eBay Spying on Me - Major Spying Concern

Lninohax on 13/12/2023 - 12:15
Last edited 13/12/2023 - 12:18

Hey Folks,

So something quite weird has been happening off late where I am able to see listings in my Ebay 'Recently Viewed Items' which I never looked upon Ebay. The most concerning part is that all these items showing up in my recently viewed list are deals that were posted on OZB for various websites such as Amazon, Jbhifi, other websites etc.

I have cited couple of examples below for proof:

**1) Google Pixel Pro Deal - Jbhifi (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/819954 ) **

I clicked through the deal link and a random Pixel Pro listing showed up on my Ebay Recently Viewed Items list.

https://imgur.com/a/47OE7qa

**2) Creality Ender-3 Neo 3D Printer Deal ( https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/819450 ) **

https://imgur.com/a/BpLY37K

Again same thing I clicked through OZB to Creality website and a listing associated with the same product showed up on my Ebay Recently Viewed Items list.

Please do note that this is not happening when I visit the websites separately (As in not getting redirected to the websites via OZB)

This is extremely concerning that Ebay is able to directly spy on me so easily. I do not want to be cynical but the above behavior seems to show a correlation between Ebay and Ozbargain. I do want to trust OZB but the proof is right in front of me and hard to sweep aside. This is not an accusation but an assumption that I am currently making on what I can observe.

I am not really sure how this level of spying is possible, FYI I do have ad blockers, ublock etc to prevent most of the tracking that websites can do. I even tried changing browsers from Chrome to Brave and even that didn't help.

Has anyone else here have had such experiences of late?

General Discussion

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Comments

  • skid on 13/12/2023 - 12:26
    +7

    Yes, I have seen it with Facebook. Shocked me the first time. I came to learn they spy on you via cookies. You can stop that by installing an add-on or configuring the privacy settings on the browser that you are using.

    • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 12:32

      I have a whole set of Anti-tracker extensions installed and use brave browser which in itself has Anti-tracking capabilities.

      • AngoraFish on 13/12/2023 - 12:43
        +5

        Then they are either set up incorrectly, or you've inadvertently clicked a popup that set these tracking cookies to allowed.

        If you were actually as locked down as you say you are a lot of these websites would simply not be working for you - several permissions are required to order off, and often even to view, these sites in the first place.

        • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 12:47

          well that's the thing. I had the same thinking and that's why I changed browsers from Chrome to Brave for a fresh start. But same thing seems to be happening again. Not really sure what to do.

          • AngoraFish on 13/12/2023 - 12:50
            +1

            @ninohax: Go into every privacy setting in your ad blockers and all browsers, completely purge every cache and reset everything back to default on highest privacy settings. Disable and preferably uninstall any browser plugins. Then come back here and let us know how you go.

          • Fayble1212 on 14/12/2023 - 14:43

            @ninohax: Brave is a Chromium off-shoot, if not setup correctly is essential chrome…

            if you want privacy use Firefox and install these addons as best practice.

    • Zorololo on 13/12/2023 - 23:05

      Yep, stopped using google chrome and went to firefox and I always install, uBlock, privacy badger and ghostery.

  • geekcohen on 13/12/2023 - 12:26
    +5

    Welcome to the world of remarketing. It could be Google Adsense rather than eBay directly itself.

    • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 12:29

      How is Google AdSense able to capture which websites I visited through OZB.

      • richadam on 13/12/2023 - 13:03

        Very easily, if you click "Go to deal" you're most likely tracked from there. Not sure if OzB itself has tracking cookies. I wouldn't be surprised as that data would be a goldmine to sell to advertisers.

        • barge-in hunter on 13/12/2023 - 13:18
          +1

          I think OzB deploys “google analytics” on their pages, which means at least page view and some click tracking does go to them?

