This morning I watch three short videos on YouTube featuring ventriloquist Jeff Dunham. Several hours later I added a book to my Amazon.com wishlist and get the resulting ‘here’s what else you should buy" page. Oddly enough a Jeff Dunham DVD is one of the items suggested to me. Quick looks thorough my browser’s history (shown below) Dunham only came up from YouTube and I’d not previously looked at any Dunham related items in Amazon.com. Coincidence? What do you think?
Michael Sauers is currently the Director of Technology for Do Space in Omaha, NE. Michael has been training librarians in technology for the past twenty years and has also been a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, serials cataloger, technology consultant, and bookseller since earning his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany’s School of Information Science and Policy. Michael has also written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines and his fourteenth book, Emerging Technologies: A Primer for Librarians (w/ Jennifer Koerber) was published in May 2015 and more books are on the way. In his spare time he blogs at travelinlibrarian.info, runs The Collector’s Guide to Dean Koontz Web site, takes many, many photos, and typically reads more than 100 books a year.
View all posts by Michael Sauers
6 Replies to “Is Amazon.com spying on me?”
Coincedence? Probably not. But then I’m a bit paranoid about amazon.com to begin with!
hmmm… you are now entering the Twilight Zone… j/k…
oh, crops!
I noticed the same thing just now. I was going to see how popular Jeff Dunham is on amazon. Then I noticed that they have three REM records across the top. I have never looked up REM online until today on google, and never on amazon.
Thanks to my twitter peeps i am now in the machine.
Amazon are DEFINITELY spying. I have noticed now for the past few months that things I look at online or on ebay are suddenly the subject of emails coming from amazon. In protest I am blocking them and I will not be buying from them.
Not only is Amazon spying on your websearches, they are also listening in on private conversations via your phone and even accessing your camera. Over and over again, I’ve been having private conversations and the next thing I know, I’m getting an email from amazonspypukes offering me the same thing I was just speaking of. Once I went into the bathroom. Didn’t say a word. Just sat and took out my phone. Within 4 minutes I had an amazon suggestion to purchase “poo porie” bathroom freshener. Never before or since have I ever been advertised to for this. I’ve never searched for anything like this. It had to come directly from the lens of my phone. This weekend I took the kids kayaking, then complained to my girlfriend my back hurt. Today I have a guided kayak adventure ad from amazonspybastards and along with it, guess what?…yup, a massage offer. How illegal is what they’re doing? Class action anyone? I’d like some retribution. There’s no doubt in my mind they’re all over my phone and up my butt, pardon the French. ….Now I’ll have an ad for hemorrhoid cream and french lessons in tomorrows mail. Just watch n see. lmao
I have had Amazon suggest things that I was previously talking about with a co-worker. Things that I didn’t care about and never searched for. If I remember correctly, it was a camera zoom lens. I’m not into photography at all so the only hint that amazon could have received was listening through my phone’s microphone. Coincidentally, just prior to this, I installed a new Amazon app on my phone.
It happened again a few days later but I forgot what the other item was. After that, I uninstalled the Amazon app on my phone and it stopped.
Coincedence? Probably not. But then I’m a bit paranoid about amazon.com to begin with!
hmmm… you are now entering the Twilight Zone… j/k…
oh, crops!
I noticed the same thing just now.
I was going to see how popular Jeff Dunham is on amazon. Then I noticed that they have three REM records across the top. I have never looked up REM online until today on google, and never on amazon.
Thanks to my twitter peeps i am now in the machine.
Amazon are DEFINITELY spying. I have noticed now for the past few months that things I look at online or on ebay are suddenly the subject of emails coming from amazon.
In protest I am blocking them and I will not be buying from them.
Not only is Amazon spying on your websearches, they are also listening in on private conversations via your phone and even accessing your camera. Over and over again, I’ve been having private conversations and the next thing I know, I’m getting an email from amazonspypukes offering me the same thing I was just speaking of. Once I went into the bathroom. Didn’t say a word. Just sat and took out my phone. Within 4 minutes I had an amazon suggestion to purchase “poo porie” bathroom freshener. Never before or since have I ever been advertised to for this. I’ve never searched for anything like this. It had to come directly from the lens of my phone. This weekend I took the kids kayaking, then complained to my girlfriend my back hurt. Today I have a guided kayak adventure ad from amazonspybastards and along with it, guess what?…yup, a massage offer. How illegal is what they’re doing? Class action anyone? I’d like some retribution. There’s no doubt in my mind they’re all over my phone and up my butt, pardon the French. ….Now I’ll have an ad for hemorrhoid cream and french lessons in tomorrows mail. Just watch n see. lmao
I have had Amazon suggest things that I was previously talking about with a co-worker. Things that I didn’t care about and never searched for. If I remember correctly, it was a camera zoom lens. I’m not into photography at all so the only hint that amazon could have received was listening through my phone’s microphone. Coincidentally, just prior to this, I installed a new Amazon app on my phone.
It happened again a few days later but I forgot what the other item was. After that, I uninstalled the Amazon app on my phone and it stopped.