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Tried a 'privacy-focused' phone and got targeted ads for burner phones a week later
Honestly, I thought I was being smart. I bought a refurbished phone last month from a shop in Austin, wiped it clean, and installed GrapheneOS to avoid all the tracking. Made sure not to log into any Google accounts or use my normal email. But after about five days, I started getting ads for prepaid burner phones and SIM cards on a random news site I visited. Made me realize that even with a locked down device, your behavior alone gives you away. The hardware fingerprint or the way I browse probably flagged me as someone trying to dodge surveillance. Ngl, it felt like a punch in the gut seeing how hard it is to actually vanish online. Has anyone else tried going full privacy mode only to have the algorithms out you immediately?
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foster.charles3d ago
Ha! The panopticon called, it wants its burner phone ad back. I guess trying to hide just makes the algorithm work harder to prove it found you first.
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bens813d ago
Yeah the system knows you before you even turn it on. Creepy how fast they adapt right?
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