          It’s entirely possible though, that the tracking is done once you land on the destination (deal) page too

        • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 15:10

          Very Interesting if that was the case how is that If i visit these websites directly(rather than going via OZB) that I do not get tracked at all( I mean atleast ebay doesn't)

          • richadam on 13/12/2023 - 15:13

            @ninohax: You probably do, or there's some extra tracking going on on OzBargain's website.

          • barge-in hunter on 13/12/2023 - 15:32

            @ninohax: I'm sorry to say, you are likely tracked on those "large scale" websites too.

            I understand browsers like Brave might be able to interfere or disable well known third party tracking systems deployed on a website (like google ads, facebook, adobe analytics etc), but many large tech companies build their own in house tracking systems due to the sheer volume of data they collect… and then pass on just the insights/juicy bits to those third parties.

            A browser like Brave won't be able to identify all those bespoke/custom built/in-house tracking systems, so won't know to block their tracking calls.

            • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 18:05

              @barge-in hunter: @barge-in hunter I understand but every one seems to miss my point that only website listings that I clicked through OZB show up in my ebay recently viewed list. If i got that particular website directly, lets say 'JBhifi' and browse through a bunch of products that doesn't show up in the recently viewed list. How do you explain that

        • scotty on 13/12/2023 - 21:48
          +5

          Not sure if OzB itself has tracking cookies

          OzBargain itself DOES NOT collect nor store which deal you've clicked through. When you click on "Go to Deal" we simply increase the deal's "number of clicks" by one and that's all.

          However we do deploy Google Analytics on our pages, which does track out-bound clicks. Many adblockers have blocked Analytics but I think Brave doesn't. However data collected on Analytics are anonymised and aren't shared with any 3rd party.

      • geekcohen on 14/12/2023 - 05:58
        +1

        Not Google AdSense itself, but more the ads you are seeing could be Google Adsense rather than eBay itself. So it isn't necessarily eBay tracking you, but Google and you are just seeing the ad suggestions of eBay products via Google Adsense scripts implemented on eBay…..

        If that kinda make sense.

        • ninohax on 14/12/2023 - 20:01

          Again repeating myself this behavior only happens when I click through OZB and no it is not an ad suggestion. These items literally show up in my ebay recently viewed items list which should only be a list of items that I have browsed through in ebay.

      • poohduck on 14/12/2023 - 19:46

        Seriously? I'm only surprised that you're surprised, but now I know why

  • Duckie2hh on 13/12/2023 - 12:27
    +1

    Pretty sure it is just a plugin that ebay is using to show you ads based on the your browser history (stored in the cache).

    • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 12:28

      How do I identify such a plugin and get rid of it ?

    • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 12:30

      And I don't think its based on pure browser history because for example if I visit Jbhifi website directly and browse through a number of products that don't show up on Ebay. Its only when If i click through OZB.

  • plmko on 13/12/2023 - 12:48
    +8

    Lmao

  • Mechz on 13/12/2023 - 12:49
    +2

    Have you got fingerprinting and cross site cookies blocked in Brave?

    • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 15:09

      Yes I do, Nevertheless I have now cleared all cache and cookies and changed 'Fingerprint Blocking' to aggressive. Will update if that helps at all.

      • Mechz on 13/12/2023 - 18:16

        Maybe also run DNS66 if you have Android.

  • subwoofer on 13/12/2023 - 12:56
    +3

    welcome to third party cookies a 90s technology

    • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 15:02
      +1

      mate have been using ebay for years and this hasn't happened up until late. This is not just basic third party cookies.

      • subwoofer on 14/12/2023 - 14:34

        Facebook and Google are the main culprit, which feeds from these sources

  • pegaxs on 13/12/2023 - 12:59
    +4

    Reminds me of the dude on Reddit recently that got all outraged because they scanned a QR code from the MyMaccas app and it pasted it to Google… The search returned all these *ahem* "phallic shaped pleasure toys"… and blamed it all on the MyMaccas app showing them links of "pleasure cylinders"…

    Turns out that all the QR code was just their membership number (Something along the lines of; MV123456) and the links to the "toys" were just ads that AdSense had served up based on their previous and recent search history.

