Is my computer spying on me???

I know this sounds paranoid....

This week, something is happening that seems unimportant, but raises important questions in my mind.

One day, when I had an important appointment, I put on my make up while simultaneously watching a youtube video or something.

Eversince that day, my pop up ads (that show up here, and wherever I go on the net), suddenly began to be about make up - specifically two products that I used that day.

I have never bought any make up online, nor even searched for it. I have never had any ads for make up come up for me, only things related to what I have looked at. By suddenly being flooded by ads for these particular make up products I used while facing the screen, I can't help wonder....is what I am doing being monitored for publicity use? Could my camera be working without knowledge, and if so, what else could such technology or programs be used for???????

a reply to: Bluesma

It knows everything about you. Welcome to the New World Order.

Was there a webcam pointed at you? Were the two specific products you used in view of camera, if there was one?

I can almost guarantee you that your computer's webcam is not being used to 'spy' on you for the purpose of targeting ads. That being said, I've covered the webcam on every computer I've owned in the past 20 years with tape before ever powering it on (or removed it entirely).

Old paranoid habit.

Maybe not spying on you or watching you, but at least thinking about you.

a reply to: admirethedistance

An almost guarantee is no guarantee.

You may be missing the obvious. You are the common denominator. You already gave us all the info. You purchase items, that gets tracked, and spit back to you in ads. Do you see the blur between digital and in person yet?

Okay just realized my skip stepping maybe not best for this. When you purchase with savings card, gift card, electronic card.. anything tied to you gets tracked. that information can be sold to third parties. It can eventually end up being pushed to your online accts used for say signing into browser/search engine and such. voila. welcome to 2010.

A possibility is that google can use emerging technology in neural networks to identify particular patterns of motion.

googleresearch.blogspot.co.uk...

Naturally, the information could then have been used to target specifically one determined to have done a particular action. In your case putting in makeup.
We know the algorithms can easily recognize a human face: it is not a stretch that an algorithm could read motion atop a face as putting on makeup.
Of course this tech is unheard of, but possible, and in line with the trend of developing AI to market strategically.

originally posted by: Ultralight
a reply to: admirethedistance

An almost guarantee is no guarantee.

Very true. If I were able to spend 5 minutes looking at your computer, I could guarantee it, but barring that, I couldn't be 100% sure (though I'm about 99.9% sure lol). If you're worried about it, a little piece of tape will give you peace of mind.

I am sure that there's nothing accessing my computers' webcams without my knowledge, but I still keep them covered, out of old, paranoid habit. Something about simply having a camera, operating or not, right in front of my face just makes me uncomfortable.

a reply to: Bluesma

Sometimes the ghost in the machine likes to pull our noses. If you believe in Trickstery synchronicities, it's possible that they occur just as often in technology as they do out in the real world. In that way, it could be coincidence that two products you use showed up. Are they common products? Are they popular brands? These Qs might shed light.

Although we have to accept that , yes, our computers are 'spying' on us, it's doubtful that it's happening to you. According to Snowden, there's very little oversight in what certain agencies can do with our computers. However, it makes sense that they've got better things to do than spooking people through subtle pranks. An alternative might be theatres of marketing folk, squinting through our webcams and identifying which products we like in order to spam us with directed advertising...unlikely.

I use adblockplus and rarely see adverts - much better internet. Whitelisted on ATS and a couple of other sites.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
Whitelisted on ATS and a couple of other sites.

Suuuure it is.

a reply to: Bluesma

Those A-Holes from the US's agencies can access whatever they want on any machine they want.

I can assure you that any machine here have their webcam "covered" and any microphone has been "physically" desoldered.

For the content of the hard discs, too bad but there is no solution if the machine have (even intermittently) a web connection.

Ever mentioned on facebook/twitter/whoever that you buy X brand cosmetics as the ad companies are very good at slurping up everything they can about you and using it back at you?

a reply to: musicismagic

Creepy or what???

a reply to: admirethedistance

It would appear, in our thoroughly modern world, that a bit of tape goes a long way especially when you think that many computers are sitting in people's lounges or get taken into their bedrooms etc.

