Thursday, February 27, 2020

We're watching you.


 Lately we keep hearing stories about sites that track you and are constantly collecting data about you. They always apologize... for getting caught, they are never sorry for getting away with it. There are usually promises to never do it again (this month) and ringing of hands. They offer up some sort of goody, everyone forgets and back to normal.. in a sinister way. I am not on any social media sites other than blogger but many of my friends are. Some have small businesses and so these sites help them to network.

 Last week I happen to mention to a straight friend, about a guy who was cruelly bullied in high school, he was older than us. We were wondering what happened to him, we felt terrible for him. It was unbelievable the level some guys went, in order to humiliate this guy. My friend had actually forgotten about this guy.  We were texting each other about him. A few days later, this same guy contacts my friend through Facebook, he said he received a notice about a potential friend and so contacted my buddy.

 Coincidence? I don't think so, why after all these years would he get a suggestion about friending someone who had just been unknowingly to this man, talking about him. The guy that was bullied, as I said was older, he was never part of our group of friends. We don't have mutual friends, we never crossed paths since high school and yet... I mentioned his name a couple of times in a text and suddenly we are connected. Creepy, really freaking creepy.

14 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Google knows all.

Jimmy said...

Jeff Bezos knows all.

Bob said...

Big Brother is watching ... from the internet.

anne marie in philly said...

this is why I am NOT on social media, other than blogger.

Sixpence Notthewiser said...

Oh, this is absolutely true.
When we get a 'free' service (facebook, twitter, linkedin, google, etc) WE are the currency. Our information is what they want (and get). Our location, the words we type, everything). Like you, I'm mostly on google and don't do social media. But still, sometimes I'm on one of my blogs and they have ads and boom! There it is. The product I'm reading about in the blog. Or the search I did five minutes before.
All these sites feed on our info, trying to get us to buy their stupid wares. If anybody actually clicks on those links, I have a Nubian Prince who'd like to say a few words....

XOXO

HuntleyBiGuy said...

Hmmm I could use a Nubian Prince 😜. Yeah when we click accept on those terms of service (Google just updated theirs) we sell our souls to them. They have something we want to use and they’re more than willing to give it to us for a price. Our eyeballs and our searches are their currency. Can you imagine what it would cost if we actually paid for these services? The internet would be a ghost town.

RJ said...

This is what happens when you have unregulated monopolies, which essentially, is what Google and Face have become.

Tewshooz said...

Why are you surprised? Get off all social media.

Deedles said...

I don't do social media. I only vaguely remember how I got started reading blogs, let alone commenting. People are too mean, even for my sarcastic behind.

BlogMarkBlog said...

That is creepy. I am on some social media. FB is the way I can keep up with family news and many friends use it. Haven't had any experiences like that, but am concerned about posting too much.

Jimmy said...

Huntley, I might be able to afford a "slightly used" Nubian prince if available.

Dave R said...

Interesting, I never click on anything so I don't get as many ads as some. They all do it, of course, sell you wants, your curiosities, and your desires for a few extra buckos in their pockets.

HuntleyBiGuy said...

I’m not ashamed to shop the bargain bin.

Sooo-this-is-me said...

,