side the benefits. Last week I was picking up a prescription at CVS. In between confirming name and address and signing for payment or receipt of Rx they slipped a marketing agreement that I stupidly agreed to before realizing that it wasn’t an agreement related to the prescription purchase. So in someone’s compromised medical state (assuming), when you just want to get medicine to get back to normal they hide an agreement to sell information. None of this improves my life. I just want to transact money for items and end the relationship until it happens again. I don’t need every advertiser knowing every one of or even habitual purchase I make. If you work in ad-tech or are responsible for these front-end schemes to collect more information: 1: screw you 2: it’s super creepy and even if you’re not creepy, the stuff you’re working on and the people you are working for are 3: seriously, it’s really disgusting, immoral, and deceptive to find all manor of ways to trick people into agreeing to sell personal information that they assume (rightly) is private (even when done in public) 4: start leaking information on schemes, tricks, & loopholes so something can be done to destroy invasive ad tech

godelski 3y ago
FYI, most loyalty programs you can sign up for without giving any information if you're willing to use a card. If you aren't, usually they accept invalid or random phone numbers. Of course this isn't a solution and we should resolve the issue, but it is at least a partial stop gap.
endisneigh 3y ago
> I wonder what it will take for people to finally get fed up with creepy advertising companies. As long as people get "free stuff" people won't get fed up.
- spandrew 3y ago
  It doesn't matter whether it's free or you're paying either — your consumer data from the grocery store and other retail purchasers is already tied to the ad grid too. If you buy a can of cat food you'll get cat toy ads on Instagram. The harsh reality, despite what privacy pundits might say, is that people... just don't really care. And that's fine? It's great Apple lets me tell an app not to track me. But if they didn't? It doesn't make material difference to me. Okay I bought cat food and now I see cat toys Instagram ads that I may or may not buy... okay? It's not like insurance companies are able to use the data to deny you health coverage or something (yet, anyway). It's just used to support more consumerism atm. When that bridge is crossed then people might care, until then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  - frankish 3y ago
    Do you not see a problem with ads in Instagram in general? Ads follow us everywhere and there's no escape. I'm personally against ads in my mail, billboards, and pretty much everywhere else where my default context is not to buy something. If I go to a pet store and get cat ads--even based on my preferences shopping there--then I think that would be fair. But ads are currently way too aggressive and essentially stalk us everywhere. Another aspect is how misleading and/or manipulative they are. Why aren't ads more reasonable with a tl;dr about the product and then some pros/cons of it over alternative options?
- Matumio 3y ago
  I went to a routine check-up at the ophthalmologist. Later I got an email with the PDF bill. Except the PDF wasn't in the email. I had to visit the site of whatever service provider they use. I had to login with 2FA and accept their terms. The terms allow third parties to send me targeted advertisement based on my medical history. (They are very explicit about that. I guess that's progress... This is in Europe.) So the stuff I get "for free" when I sell my medical history is the right to view my own medical bills. If I don't agree, I just get charged some random amount via my health insurance. I could bother them to share their copy, but by default they don't.
- ryandrake 3y ago
MikusR 3y ago
>I wonder what it will take for people to finally get fed up with creepy advertising companies. As long as they continue to make shiny new i devices - nothing.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
heavyset_go 3y ago
> None of this improves my life. Now you'll get some ads that recommender systems think they should show you, based on your shopping experience at CVS, that could be potentially embarrassing if you have anyone over, or have someone else using your devices. I was able to guess a family member's previously private medical condition based on the ads they got while I was at their place.
- draugadrotten 3y ago
  You know, I hate privacy-intrusive ads...but if a business would present me with an honest option to click on - "Show me your best guess what you think I want to buy!" - I would enjoy clicking on it. When I want. Because I do want to shop, and I do want to buy. I just hate being monitored in secret and nudged in secret to influence my behaviour against my own will. Let me shop - be transparent about your AI recommendations, and I might even buy the suggestion. Just stay away from the shady stuff.
- ianlevesque 3y ago
  And you validated this with them? Deity help whoever tries to diagnose me based on my ads.
  - heavyset_go 3y ago
    Yes, we're on good terms, know each others' medical history and it was recognized that there was no malice in asking "is there a reason I keep seeing ads for X?" where X is a medication for some condition that's more innocuous than asthma.
JohnFen 3y ago
> wonder what it will take for people to finally get fed up with creepy advertising companies. I wonder this every day. I got fed up years ago. Now, I'm simply enraged by it all. And, worse, it's an impotent rage since there's nothing I can do about it. I already block as much tracking as possible, avoid giving money to companies that engage in these practices (or that make use of the services of companies that engage in these practices), pay in cash in physical stores, avoid online shopping as much as possible, etc. And none of it is enough. Ad companies are at war with people, and are winning.

