Community Chat

[scotttie]

On 6/5/2014 BlueCollarBabe said:

I can't speak for anyone else but the few quizzes I've taken have not asked for any personal info. I've been asked to choose which dessert I would like or my favorite puppy. I'm careful of my online security but I refuse to become paranoid.

I agree.

[croemer]

On 6/5/2014 scotttie said:

On 6/5/2014 BlueCollarBabe said:

I can't speak for anyone else but the few quizzes I've taken have not asked for any personal info. I've been asked to choose which dessert I would like or my favorite puppy. I'm careful of my online security but I refuse to become paranoid.

I agree.

Me too...

[BellaPaprika]

Just want to add that I never take quizzes through FB because they often ask for access to all my FB info. I go direct to their website if I take a quiz. As for cookies I delete them frequently or don't allow at all or I eat them!

[LilacTree]

On 6/5/2014 biancardi said:

On 6/5/2014 Ford1224 said:

On 6/5/2014 Opurrra said: Posting your personal info here is more of a risk. Too many of you share way too much about yourselves!

Eliminate all postings about personal problems, situations, experiences, etc., and see how interesting this BB will become. We already can't talk about the really interesting and important issues of our time, and that is proven because when one gets through, there are immediately multiple posts to it. Same is true of the personal postings.

I have in the past posted about personal things only to find them thrown in my face in the worst possible way. I have not posted about anything personal in many, many weeks, and don't plan to in the future.

That leaves us with host bashing, SG, JR, Wen, product complaints, food, weather (although even that is personal?) pets, movies and TV shows, and thousands of "cute" photos and YouTube videos. Thanks . . . but I was already 16 a long time ago, 60 years to be exact . . . or is that too personal?

Great post, ford...

Thanks Biancardi!

[newziesuzie]

On 6/5/2014 BlueCollarBabe said:

I can't speak for anyone else but the few quizzes I've taken have not asked for any personal info. I've been asked to choose which dessert I would like or my favorite puppy. I'm careful of my online security but I refuse to become paranoid.

No need to insult us by calling us paranoid if we want to be careful. These quizzes don't tell us anything except that we're people who take quizzes. And for me if I continue to take them after reading all the articles by experts then I shouldn't complain about the stuff that ends up on my computer or the ads and things that follow me around because I took those quizzes. Look at all the thread complaining about our privacy and about all the pop up ads, and spam, and websites being sneaky about how they get info on us.

Funny I thought people would appreciate knowing how to protect themselves. With a few exceptions I was wrong. Lesson learned. (You're welcome, to the ones who said thanks, btw)

[newziesuzie]

On 6/4/2014 dooBdoo said:

Along with all the protections we put on our computers it’s important that we remember “safe computing.” Any time we click on a website, there’s the potential for trouble. By taking any actions on a website, there’s the potential that we just gave them permission to access info on our computer or to install cookies (or supercookies, ubercookies, not removed by the usual cookie deletions) and access anything and everything on our computer. We don’t always have to provide our email account, or do anything other than start interacting with a website, to open the portal to our data.

(BTW: try using browser add-ons and using DuckDuckGo as your search engine to protect privacy.)

Taking any action through Facebook opens all the info on your account to the new website you’ve just clicked to visit. In addition, it often provides the secondary website access to your complete list of Facebook friends... and then access into all the data on their accounts (remember, just because you set the privacy/security tightly on your account doesn’t mean all your friends did the same). On Facebook, many users have added links to their financial info (usually a credit or debit card) to pay for gifts, games, etc. So, that’s one way these quizzes could access financial info quickly. I have no doubt there are other ways.

If we visit a website to shop, for example, at least we’re getting what they advertise. I suppose we're paying for the convenience by giving up some of our online privacy. When we provide our info at a b&m store with loyalty cards, discounts in our smartphones, etc., we do so in return for a cost benefit and we know they’re collecting info. But in both cases, we’re paying for the shopping experience by consenting to give up a certain amount of personal privacy.

It’s a given at this point that the quizzes and surveys tell us nothing about ourselves, they’re not even almost scientific. They’re closeted marketing tools at best and they’re cunning worms into our personal and financial info at worst. I don't think anyone should feel bad that they had some fun with a few of them, but it's good that we know what they really are doing to us. Thanks for posting the articles, newziesuzie.

(edited by dBd)

Thanks for trying to add to the advice. It helped me, for one.

[scotttie]

On 6/5/2014 newziesuzie said:

On 6/5/2014 BlueCollarBabe said:

I can't speak for anyone else but the few quizzes I've taken have not asked for any personal info. I've been asked to choose which dessert I would like or my favorite puppy. I'm careful of my online security but I refuse to become paranoid.

No need to insult us by calling us paranoid if we want to be careful. These quizzes don't tell us anything except that we're people who take quizzes. And for me if I continue to take them after reading all the articles by experts then I shouldn't complain about the stuff that ends up on my computer or the ads and things that follow me around because I took those quizzes. Look at all the thread complaining about our privacy and about all the pop up ads, and spam, and websites being sneaky about how they get info on us.

Funny I thought people would appreciate knowing how to protect themselves. With a few exceptions I was wrong. Lesson learned. (You're welcome, to the ones who said thanks, btw)

I didn't take her response as an insult. Don't forget that there were many other posts after your OP. I think all of us appreciate the information and then we can take it or leave it. Please don't be offended as I don't think any offense was meant. Hard to tell at times I know.

[Ellis Dea]

For those complaining about ads here's a link to download that will solve that problem.

https://adblockplus.org/en/chrome

[shoekitty]

I am persistent and a fanatic about using the opt out services that are offered by the advertising companies. I have 96 advertising companies that try to track me. Almost every week I have to doitall over again,but I do it. I do not allow the advertisments to follow me site to site. QVC is really bad too. They have hired aggressive marketers, and they are one that is tough to opt out of.

[BonnieBelle]

On 6/4/2014 bikerbabe said:

You mean unlike the data mining done by everyone else. Hello. Go to a website - QVC, Philosophy, Paula's Choice, Amazon - and you start seeing ads for those products all over. Everyone has tracking cookies etc.

Go to the grocery store, make a purchase, scan your store discount card, get coupons based on your purchases.

We're all in someone's database.

So true. My FIL won't have any store discount cards, he only pays cash and he doesn't even own a computer.