Why does it seem like the advertisements you see while on-line are JUST what you were looking for?
You ARE being tracked your while you are on-line. The firms that are doing so sell the information they have gathered to Marketing Firms.
This is truly Direct Marketing or as this article says "Hyper Targeting". Where the advertisments you see while on-line truly have been put there specifically for YOU.
The link below will take you to the CBC website where you can read about the complex world of of getting the right advertisements to appear on your screen at just the right moment.
They know your credit score, where you live, what you buy and for advertisments they can even predict when you are ready to purchase something on-line.
The detail with which they do this is astounding. Cookies on you computer can tell a whole story of your on-line life and companies like Double Click uses that information and sends advertisments that are similar to what you are viewing on-line. Terry O'Reilly explains that it gets more interesting since a company that sells cars can see a pattern that you might soon be purchasing a car. When you visit a web-site for a car loan that car company will THEN send a pop up offering you a care with perhaps a discount just as you are filling out the car loan application.
Read the whole story for yourself or optionally purchase it from youtube.
surf safely
www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence/season-2/2013/03/30/hyper-targeting-how-brands-track-you-online-1/