godelski 3y ago

FYI, most loyalty programs you can sign up for without giving any information if you're willing to use a card. If you aren't, usually they accept invalid or random phone numbers. Of course this isn't a solution and we should resolve the issue, but it is at least a partial stop gap.

endisneigh 3y ago

> I wonder what it will take for people to finally get fed up with creepy advertising companies. As long as people get "free stuff" people won't get fed up.

spandrew 3y ago
It doesn't matter whether it's free or you're paying either — your consumer data from the grocery store and other retail purchasers is already tied to the ad grid too. If you buy a can of cat food you'll get cat toy ads on Instagram. The harsh reality, despite what privacy pundits might say, is that people... just don't really care. And that's fine? It's great Apple lets me tell an app not to track me. But if they didn't? It doesn't make material difference to me. Okay I bought cat food and now I see cat toys Instagram ads that I may or may not buy... okay? It's not like insurance companies are able to use the data to deny you health coverage or something (yet, anyway). It's just used to support more consumerism atm. When that bridge is crossed then people might care, until then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- frankish 3y ago
  Do you not see a problem with ads in Instagram in general? Ads follow us everywhere and there's no escape. I'm personally against ads in my mail, billboards, and pretty much everywhere else where my default context is not to buy something. If I go to a pet store and get cat ads--even based on my preferences shopping there--then I think that would be fair. But ads are currently way too aggressive and essentially stalk us everywhere. Another aspect is how misleading and/or manipulative they are. Why aren't ads more reasonable with a tl;dr about the product and then some pros/cons of it over alternative options?
Matumio 3y ago
I went to a routine check-up at the ophthalmologist. Later I got an email with the PDF bill. Except the PDF wasn't in the email. I had to visit the site of whatever service provider they use. I had to login with 2FA and accept their terms. The terms allow third parties to send me targeted advertisement based on my medical history. (They are very explicit about that. I guess that's progress... This is in Europe.) So the stuff I get "for free" when I sell my medical history is the right to view my own medical bills. If I don't agree, I just get charged some random amount via my health insurance. I could bother them to share their copy, but by default they don't.
ryandrake 3y ago

MikusR 3y ago

>I wonder what it will take for people to finally get fed up with creepy advertising companies. As long as they continue to make shiny new i devices - nothing.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

heavyset_go 3y ago

> None of this improves my life. Now you'll get some ads that recommender systems think they should show you, based on your shopping experience at CVS, that could be potentially embarrassing if you have anyone over, or have someone else using your devices. I was able to guess a family member's previously private medical condition based on the ads they got while I was at their place.

draugadrotten 3y ago
You know, I hate privacy-intrusive ads...but if a business would present me with an honest option to click on - "Show me your best guess what you think I want to buy!" - I would enjoy clicking on it. When I want. Because I do want to shop, and I do want to buy. I just hate being monitored in secret and nudged in secret to influence my behaviour against my own will. Let me shop - be transparent about your AI recommendations, and I might even buy the suggestion. Just stay away from the shady stuff.
ianlevesque 3y ago
And you validated this with them? Deity help whoever tries to diagnose me based on my ads.
- heavyset_go 3y ago
  Yes, we're on good terms, know each others' medical history and it was recognized that there was no malice in asking "is there a reason I keep seeing ads for X?" where X is a medication for some condition that's more innocuous than asthma.

JohnFen 3y ago

> wonder what it will take for people to finally get fed up with creepy advertising companies. I wonder this every day. I got fed up years ago. Now, I'm simply enraged by it all. And, worse, it's an impotent rage since there's nothing I can do about it. I already block as much tracking as possible, avoid giving money to companies that engage in these practices (or that make use of the services of companies that engage in these practices), pay in cash in physical stores, avoid online shopping as much as possible, etc. And none of it is enough. Ad companies are at war with people, and are winning.