
Ask HN: What’s your creepiest Facebook targeted ad story? - seancoleman
Most of us have had Facebook (and Instagram) target us with timely ads after a vocal discussion on a topic (or simply thinking) with no logical explanation for how they knew about it.<p>What has been your strangest ad targeting, and what’s the most likely logical explanation (if any)?
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niftich
I googled from incognito Mobile Firefox a specific brand's specific mattress
cover, and visited its listing on the websites of various retailers. Since
nobody had it in stock locally, the next day I ended up ordering the item from
Amazon.

A day later, I was browsing Facebook on my home desktop and saw an ad for the
exact same item in my feed.

It's likely they partner with data brokers of credit card companies for your
purchase history. For me, this is the only explanation, as I did not talk
about the item out loud, and have no mic-enabled Facebook-owned app on my
phone in any case. As a low-tech solution, correlating IP addresses with
"suspected companion device" is also likely.

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seancoleman
Mine is from a few new, recent conversations (phone, in-person) about renting
my condo on Airbnb, specifically about 3rd party management services. I just
started getting targeted for manorshare, one of these services. This company
was never vocalized or typed. I don’t have the Facebook app installed.

My only explanation is that I searched for several far future dates for
pricing on airbnb in my condo complex. airbnb knows my email, knows I searched
my own home thus indicating I’m a potential lister. Airbnb sells/leases this
information to manorshare who then used my email on Facebook for direct
targeting.

