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Resolved Question

Google 'talking' to Amazon

Dec 1, 2011 3:57AM PST

I searched Google last night for some information for my daughters school project (I was looking for an image of the flag of Scotland!).

This morning, I went into Amazon, and was presented with the opening page offering me a whole range of Scottish flags for sale. Coincidence, or has Amazon picked up on my Google search?

What troubles me is that I have just gone through the whole laborious process of doing a complete new reinstall of Windows 7, and have been very careful to load only the minimum software I use on a daily basis. This was in an attempt to avoid bloat etc etc. I use IE9 and Google is my default home page.

I am spooked by this. Is Amazon tracking my Google searches? Is Google passing on information to a range of 3rd parties? Am I the victim of malware?

I am using Bitdefender Internet 2012, and the latest scan (just completed) is clean.

Does anyone else have an experience of this?
Advice would be appreciated.

Discussion is locked

HouBob has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Interesting.
Dec 1, 2011 4:09AM PST

I use both Google, (extensively), and Amazon, (Christmas, birthdays, etc), and haven't noticed this.

But I'm checking now. I've Googled "Scottish Flag" and gone through a couple of links.

I will be on Amazon tomorrow, so I will check back with you.

I don't know of any links between Google and Amazon, perhaps others here will. You know that both Google and Amazon both place cookies into your browsers cache, and that helps them target items and articles when you revisit them, but as far as I know one doesn't read the cookie of the other, and vice versa.

Is there any possibility that someone else in your family has already searched through Amazon using your Windows account and your Amazon account for anything to do with "Flags of Scotland"?

Let's see what I find out, if anything, and what others say.

Just so you know, I'm using Google UK and Amazon UK because I live in England.

Mark

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Thank you
Dec 1, 2011 5:09AM PST

Mark,

Thanks for the comment. I am 99% sure that no one else used the computer, my daughter is 5 years old, and my wife has no interest.

Yes, cookies are something I need to look at, and I'll dig around now. I did find a link to a piece of software called 'Awesome Screenshot' where the developer confessed to incorporating such a plug-in to his software. He subsequently apologised, to be fair to him. But it does highlight a vulnerability. Other than that I haven't found too much else on the subject.

I do admit to downloading and trying out various software and freeware, but following my clean install which was done only 2 days ago I haven't installed anything not well known to me. For example, I have not yet installed a video player (VLC or KM Player), and I have Revo Unistaller on my machine, but the portable player, not the installed version. I really am trying to keep my machine clean. Fastidious, maybe, but actually I simply get fed up having to reinstall Windows every year or so.

I'll look at my cookies and try out Process Explorer to see if I can work out what's happening.

Thanks,
Bob

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Google: Advertising and Privacy
Dec 1, 2011 5:15AM PST
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Useful
Dec 1, 2011 6:21AM PST

Many thanks.

I was aware that Google used information to target ads to users - for example, if I am looking to buy something, it usefully comes up with suppliers in the area I live in. What I had not seen before was such a clear reference within a 3rd party site (in this instance Amazon) to a search earlier conducted on Google.

Notwithstanding that, your link provides some very useful information, much of which I was not aware of - thanks.

I have gone through my cookies, and had around 3 or 400 unchecked cookies which I was not aware of - I suspect that one of those cookies was up to tricks, though I am not sure which one. I usually keep an eye on my cookies cleaning them up once a week or so (I use Ace Utilities). That practice together with looking at my settings in Google should help.

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Ghostrey
Dec 1, 2011 6:28AM PST
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Ghostery
Dec 1, 2011 8:31PM PST

Ken, many thanks. I see it's a plug in. I'll give it a try.

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Well, nothing here
Dec 1, 2011 7:29PM PST

I did that search in Google for Scottish Flags last night, then logged into Amazon.co.uk this morning and I found nothing unusual. I also received an email from Amazon today about offers and reviews, and no flags or anything related to Scotland.

Apart from what Ken offered in his link about Google's AdSense and other things which I confess to not entirely understanding, I wonder if the culprit is your Home Page. For instance, if you used the home page to search for "Flags of Scotland" then used the same web page to move on to Amazon, is there some linking from Google to Amazon through AdSense or other algorithm that Google uses?

It would be interesting to see, if you changed your home page to something else, eg your ISP web site, then used your cleaner to remove all cookies except the ones you really need to keep, and all history and TIF, whether or not you get the same results.

Mark

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Answer
Cookies
Dec 1, 2011 8:22AM PST

Could be that Amazon read the Google cookies and then made the offer. That is one of the reason I block all cookies except when needed. Google has what is know as the immortal cookie and it never dies and tracks everything. Most Internet Suites will not flag them.

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Answer
Maybeit was nothing
Dec 1, 2011 8:40PM PST

Mark,

Thanks for following up. I am not sure what happened. That was the first time I encountered it, and I have not been able to repeat it since. I did double click on 2 or 3 images to copy and paste a picture of the flag into a Word document - I am wondering if a cookie did its deed then?

I'm not too worried, and I would not suggest other people be concerned, but I now have a heightened sense of awareness - just in case.

I'll keep an eye on things, but for now will relax.

Sincere thanks to you and all who replied.

Regards,
Bob

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Answer
Nothing Is Private on the Web.
Dec 3, 2011 1:03AM PST
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is it good or bad? I dunno
Dec 4, 2011 4:13AM PST

This isn't exactly the same thing, but when I shop for products on line, I receive targeted advertising via email, links, and flash ads. I'm not talking about malware-based popups, I'm talking about retailers and providers sharing all sorts of information with each other. The whole thing is becoming quite inbred. I haven't specifically noticed Google searches causing targeted Amazon adverising at Amazon's site, but if I browse Amazon or Newegg for products, I get emails from them with offers even if I'm not logged in at there sites while browsing. I also notice that the normal flash ads in the borders of my webmail seem to be for products I've looked at from suppliers I frequent. How would my emila provider (or their ad service) know? You think cookies are a privacy issue, just do a little research on the "flash cookies" of Adobe Flash.

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Dunno either
Dec 5, 2011 4:19AM PST

This has been the case for sometime now. For example, Google seems to be aware that you live in Texas and are into motorbikes: - for sure, you are not going to get lots of offers for Barbie dolls from 'CheapToyShop' in Singapore. Good or bad? How many times have you clicked on such an ad? Me, hardly ever, but then again the advertising revenue is what makes Google Maps, etc and much else on the internet, free.

Check out a couple of the posts above. There are some good tips if you want to regain some control of your browsing.