  • Nillionaire on 13/12/2023 - 13:11

    lol

  • barge-in hunter on 13/12/2023 - 13:14
    +1

    Are you logged in to the deal websites you’ve visited?

    If so, they’re simply using your email address (or other pii) to link your activity across sites. Someone mentioned ebay are likely leveraging a Google feature/product - I believe this is correct.

    Cookies are used as a last resort to link the behaviours of “anonymous traffic” - but if you’ve identified yourself through one means or another, blocking cookies won’t help you.

  • Drakesy on 13/12/2023 - 13:26
    +2

    You dropped your tin foil hat.

    It's the algorithm.

    • Chandler on 13/12/2023 - 13:39
      +2

      You dropped case (and an emoji):

      It's The Algorithm™

    • pegaxs on 13/12/2023 - 13:58
      +3

      OP's next post… "Someone mentioned tin foil hats in a post and now all I am getting is recently viewed links to tin foil hats…"

    • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 15:05

      care to elaborate? I have mentioned that if I visit the websites directly none of the associated listings show up in my Ebay 'Recently Viewed' list. Its only when clicking through OZB into websites that this happens. Please explain the algorithm for this please.

      • Chong on 13/12/2023 - 15:33
        +1

        most ecommerce sites use either google adsense or FB ads plugins, nowadays your IP doesnt change much which already makes it easy, also with SSO so prevalent nowdays you might have identifiable data bia browser.

        I am not sure what the concern is?

        • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 18:02
          +1

          You don't really get my point. Ebay does not track me when I visit these websites (Jbhifi, Good Guys etc) directly. Ebay seems to be only be able to track me when I click through OZB to these websites. This makes me believe that OzB is selling data to ebay. And nonetheless do you seriously believe items that I never looked upon ebay should show up on the 'Recently Viewed Items' list on ebay?

          • bargain huntress on 13/12/2023 - 21:14

            @ninohax: Interesting

            Do you do that @scotty ?

            • scotty on 13/12/2023 - 21:33
              +3

              @bargain huntress: Nah.

              The only commercial agreement between eBay & OzBargain is that eBay paying us around 0.1-0.2% of ex-GST value of transaction after someone click though an eBay affiliate link, most likely a non-logged in user.

          • Chong on 14/12/2023 - 10:33

            @ninohax: You miss my point, ebay gets access to this via google adsense and FB ads, so would anyone using their ad network, most would use both.

  • apple2016 on 13/12/2023 - 13:27
    +1

    Forget Ebay, You credit card, google, facebook, many govt agencies are spying more and more on you. Sadly you cant do much to avoid these…

  • pharkurnell on 13/12/2023 - 14:12

    Welcome to 1995

  • YouSirName on 13/12/2023 - 15:54

    Welcome to the internet!

  • Some Human on 13/12/2023 - 17:35

    The internet in a nutshell…

  • Ghost47 on 13/12/2023 - 18:40
    +1

    This is just device fingerprinting.

  • Empharand on 13/12/2023 - 18:43
    +1

    If you're worried about eBay spying on you, wait until you learn about Facebook, X (Twitter), Microsoft, Android, iPhone, Tiktok, Instagram etc

  • bargain huntress on 13/12/2023 - 21:10

    It might be based on your ip address?

    When i research or buy something, ads from the shop or for the product, turn up on other people in my household's youtube and facebook ads.

    I assume that it is because we share an internet connection.

    Maybe a vpn would fix it for you?

  • scotty on 13/12/2023 - 22:02
    +5

    All the speculations and misinformation in this thread aside, has anyone been able to replicate what OP has experienced?

    • If yes, then some data broker is able to identify OzBargain out-bound traffic and provide that info to eBay. OP is running Brave so almost all 3rd party scripts are blocked on OzBargain. OzBargain does not collect this kind of click-through data with its first party scripts. Therefore the data collection is most likely done on the merchant's website. For example, JB Hi-Fi / The Good Guys is able to identify a visitor is "acquired" through OzBargain (referrer headers), ID that browser and then pass it onto the data brokers, which then subsequently get passed onto eBay.

