Forest River Forums giving our personal info away?

[johntaylor]

Originally Posted by PDFOR3

NJKris' experience doesn't bother me as much as when my wife and I discussed (not online) purchasing a product and she got an email from an advertiser a few minutes later.

Probably an app on your phone that's listening. With an android phone, go into settings, tap "Apps", and go through every app and switch off the microphone permission and any other permissions they don't need. You will be surprised how many apps may be accessing your microphone, phone calls, camera, photos and data files. If you have a smart television that has a microphone, tape ocer it with electrical tape.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Thank you. So clicking on an ad on this forum creates a cookie on your computer, and how does that cookie find your email and send it to the advertiser?

BTW, just so I don't forget.....Happy 56th, Kris!....maybe one of these days we'll celebrate it face to face with a cold beverage in hand. I got one in hand right now and raising my tumbler to you, my friend.

[dvalley]

I work as an online concierge for a retailer (live chat help). What you received was an auto-response letter. Anytime you click on any web site, that company's system records your visit, noting a lot more information than just your email address, such as your IP address, what web site or sites you were previously on, even down to how you are accessing the Internet and the type of system and browser you are using just to name a few. When you leave the web site, especially after adding an item to your shopping bag, but not always, it automatically triggers the email you received. Often, this email will offer free shipping or another discount designed to "sweeten the deal" and get you to go back and make a purchase. Is it anything to be concerned about? Not if you are not doing anything illegal or immoral. Just remember, if you don't want it to be known, don't do it on the Internet as everyone leaves a digital trail that does not just go away.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

BTW, just so I don't forget.....Happy 56th, Kris!....maybe one of these days we'll celebrate it face to face with a cold beverage in hand. I got one in hand right now and raising my tumbler to you, my friend.

Thank you my friend! I don't even remember telling you it was my birthday! Old age....

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by dvalley

I work as an online concierge for a retailer (live chat help). What you received was an auto-response letter. Anytime you click on any web site, that company's system records your visit, noting a lot more information than just your email address, such as your IP address, what web site or sites you were previously on, even down to how you are accessing the Internet and the type of system and browser you are using just to name a few. When you leave the web site, especially after adding an item to your shopping bag, but not always, it automatically triggers the email you received. Often, this email will offer free shipping or another discount designed to "sweeten the deal" and get you to go back and make a purchase. Is it anything to be concerned about? Not if you are not doing anything illegal or immoral. Just remember, if you don't want it to be known, don't do it on the Internet as everyone leaves a digital trail that does not just go away.

Good explanation. Thanks.

[camper_Lucy]

Check out Duck Duck go (https://duckduckgo.com/about) this is a much better browser for those that want google tracking and ads out of their lives.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Thank you my friend! I don't even remember telling you it was my birthday! Old age....

Nope, it isn't old age....simple explanation. I was able to capture and examine the Internet headers of your HTTPS messages sent thru the forum. Then I broke down, extrapolated and re-assimilated info from the MIME (multipurpose internet mail extension) header fields that were sent at the beginning of the web transmission of those messages. That intercepted and re-assembled information contained in the data packets was thrown into an algorithmic compiler tool I have to generate the probabilities of your date of birth and age within a range of 98.9 percent accuracy.

Either that, or you just told me in a previous PM

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

Nope, it isn't old age....simple explanation. I was able to capture and examine the Internet headers of your HTTPS messages sent thru the forum. Then I broke down, extrapolated and re-assimilated info from the MIME (multipurpose internet mail extension) header fields that were sent at the beginning of the web transmission of those messages. That intercepted and re-assembled information contained in the data packets was thrown into an algorithmic compiler tool I have to generate the probabilities of your date of birth and age within a range of 98.9 percent accuracy.

Either that, or you just told me in a previous PM

Or if you provided that info in your profile, the forums wish you a happy birthday at the bottom of the home page on the full site.

[Flybob]

One item that many people are unaware of is that there companies that make a living consolidating little pieces of personal data into a complete individual's profile that they can then sell. People believe they are safe as they are only sharing one or two pieces of info and that can't hurt. I am amazed at how many people share information on sites like FB that is many times used for security identification. The silly surveys like " What movie have you seen more than any other?" Probably your favorite movie ( a security question. "What song was #1 the day you were born?" ( probably the year you were born. All this information is collected and associated using AI to create a scary profile that can be used to market or attack you.

[yukongold]

Originally Posted by Janet H

Once cookied, your device is easy to spot surfing the web and this is why you may get an e-mail in this manner.

And that is exactly why I use CCleaner after nearly EVERY web visit before I go on to the next one. I clean/clear browser history, caches, cookies - everything I can think of - many multiples per day. I also manually delete that stuff sometimes. It wouldn't be unusual for me to clean all that stuff 60-70-80 per day - and I still get a good number those spam emails like Kris talks about.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by yukongold

And that is exactly why I use CCleaner after nearly EVERY web visit before I go on to the next one. I clean/clear browser history, caches, cookies - everything I can think of - many multiples per day. I also manually delete that stuff sometimes. It wouldn't be unusual for me to clean all that stuff 60-70-80 per day - and I still get a good number those spam emails like Kris talks about.

That won't do a thing to stop the fingerprinting I described. Good Luck.