Facebook Accused of Ruining People's Christmas Surprises

FACEBOOK users are being warned that the presents they purchase for loved ones ahead of Christmas may be revealed to them by accident.

Users who search for the perfect gift online could be targetted by “tracker ads” which will spoil the surprise when a family member or pal uses the same computer.

Rhys Gregory, digital director at Effective Communication, has explained how to avoid this happening at Christmas.

He told Wales Online: “Over the years online marketing has become very clever, which in most part can be beneficial to both the user and the organisation behind the website.

“As a user, you don’t want to see irrelevant ads for products or services that you’ll never buy.

“Likewise, a website that may be getting paid in return for you clicking on ads will only want to show you ads that you are more likely to click on.

“Whilst your actual identity will be kept anonymised in most situations, your device and your behaviour (the websites that you visit) won’t be.

“Cross-website tracking cookies allows the websites that you’re visiting to access this information.

“Which is why you may see an advert for a camera on Facebook, after you viewed photography equipment on Amazon.

“Usually you may be happy to see this, especially as it’s relevant to what you were looking at. But not if that camera was a gift for someone.”

How to prevent it occuring:

When visiting a website for the first time, block all cookies or – if the website allows it – turn off marketing-related cookies.
If you are returning to a website that you have already visited, go to the settings section of your internet browser. Select the Privacy option and opt to block all cookies, and also prevent cross-site tracking

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28 Comments

- - nealsq said
  - 31 Dec 2018
    10:47 pm
the good old stalker ads

- - Blossom said
  - 07 Dec 2018
    10:34 pm
I don’t let anybody else use my computer. Seems it was a wise decision.

- - rachel1970 said
  - 30 Nov 2018
    5:36 pm
I use an ad-blocker so I don’t get these crazy pop up adds all the time. It’s annoying to get them.

- - mom74005 said
  - 26 Nov 2018
    6:28 pm
I never even thought of this, it is a shame that the pop-up adverts follow you.

- - mom111059 said
  - 26 Nov 2018
    11:38 am
What a crazy world we live in when our computer keeps track of us.

- - mom93821 said
  - 24 Nov 2018
    6:56 pm
Simple fix – turn off or block cookies.

- - littlehandsofmine said
  - 24 Nov 2018
    7:05 am
I often see this and it’s a bit scary! Big brother is watching.
- cherz replied
  
  24 Nov 2018 , 6:58 pm
  Big brother is in more places than we like to believe..
- - mom101628 said
  - 23 Nov 2018
    9:54 pm
It’s amazing what other pages things you luck at suddenly pop up on. Good thing we discuss what we will be looking at together before we look at something.

- - mom290396 said
  - 23 Nov 2018
    3:03 pm
Thankfully I am the only one who uses Facebook, but it does bother me greatly that anything I google is displayed on my Facebook page in under a minute saying “are you still interested in this item?” Going to have to turn those things off! Thanks for the tips!

- - mom160421 said
  - 23 Nov 2018
    12:04 pm
This is something I had not thought of. I do find it annoying when ads for things I’ve been looking at suddenly pop up on other random pages.

- - Ellen said
  - 23 Nov 2018
    7:46 am
How annoying !
Thanks for the tips.

- - Cookfromscratchmum said
  - 23 Nov 2018
    7:08 am
NOt a Facebook user here thank God

- - BellaB said
  - 23 Nov 2018
    1:39 am
I pay so little attention to ads Im not sure Id notice.

- - mom265671 said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    10:37 pm
I would of never thought to take notice of the ads. Very clever
- mom93821 replied
  
  25 Nov 2018 , 6:04 am
  I ignore the ads when I see them – I think….nice try!
- - MuthaNita said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    9:59 pm
This is why I use my phone for online shopping now or go incognito on Google browser.

- - mom7108 said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    9:09 pm
I notice the things I look up come up in my newsfeed but then some other ads have come up and I thought – gee that’s great I like that and bought it!

- - cherz said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    9:01 pm
Interesting read..great tips thanks for that.

- - becstalou said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    8:53 pm
I probably wouldn’t even notice if it popped up on my computer but that’s annoying.

- - mom70876 said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    8:42 pm
Ebay does this too. Another day another article complaining about facebook

- - mom241861 said
  - 22 Nov 2018
    8:33 pm
This is getting horrible as to how people can spoil someone’s surprise with a touch of a button.