How Much Do Marketers Know About Us?

Today I was just curious and right clicked an interesting ad that I wanted to show my friend. Turns out it was actually a flash ad, so I couldn't save it. But what I found was moderately disturbing. Here is what I found:



So I raise the question.... how much do marketers actually pry into our lives? From what it looks like, they listen to and watch you every time you have an ad open, unless you specifically deny them access. Note the microphone level in that one frame... it was actually moving with my music, so something definately is going on. If I had a webcam it would probably be watching me too. Sort of disturbing. Every time a flash ad is open, they have full access to what you are doing... visual, audio, and your files.

Am I making it out to be a bigger deal than it seems? I'd like some input.

Big Brother's watching you ...just kidding...actually you never know. But seriously technology is actually advanced enough these days for nosy advertisers to pry into our computers...it's disturbing

Judging by the fact that every marketeer wants to sell whatever they have and get their money don't matter what, the ends justify the means, I think they are spying deeply on us. I think not to that deep of an extent, but they could be on the way. Imagine it from their perspective, if you could access someone's computer, house, and personality through a ad would you do it? Why waste time advertising something that they aren't intrested in or couldn't afford. Wouldn't they want to advertise something appealing to the consumer? If they had this access, they could specialize ads to a consumer's personality and by using the camera to spy out the home guess their financial standing. Then they could assualt you with things that appeal to you and you could afford. That way they get their money and get their products sold.

Almost anything. Fans of their favorite musical acts help them on the time for free, so a car company or marketing firm getting stats from a computer wouldn't surprise me either. If things go too far don't forget to bug "V".

But I can see why and how you'd be worried.

I dont think they actually look into the data they gather from you. More like, the data they gather from you directly affects the marketing of products on your end.

You see, with spyware, most of the data is simply stored on your PC, then, depending on what you do/look at on your computer, that spyware will then send a request for ads partaining to such interests. Its the way it usually works on PC.

In regards to telemarketers, I have a few friends who work as telemarketers... not proud of them, but they have to make their money. THEY have ALOT of information on you. Alot of which hackers and identity theifs would LOVE to get a hold of.

But, they too tend to not care on an induvidual basis, as it is again a computer which checks your interests and categories to see if you are eligible for marketing advertisements.

The most typical way of advertisers is to not bother checking into your information in order to save money, rather, they send out the same ad to everyone. Those ads usually have something for everyone, hence it appears as though its aimed at you.

Yes I researched this... Im not bothered.

If I had to go into hiding... THEN I'd be worried.