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> Everyone realizes that the ads they're seeing are targeted. To an extent. I think if everyday users were shown just how much personal data follows them aroun

> Everyone realizes that the ads they're seeing are targeted. To an extent. I think if everyday users were shown just how much personal data follows them around from site to site I think they’d be horrified. Enough to change their habits? Possibly not. But I don’t think people have full understanding.

Imustaskforhelp 1y ago
I also think that people don't have full understanding but I am also not sure how people can get that understanding. us discussing things here won't reach those people and frankly I am not sure what would. There is so much actual content about it that I am sure even I don't know 20% about, of all the ways these companies spy but I do know that there are some options to soften the blow by using things like librewolf etc. if you need privacy and ublock origin etc. too We don't need people to have a full understanding imo, we just somehow need to show them enough and show them the alternatives somehow and hope that things change or try our best but I am not sure.
notatoad 1y ago
this is just the tech-person habit of assuming that users are less informed than they are. go ask an "everyday user" how much they think instagram tracks them. i think you'll be surprised at what their assumptions are. most people i know (including my extremely non-tech-savvy parents) understand that "the algorithm" knows everything they do on the computer, and that's how both ads and content get targeted to them. they don't necessarily understand that amazon, facebook, and google are different algorithms, or even different companies, but they know that there is an algorithm, and that it's train-able from their usage. a huge number of people think their ads are targeted based on their phone microphone always listening to them. and they don't change any habits as a result of that assumption.
- yepguy 1y ago
  A surprising number of my friends even think their phone is constantly listening to their private conversations throughout the day in order to feed the algorithm. And yet they still keep their phone on them at all times, so they are seemingly okay with that much more draconian level of surveillance.

Imustaskforhelp 1y ago

I also think that people don't have full understanding but I am also not sure how people can get that understanding. us discussing things here won't reach those people and frankly I am not sure what would. There is so much actual content about it that I am sure even I don't know 20% about, of all the ways these companies spy but I do know that there are some options to soften the blow by using things like librewolf etc. if you need privacy and ublock origin etc. too We don't need people to have a full understanding imo, we just somehow need to show them enough and show them the alternatives somehow and hope that things change or try our best but I am not sure.

notatoad 1y ago

this is just the tech-person habit of assuming that users are less informed than they are. go ask an "everyday user" how much they think instagram tracks them. i think you'll be surprised at what their assumptions are. most people i know (including my extremely non-tech-savvy parents) understand that "the algorithm" knows everything they do on the computer, and that's how both ads and content get targeted to them. they don't necessarily understand that amazon, facebook, and google are different algorithms, or even different companies, but they know that there is an algorithm, and that it's train-able from their usage. a huge number of people think their ads are targeted based on their phone microphone always listening to them. and they don't change any habits as a result of that assumption.

yepguy 1y ago
A surprising number of my friends even think their phone is constantly listening to their private conversations throughout the day in order to feed the algorithm. And yet they still keep their phone on them at all times, so they are seemingly okay with that much more draconian level of surveillance.