    • If no, then some browser extension or spyware on OP's computer / phone is doing the leaking.

    • Alternatively, it's all just a coincidence. eBay happened to show 2 products that OP was interested in before, amongst hundreds other products.

    • ninohax on 13/12/2023 - 22:45

      Thank you for chipping in with the inside info, the third scenario just ain't possible scotty as I have many more examples that I can list here.

      1)MSI PRO MP2412 23.8" FHD Monitor Deal https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/819164

      This listing redirects to PLE computers. It is highly unlikely that every merchant has this sort of data collection.

      https://imgur.com/a/fgTsW8K

      2) Yeedi vac 2 pro by ECOVACS Robot Vacuum Deal (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/818917 )

      The merchant here in question is Amazon FYI

      https://imgur.com/a/AUPWfSm

      At this point I am also suspecting the second scenario that you have listed regarding any of the extensions leaking out the data. The only potential culprit that I can suspect is 'Honey Price tracker extension' by paypal. Will remove that and see how it goes.

      • Loopholio on 14/12/2023 - 12:40
        +2

        The only potential culprit that I can suspect is 'Honey Price tracker extension' by paypal.

        Dude, that extention is doing exactly what you are trying to avoid.

        • ninohax on 14/12/2023 - 13:06

          I know but they claim not to sell user data to third parties. I know I know you shouldn't a believe a corporation like Paypal whose end goal is all about profits, that's why I am getting rid of it to confirm if it is the culprit.

          • Loopholio on 14/12/2023 - 20:23

            @ninohax: Take a screen shot of all your extensions and link it in the main post. For example my extensions are below. I don't get followed by eBay or Amazon, they only show me a list of what I've already looked at on their websites.

            You may have too many privacy extensions and could prune a few. You could also try noscript if you want to lock everything down.

            https://ibb.co/M6dyGFx

  • backupper1 on 14/12/2023 - 10:58

    This spying extends beyond online, it continues offline as well:
    1. your purchase history is sold by banks, retail outlets, payment method providets etc.
    2. Your smart devices with BLE, gps and wifi are constantly advertising themselves to routers, ble beacons etc.
    3. your watch, phones measure very precisely your activity, moods , exact position with height, orientation, speed, gait etc.
    4. last but not the least your activity across even unrelated devices like friends' phone, constant 'hearing' via speech to text and constant watching via cameras.

    there is 0 escape, even if you are not using any smart device, you are being tracked offline. ozbargain also has Facebook pixel which is a very sophisticated tracker.

  • LFO on 14/12/2023 - 12:24
    +2

    All the time, all the marketeers.

    Grandma looks for cooking pots using her iPad and I get adverts of cooking pots on my PC with Marketplace … and OzBargain too …

    IP tracking anyone? ? ? ?

  • USER DC on 14/12/2023 - 20:11
    -3

    What frekin world you are living in ??? The 21st century (the tech age) and you think there aren't tracker, ads tracking your cookies, IP, browser history etc. ???

    Probably you never even used a adblock before dude. Anyway seems like you are a rookie, If you wanna jump on getting a adblock that is your best bet to prevent such (so called spying in your defination) I call it tracking, ad sense etc.

    If you want free network wide adblock on a windows OS (running 24/7) I got a guide for adguard home - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/805733

    You can install adguard home on any server you at home honestly (linux or windows), or if you want you can pay other providers to do adblock for your too (like adguard dns, next dns etc. for a full network wide Ads and tracking blockers).

    On android you can also run like Blockada5 for free too.

    On any device pretty much nowadays you can run brave browser (adblocking by default)

  • tik tok on 15/12/2023 - 11:11

    I always click reject cookies when the cookie consent message appears. When someone clicks allow, it automatically allows Cross-site tracking cookies. For a bit more permanent solution, google. https://allaboutcookies.org/how-to-manage-cookies

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