Is my AT&T U-Verse speaking with my YouTube Account???

I apologize in advance if this seems like an overly brief post, but honestly I just have a rather quick observation that I wanted to share with the community, and sometimes such an observation simply doesn't require the level of verbosity that I think might be expected by the mods of late. All the same, I observed something today that seems, to me, to be a bit beyond coincidence, and I wanted to share it with the community to get some feedback.

Today I was watching television, and as I often do, I had my laptop open in front of me and would sometimes look at something online as I was watching tv. I was watching an older episode of Saturday Night Live, very briefly, and the skit I was watching was a spoof from Family Feud. And so, I opened up YouTube either during that viewing or almost immediately after (can't recall now) and noticed that the first spot in the 'Recommended' section of YouTube for me was a Family Feud spoof from SNL. I was immediately suspect, because I know how cookies work and see the targeted advertising appear all the time after I've searched out a thing online, but I was reticent to think that something I was watching on TV could be picked up so quickly on a completely different medium.

Later today, I decided to watch something I had recorded on my DVR function of U-Verse, SPIKE TVs Bellator MMA from 2/19 where Kimbo Slice has a come-back fight. Preceding that live show on Friday, they had 2 hours of old home footage of Kimbo in various street fights that ultimately were the precursor to his professional career. I had watched a few of those on TV on Friday, and had simply taped the event itself and waited until today to watch it. Well, just now, when I opened up my YouTube, what was at the forefront of my 'Recommended' videos on YouTube? Kimbo Slice street fight video. Of course, this is simply beyond coincidence because I haven't searched or watched explicitly either of the two mentioned samples on YouTube. They both correspond only to what I watched today on TV. I mention it simply to express some concern over this level of observation of our viewing habits and the interconnectivity of our devices. I know that there are some who are shaking their heads at my naivitey in this regard, but I'm personally shocked. I just got this AT&T U-Verse, so it's a new experience for me, but I can only assume some communication between these seemingly disparate devices.

Thoughts? Has anyone else noticed something similar?

Peace...

Yes.

Deleting cookies won't help either. Think ISP.

a reply to: TheElectricPriest

Uverse is an IPTV service, so it's quite possible that it's sending out packets over the WiFi with info of what you're watching.

However, I'm on Uverse and haven't noticed anything like had. I had the service from early 2011 to mid 2014. I've been back on it again since fall 2015.

a reply to: cmdrkeenkid


Ahhh...well, I'm definitely not a "techie" by any means, I simply notice empirically the sort of modus operandi by which YouTube typically operates in my life; that is I watch a video on their service, and I start receiving "Recommended" items very similar next time I open the site. I've never thought a lot about it, I think I pretty much read it for what it was, simply the service observing some of my viewing habits (even a one off, just watching one thing) and sending me some "like" things to watch.


Today, however, when I saw this happening with things I was just watching on TV, and specifically was NOT watching on YouTube, well, that just struck me as being something more than coincidental. Again, not a techie, can't really speak to this in any informed way, but just observationally, seems like a coordinated effort.

Do you have DirecTV? ATT recently acquired it so if you do have it, I'm sure that would be the reason they are speaking to each other.

I don't know but I often notice that Youtubers that I'm following mysteriously mention things I've been researching online. Which is only a little bit troubling when it's something mundane like thermometers on Amazon or something.

When it's something a little more personal it's kind of creepy to wonder if they somehow have that kind of insight into the people who watch them

Example - Once I was shopping for thermometers and stuff on Amazon for hours one day. The very next day this guy I'm subscribed to on Youtube just pulls out a thermometer and starts talking about it. It was just too weird. Like, I was thinking "Man. I really wouldn't like to think this is more than coincidence but what a coincidence it would be".

This especially seems to happen when it comes to Youtubers who don't have many subscribers. I can't figure out if it's Amazon and Youtube that are entertwined or maybe even Amazon, Youtube and Google. Certainly I wouldn't be surprised if those three were sharing a lot of data but I wouldn't think Youtubers would be privy to that level of analysis. I don't have a Youtube channel so I don't know.

originally posted by: hebegbes
Do you have DirecTV? ATT recently acquired it so if you do have it, I'm sure that would be the reason they are speaking to each other.

I had DirectTV, and just switched over to AT&T U-Verse.

a reply to: BrianFlanders


Well, I have to confess that your example would stretch the limits of credulity for me, though I am becoming increasingly bothered by the level of connectivity, especially for a guy like me who isn't a big techie. So for example, I just bought this new laptop. When I got it, I set up a log-in password, pretty typical thing to do. Used it for several days whenever I would open my computer, no biggie. Then, one day, I did something on here that I can't quick remember, again, the computer is BRAND new so it had something to do with installing something that came with the computer itself. When I was done I could no longer log into my computer, it wouldn't take the password I had previously set up. And so, just wandering, I tried the password to my outlook account, and viola! I was in. Whatever I had set-up accessed my Google account and changed my log-in. I didn't ask for it to do that. I don't understand why it did, but I find it somewhat disturbing to be honest.

Has anyone seen the newest Terminator? Do you remember what Genesys was and what it was supposed to do?

originally posted by: TheElectricPriest
I apologize in advance if this seems like an overly brief post, but honestly I just have a rather quick observation that I wanted to share with the community, and sometimes such an observation simply doesn't require the level of verbosity that I think might be expected by the mods of late. All the same, I observed something today that seems, to me, to be a bit beyond coincidence, and I wanted to share it with the community to get some feedback.

Today I was watching television, and as I often do, I had my laptop open in front of me and would sometimes look at something online as I was watching tv. I was watching an older episode of Saturday Night Live, very briefly, and the skit I was watching was a spoof from Family Feud. And so, I opened up YouTube either during that viewing or almost immediately after (can't recall now) and noticed that the first spot in the 'Recommended' section of YouTube for me was a Family Feud spoof from SNL. I was immediately suspect, because I know how cookies work and see the targeted advertising appear all the time after I've searched out a thing online, but I was reticent to think that something I was watching on TV could be picked up so quickly on a completely different medium.

Later today, I decided to watch something I had recorded on my DVR function of U-Verse, SPIKE TVs Bellator MMA from 2/19 where Kimbo Slice has a come-back fight. Preceding that live show on Friday, they had 2 hours of old home footage of Kimbo in various street fights that ultimately were the precursor to his professional career. I had watched a few of those on TV on Friday, and had simply taped the event itself and waited until today to watch it. Well, just now, when I opened up my YouTube, what was at the forefront of my 'Recommended' videos on YouTube? Kimbo Slice street fight video. Of course, this is simply beyond coincidence because I haven't searched or watched explicitly either of the two mentioned samples on YouTube. They both correspond only to what I watched today on TV. I mention it simply to express some concern over this level of observation of our viewing habits and the interconnectivity of our devices. I know that there are some who are shaking their heads at my naivitey in this regard, but I'm personally shocked. I just got this AT&T U-Verse, so it's a new experience for me, but I can only assume some communication between these seemingly disparate devices.

Thoughts? Has anyone else noticed something similar?

Peace...

If you were using Google Chrome (the browser) or Windows 10's Cortana, or the iPhone's Siri, they may have been 'listening' and profiling you. Just go into the settings and turn of the voice search stuff.

Or, it's just a random synchronicity.

Well, you have ATT TV service and ATT Internet service. I'm not a bit surprised. Isn't it just like targeted ads? They search all sites for whatever it is you're looking for, so I'd think YouTube would be searched as well. And, yeah, the chrome browser I"d lose if that's what you're using.