Is Technology Sharing Information?

[Wolfeye]

Hey, everyone. I had a question that I'm thinking somoene on here will be able to answer: Is technology (like computers) sharing information without your doing? I notice if I type something in on one site, it pops up in the search bar suggestions in another site. Also, it stays there- deleting browsing history doesn't do anything. Obviously, there's some obvious issues with that- I'm not into anything off-the-wall, but it IS a computer used by mulitple people. Anyone know what to do about that?

[onethousandknives]

Hey, everyone. I had a question that I'm thinking somoene on here will be able to answer: Is technology (like computers) sharing information without your doing? I notice if I type something in on one site, it pops up in the search bar suggestions in another site. Also, it stays there- deleting browsing history doesn't do anything. Obviously, there's some obvious issues with that- I'm not into anything off-the-wall, but it IS a computer used by mulitple people. Anyone know what to do about that?

It is, yes. Google has "auto search" or "turn on/off suggestions" in your google settings. Most search bars are google powered, so it's all shared within google's computers.

However, there is a vaster broader issue, mainly with ads, for me for example, I'm interested in fitness and lifting weights. So I get advertisements on almost any site for fitness goods related websites, but my mother does not get it. Basically, all sites you use sell information, in "aggregate form" to companies to use for marketing, but more sinister things, too. Even if you don't sign up, just for example, going on one of those fitness goods websites will cause me to get ads for said website just because it's associated with IP address and MAC address.

but tl;dr, yes.

http://www.howtogeek.com/195647/googles ... very-move/

[Wolfeye]

I turned off that auto-suggest- but it still kept happening in the search bars Of the sites. The thing is, there's no "delete browsing history" from them. It's just something that seems to either have been logged-in on a different site & it "traveled" or it was something entered on that site & it stayed there. I try typing in other things to crowd it out & all, but it's hard to figure out when it'll stay on the "list" & to come up with similarly alphabetized things.

I get that with the exercise stuff, too. If I look for a pair of boots, camping gear, historical books, anything- it pops up on nearly every site I go on. This stuff DOES allow for profiling, whether those profiles are accurate or not. One has to wonder if they're trying to form decisions & act on them.