Advertising May Soon Follow You From One Device To the Next 132
moon_unit2 writes "We're all familiar with ads that seem to follow you around as you go from one website to another. A startup called Drawbridge has developed technology that could let those ads follow you even when you pick up a smartphone or tablet. The company, founded by an ex-Google scientist, employs statistical methods to try to match and identify users on different devices. The idea is that this will preserve privacy while making mobile ads more lucrative, although some experts aren't convinced that the data will be truly anonymous."
My action on adds (Score:1)
I make an effort to avoid buying products that im bombarded with as much as possible , so im turning their advertising around,
Re: (Score:1)
You must be an exception, otherwise how would you explain the huge popularity of Apple products at every release?
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
Two words: (Score:2)
Got root?
Re: (Score:2)
Does it matter? I'm logged in to google almost 24/7 on all devices. I think Google has a pretty good idea its me when serving up its ads. Almost all tech ads, very few video games, pharmecutical or fashion products.
Re: (Score:1)
And you think that makes any difference, how?
Re: (Score:3)
I stopped using Google services long time ago for that same reason. Used to be a huge fanboy... and I mean I used everything - email, docs, blogger, maps, adwords, adsense, freaking shopping site, everything. Now the only one I have left is Gmail, to make sure nobody steals whatever accounts I haven't moved off of it yet.
Re:Two words: (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
If you're staying logged in on google services across several devices, then it clearly doesn't matter to you. You don't mind being tracked.
I avoid it on my phone by using Cyanogenmod (so I can selectively allow and deny specific access types to specific applications) and using a firewall so that google and other advertisers can't be reached. Pretty much the same way I do it on my laptop, desktop, and servers.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm just saying that the system being devised by this ex google engineer isn't really that spooky for most people ( who I think are like me) that already don't mind being tracked. I mean its kind of scary,but I think I'm adjusting to a world where real privacy as we used to think of it doesn't really exist. Between google and amazon, they know where I go, do, see and what I buy. So far those companies have done a good job not sharing that in a publically accesible way. Facebook, on the other hand, has in th
Another Ripoff Article... (Score:1)
Seriously?
Re:Another Ripoff Article... (Score:5, Insightful)
http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&type=submission&id=2387715 [slashdot.org] Seriously?
You... don't understand how the firehose works, do you?
good call (Score:4, Insightful)
some experts aren't convinced that the data will be truly anonymous
You don't say? In particular, note the complete lack of incentives for the company to actually care how good its anonymizing is.
Re: (Score:2)
How It "Works" (Score:3)
Here's hoping my own browsing habits don't match too closely with any person the government has decided to put on its "disposition matrix..."
Just This Morning... (Score:1)
Just this morning, at breakfast as I stared over the paper at the wife, I said; I really wish that DVRs would listen in on us and watch us and feed us "contextually accurate" ads.
She responded; it would be even better if the ads followed us from device to device, jump form the TV to your phone and then onto the tablet when you got to work.
I mused; that would truly be a great world.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Even more invasive (Score:5, Insightful)
It's getting to the point where these marketing invasions need to have serious and painful repercussions to those creating or employing them.
Re: (Score:2)
Why? hmm? Don't use the products that use advertising. Otherwise deal with the way people get paid for the stuff you use.
Re: (Score:2)
Why? hmm? Don't use the products that use advertising. Otherwise deal with the way people get paid for the stuff you use.
No, I'll just block all the ads instead.
If people want me to pay them, they can charge me money. If they're offering a paid version that doesn't include any ads, doesn't track me, and doesn't phone home, I always it.
Re: (Score:2)
Do you really need statistical methods? I mean, the vast majority of internet users use Google in some shape or form, and probably have a Google account.
Android phones account for 3/4ths of all smartphones out there, and most will also be associated with a Google account, most likely the same account as their desktop PC.
That would match a good chunk of people right there - Google's already got all that information to tie people together. Hell, Google probably knows which computers are public use by seeing h
Too late (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Hosts files don't follow people around, pretty much by definition. That's the point of having it local to begin with.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, congratulations on your Network+ certification. Each client has its own hosts file, which would have to be updated individually, manually, which is why FSM gave us DNS instead and, in this case, subscription-based ad-blocking.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think HOSTS did it, but LMHOSTS could be loaded from a server you can reach
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc751132.aspx [microsoft.com]
In theory on a VPN it could follow you.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Dude, use your account to post stuff like this; it's insightful as hell but sitting at -1 because you're AC.
Re: (Score:2)
Which ones? Where's Adblock Plus [adblockplus.org] for iOS? :P
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Privoxy (http://privoxy.org) follows me wherever I go with ad blocking.
* Set it on my gateway.
