Are targeted Ads following you?

[savalez]

They were following me. I noticed that everytime I researched a product that same product would show up in ads on almost every web page I went to. It got creepy real fast.

Then I found this. It's sort of like the "Do Not Call" list. They don't "sell" anything they just allow you to opt out of targeted advertising. I was surprised to find that 72 web companies were following me. I opted out of all of them.

Opt Out of Interest-Based Advertising

NAI members are committed to transparency and choice. The NAI opt-out tool was developed in conjunction with our members for the express purpose of allowing consumers to "opt out" of the Interest-Based Advertising delivered by our members.

Some of the ads you receive on Web pages are customized based on predictions about your interests generated from your visits over time and across different Web sites. This type of ad customization — sometimes called “online behavioral” or “interest-based” advertising — is enabled through your computer browser and browser cookies. Such online advertising helps support the free content, products and services you get online.

http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices

[Pharaoh]

1. Bookmarking for later

[DavidG_WI]

2. They have tons of ways of tracking you

Have a look at the information your browser gives away to every site you visit https://panopticlick.eff.org/ and learn how to protect yourself here https://ssd.eff.org/

[savalez]

4. I hear what you're saying

but I'm just talking about the creepy ads that follow you. Believe it or not, most people don't give a crap about "Surveillance Self-Defense."

[DavidG_WI]

5. Yeah, thats why

I install Firefox with all of that stuff on every single computer I touch. That alone usually gets looks of astonishment from people that their internet now seems to be much faster and their computer doesn't make anywhere near as much noise or slow down due to all of the crap running in the background on every site they visit.

A webpage without ads loads 3-5x faster.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

3. Ain't happenin'

AdBlock Plus:
https://adblockplus.org/en/firefox
https://adblockplus.org/en/subscriptions
MVPs Hosts:
http://blogs.msmvps.com/hostsnews/2014/07/08/mvps-hosts-file-update-july-08-2014/
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm

Third party cookies ALWAYS blocked, allow for session if absolutely necessary.
Home Page: https://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0
Google Acct set to never use instant results, do not use private results, search history turned off. Nary an ad crosses my line of vision.