I met a friend last Friday at First Source Bank. It was the first time I have ever been into one of their locations. Shortly afterward, I started getting all kinds of ads for 1st Source bank on social media and Google. Not sure how to feel about being tracked everywhere I go, and having my data sold to advertisers. What are your thoughts?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.It's basically unavoidable. There are deep dives you can use on your phone to block some of this geo tracking and data mining, but Google and Yahoo and FB and a zillion content scraping sites are working hard to subvert any attempt you make at not being an advertising target. There are also phones that are specially designed to be harder to "hack" (you have more control over app permissions, encryption, etc...) But they get really hard to use, if you want to use any free social media apps. All of those apps make a living off of selling your info. So the privacy settings on your phone would be in direct conflict with what most of us use phones for.
MarkiusMahamius
Level 7
Mar 23, 2019
1
I've seen advertisements for cases that shield your phone to some extent. But they cannot be too secure if they still allow phone calls to get through. 
@Piratefish it's mostly about what sorts of data your phone collects and trsnsmits, e.g. what sites yo u log into, your geo locator, what stuff you search for...
@MarkiusMahamius I recall an article from at least 5 years ago that stated many businesses were using devices that used smartphones to track customers' locations in their stores to within a couple of feet, allowing them to collect data on which sections you were in, and even which displays you looked at - and for how long.
I suppose such capabilities can have life-saving applications, but turning a profit seems to be the primary focus so far. I also am not so crazy about the idea of how easy it would be for the government to keep tabs on each and every one of us. I'm sure the DHS and the NSA just love technology like smart phones, Alexa, etc. Not really the conspiracy theorist type, but the potential for abuse does cause me some concern.
@Piratefish agree 100%.
I don't like the thought of being tracked via my cellphone. I have a laptop so that my social media and internet connections are from my laptop. My cellphone is for phone calls, the camera, texting, and I have Google maps. It is weird to think that just walking into a bank or store will automatically target a person for unwanted advertising. It's almost like an invasion of privacy the way I look at it.
mojo5501
Level 7
Mar 23, 2019
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Google Maps is notorious for tracking your movements, even when the app is not in use.
@Piratefish Shoot, I didn't know that.
@mojo5501 Pardon the irony, but Google it sometime. Apparently, one can deactivate the tracking by signing out of all Google apps. But I've also heard that to really be sure, one needs to remove her phone battery. Which, I think, is why manufacturers have made doing that so difficult anymore.
If you use an Android device, here is a helpful link:
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