Privacy Tech Worker Explains How Ads Know Things They Seemingly Shouldn’t

If you have a smartphone, you’ve probably experienced the bone-chilling experience of opening a social media app and seeing an advertisement for something that seems a little too familiar.

Sometimes it’s a product you just bought or had only thought of buying and it feels like your phone is reading your mind. This data privacy failure feels like a huge personal violation. 

Privacy tech worker Robert G. Reeve shared a Twitter thread describing exactly why this phenomenon happens and how to make it stop. 


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Hannah Riley

Hannah Riley a comedy writer and content editor with ADHD living in Seattle, Washington.