I had a neighbour whom people thought at the time was paranoid covering up his tv simply because he viewed the wires as being able to 'look into his room'. He did go up market and the tv went on to live in a posh cabinet. If he has a flat screen now heaven knows what that lives behind, probably a nice blind.

Its a creepy thought that anyone could possibly see into your main rooms but you didn't say whether your rmake-up came from well-known brands and they simply got lucky.

a reply to: Bluesma

It is hard to imagine that such technology would be used to monitor you in such a personal way just to target you with make up ads. I have been involved over the past few months in an internet sortie where the involvement of intelligence agencies has been suspected. Nothing too important really. Over the course of this I managed to get some of the opposition (for want of a better term) really annoyed with me. So much so that one particular individual could not resist having a go at me and mention something I was doing at that very moment.
I am not paranoid by nature but it came as a shock and I did make a fuss about it. I immediately taped up my webcam, chances are the malware was used by utilising the message function on Facebook.
I would never have believed this could happen to me. We all know the technology is out there but until it impacts you it is always somehow something we don't really pay attention to.

Facebook can identify individual computers. In fact this is easily recognised through their log in notification function from different computers.

originally posted by: Bluesma
I know this sounds paranoid....

This week, something is happening that seems unimportant, but raises important questions in my mind.

One day, when I had an important appointment, I put on my make up while simultaneously watching a youtube video or something.

Eversince that day, my pop up ads (that show up here, and wherever I go on the net), suddenly began to be about make up - specifically two products that I used that day.

I have never bought any make up online, nor even searched for it. I have never had any ads for make up come up for me, only things related to what I have looked at. By suddenly being flooded by ads for these particular make up products I used while facing the screen, I can't help wonder....is what I am doing being monitored for publicity use? Could my camera be working without knowledge, and if so, what else could such technology or programs be used for???????

I would also ask if a webcam was pointed at you and the year the machine was made. If it was made in the last year or two, it may have watched you. Some computer companies were ordered to remove 'bloatware' that could possibly control your microphone and webcam. That 2 way tech does exist in some smatrt TVs, DVD players, Blu Ray players and cable boxes.

That is possible, but not extremely likely. Do you log into youtube? Do you use Chrome or log into it? Do you use Facebook? Is your email address connected to any shopping discount card or credit card? Those things are more likely to target you.

I changed my browser to Maxthon. I don't log into youtube, though it is slightly inconvenient if you want to comment or upvote, more if you want to upload or watch something labeled 'adults only'. I still haven't quite let go of Facebook, but since I changed my privacy options on it and don't log into google, I am not constantly bombarded by ads targeted toward me and what I may have bought in the last 6 months.

And, you could, like admirethedistance does, use some tape on your webcam. Use something that won't leave sticky stuff on the lens so when you want to use it, it has a clear view.

a reply to: Bluesma

Try watching Hulu and talking about anything. Talk about your car, makeup, cleaning your house, or just about anything(during the commercial breaks)! You will get advertisements related to what you are talking about (most times). They are watching people a lot more closely than people notice. I noticed this about 2 years ago. Just imagine if you want to have a private conversation in your own home...

Ive had a very similar experience!

Recently on my lunch break at work i was talking about a gym bag with my colleague, he opened up the webpage on his work computer and viewed that product. bearing in mind i didnt have any emails or accounts open on his computer at the time that would leave a digital trace to who i was.

yet that night when i went home i opened my computer and was browsing facebook and what do you know that exact same gym bag was being promoted to me in the ad section?

now if i had been viewing that product at work with my facebook on or anything with my email address on then i could understand, but i didn't.

it was as if it knew where i worked and what computer i was viewing and transfered what ever i was watching or looking at to every other device i may use?!
This may sound paranoid but it was more the fact i left no trail back to me or any account of mine, yet it found my home computer through this?

originally posted by: ecapsretuo
Was there a webcam pointed at you? Were the two specific products you used in view of camera, if there was one?

The web cam is built into the screen, so it is always "pointed" at me, I guess. I have a Mac. So yes, it was in view - if the camera was on...