- the agent present
- you both had smartphones on you
- they both had bluetooth data enabled
- they are both signed into location services
- you'd added the agent to your contacts or they add you to theirs
- you took pictures (and didn't strip the EXIF data)
- you exchanged emails with the agent via gmail
- you rang each other via a VOIP service
- you used a map app to find the place
- you found the apartment via an online listing
- you found your current place some multiple of a standard contract length ago (e.g. 1 year)
- your data in aggregate statistically matches that of other people's who also looked for new apartments
The metadata just drips off and they sell it, it's repackaged, bundled up and sold on to others who then target you (personally or as part of a group) in their ad campaigns.
The agent is a friend so I had in my contact list for years.
We exchange listings to apartments to view so absolutely they know I'm looking at apartments and all that stuff.
Getting adverts for apartments is fine because I know I searched and browsed sites etc. The issue is for 2 weeks I looked at apartments. Got some adverts for AirBnb, other property sites, etc.
The particular apartment I looked at, I viewed it, walked around it, etc. Went home, pondered to myself about the apartments I had looked at that day...
Looked at facebook, etc...
Hours later I go to WhatsApp, message the agent, something like.
"I really like apartment X but the only issue is the windows don't have grills and its the 23rd floor, would you mind asking the landlord if we can get grills or window latches? If they are willing to do that then I think I'll take that apartment"
(give or take on the message as it was 3 years ago? That I took it...)
Agent had not read the message yet, infact he didn't read it until well after 6pm.
I go to facebook (2-3 minutes?) after messaging him, and I have adverts for grills and window latches.
I had not googled them, the only mention ever of grills or latches was a message on whatsapp a few minutes earlier...
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Even if they are scanning the messages on the client, as far as I'm concerned it's no longer e2e. They are scanning my personal message, analysising it, building a profile on me, and using it for advertising.
That's certainly fishy but it doesn't rule out other methods that rely on statistics. For example, how many other people have visited that apartment and within a few hours searched for window grills and latches? Perhaps all of them.
Still, use Signal is the answer. The more people that use it, the more people will use it and the less we'll have to worry about whether messaging apps owned by ad companies are e2e.
I use the default as well (android) and turn off all of the fancy AI mumbo jumbo. I also (rarely) use an old one called "Hackers Keyboard" (seems to now be discontinued in the store but it gives me access still to download it). Not sure if it is available at all for iOS but it gives you basically a full keyboard which can be useful for doing terminal stuff
- the agent present - you both had smartphones on you - they both had bluetooth data enabled - they are both signed into location services - you'd added the agent to your contacts or they add you to theirs - you took pictures (and didn't strip the EXIF data) - you exchanged emails with the agent via gmail - you rang each other via a VOIP service - you used a map app to find the place - you found the apartment via an online listing - you found your current place some multiple of a standard contract length ago (e.g. 1 year) - your data in aggregate statistically matches that of other people's who also looked for new apartments
The metadata just drips off and they sell it, it's repackaged, bundled up and sold on to others who then target you (personally or as part of a group) in their ad campaigns.