* Require my own authenticated proxy for computer + mobile device, that in turn connects through Privoxy.
I haven't seen an ad in like, forever. Not on iOS, not on any of my systems.
Cheers!
We are? (Score:2)
We're all familiar with ads that seem to follow you around as you go from one website to another.
Ads? Do companies still use those silly things? Between Ghostery and Adblock Plus when I'm in Chrome at work on my Windows 7 box and Adblock Plus and a modified hosts file when I'm at home in Safari on my Mac, I haven't seen an ad in months, let alone one following me around.
Re: (Score:1)
There is NO EXPECTATION or REQUIREMENT that a visitor to a site be served ads. There is no implied contract, even. Stop being such a capitalist already. NO IMPLIED CONTRACT. If a site cannot make it via some other method besides ads, they possess a poor business model.
I've not seen an ad on my personal machines in several years thanks to adblock plus, hosts files, no cookes enabled, etc.
I already pay to access the Internet via my ISP; I will not pay with my privacy. I and everyone else has the RIGHT to priv
Re: (Score:2)
I remember when most "sites" were bulletin boards and they were not that bad for the time. There were mostly free apart from the phone call, for which I still pay the equivalent today. There were plenty of them on many topics, without adverts, and they mostly kept relevant to the topic.
I have several web sites which are free, have no adverts, and anyone is welcome to visit. I
Re: (Score:2)
If you are going to that much effort why not run your own DNS sever? Bind9 is fairly light weight. Hell I run it on my Linux laptop without noticing much of anything in the way of a performance hit, and it will fallow you from device to device if you set your dns service provider to your home server.
Arhhhhh! (Score:1)
soon? (Score:2)
what do you mean, soon?
most ads are tied to your username into whatever software you are using.
Not new... (Score:1)
I've encountered this some 4 years ago already. One day, while at the office, I noticed an ad on my work laptop for something that I just recently had spent a few hours searching for on my home machine. Nice coincidence, I thought. But it wasn't. I noticed over the next few weeks that it was not just one ad. I was being targeted with stuff related to that earlier search. I think they linked the two devices because both regularly go onto the network via my home router.
Since that event I've become really extr
Kill them with fire! (Score:1)
AdBlock goes cross-platform (Score:2)
In other news - AdBlock Plus announces support for other platforms.
Re: (Score:2)
You can tun that "feature" on and off with a simple check box in the plugins configuration dialog.
If I don't buy first time I see an add (Score:3)
I'm sure it does, already (Score:4, Insightful)
Google account (Score:4, Insightful)
What's the first thing you do when you set up a new Android phone? Log in to your Google account.
You probably search for things on Google using your Google account.
If you use Chrome, you probably log in with your Google account.
Who is the biggest Internet advertiser?
It already doesn't matter what device you are using.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't even set up a Google account. I can live without all that crap thankyouverymuch - The only two "apps" I wanted I wrote and compiled myself, temporarily allowed my phone to load unsigned apks so I could install them and er.. that's it :)
Re: (Score:2)
Actually that is not what I do when I set up an Android phone. I skip the Google account creation, root the phone, disable the Google services and re-enable them on demand. That way I only get to tell Google about my activities with the phone when I'm using the 'play store' (horrible name, that). As soon as I'm done playing with the store I press the 'disable' button and 'poof', there goes my Google login. The only disadvantage to this is that I have to enter my account details whenever I want to use the 'p
Re: (Score:2)
Clearly, you are not a typical Android user.
No it wont. (Score:4, Interesting)
In fact I get no advertisements on any of my phones, tablets, TV or computers.
you see, I'm one of those evil terrorists that blocks advertising. I block it in my devices, I record TV with MythTV that strips out Commercials.
I am evil incarnate. Children go to sleep hungry because of my actions, and the enture economic collapse is my fault due to the adblocking.
Want to know what is even more evil? I block telemarketing calls, and I dont read any spam. I am evil Incarnate and utterly proud of who I am.
Re: (Score:2)
Run a real router.
Pfsense router with a transparent proxy that hits squidguard with advertising filtering files.
Note: iPhone will pull ad's from the cellular connection if it cant pull them from the Wifi Connection.
Say It Ain't So! (Score:1)
What advertising? (Score:2)
Preaches to the Choir (Score:1)
In current implementations of the scheme many of the ads I see on webpages using this type of system are to products and services I have already purchased.
A good example is when I log into my student account at my local university and I then get start getting inundated with ads about what a cutting-edge school it is.
Not quite as clever as it seems.
Re: (Score:1)
P.S.
As a matter of fact one company that does this type of marketing is literally across the street from the aforementioned university ( you know who you are ).
Speak for yourself (Score:2)
Speak for yourself moon_unit2. I never notice the adverts