Does anyone know if companies sell Credit Card purchasing history to net advertising

[luciusad2004]

This may be an off the wall question but this is the second time I've noticed this happening to me this month, Not sure were i could get an answer on this but though maybe someone on TBCS could enlighten me...

Earlier this month I bought a frozen pizza at the grocery store and payed with my Visa Bank Card. I went home and opened up my computer while cooking it and the first advert i see is for the very same frozen pizza, exact brand. I tell myself its a coincidence and shrug it off.

A few days later i got sick. I sent my lady friend to the store with the same card to purchase some cough medicine. Presumably it's the same store. Today I'm browsing the web and notice that I have adverts for THAT exact brand of cough medicine showing up on web pages.

I don't have any sort of "rewards card" for that store so the only common identifier would be that it was payed for with my credit card. I've logged in from two different IP addresses so it would seem that It's linking my credit info to a tracking cookie or something and loading relevant adverts based on my previous credit purchases. Does anyone know if the advertisement machine has become that sophisticated? Maybe it's all A giant coincidence.

[Twigsoffury]

Well i'm not sure but i honestly wouldn't doubt its come to that point.

[dr.walrus]

How would they connect your IP/MAC address and your card number, through online purchases? Nah.

Statistics don't just dictate that coincidences are possible, they dictate that coincidences are inevitable.

[diluzio91]

dunnow, but i was looking at sony s series laptops, and every time i go on the tbcs main forum page theres a google advert that gets through my addblock plus...

[luciusad2004]

I suppose it's just a coincidence. I was entertaining the possibility that because i'm always logged in to my Google account and using chrome, perhaps it "knows" my credit number and could reference a database that feeds it my credit purchase history. Doesn't seem THAT far fetched but i tend to lean towards the paranoid side of the spectrum. I'm not sure that adverts i was looking at were Google adverts though.

[Twigsoffury]

I suppose it's just a coincidence. I was entertaining the possibility that because i'm always logged in to my Google account and using chrome, perhaps it "knows" my credit number and could reference a database that feeds it my credit purchase history. Doesn't seem THAT far fetched but i tend to lean towards the paranoid side of the spectrum. I'm not sure that adverts i was looking at were Google adverts though.


Watch this.

MIW247jcudE

[crenn]

I think it's coincidental, credit card purchases don't involve details on what you purchased. The only details is the amount, the account it's going to, the account name, and the time/date.

[luciusad2004]

Watch this.

MIW247jcudE


That confused me. : (

[TheGreatSatan]

I don't know. Whenever I watch porn they always have Macs, but I don't buy them anyway

[killergamer]

dunnow, but i was looking at sony s series laptops, and every time i go on the tbcs main forum page theres a google advert that gets through my addblock plus...
Thats a diffrent story, from what I've been told google has the ability to see what you've been looking at and using the cookies in your history to come up with specific ad's that would interest you.

"When you are accessing the web through a web browser, Google uses cookies to improve your online experience, including the display of more relevant ads"

"For our AdWords (http://adwords.google.com/) program, we serve ads based on the subject matter of your search. For example, if you search for “golf” on our search engine, you’ll see golf-related ads. We also make ads geographically relevant, which we do with the help of IP addresses. If you’re in Boston searching for cab companies, you probably want ads for Boston-based, not London-based cabs."

Thats what makes searching for stuff in your area so much easier, but you have to wonder what other information they store.

[Twigsoffury]

DAYZ BEA HAXKIN MAH WERFRYS!1!

http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/upload/2009/04/weekend_diversion_do_tinfoil_h/tinfoil_hat_antenna.jpg