Got this notification when I opened Chrome when coming back to my desk after lunch.
"We changed our privacy settings to allow us to snoop on what you're looking at and shove you ads accordingly. Feel free to opt out, but we'll probably opt you back in when you aren't paying attention."
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It also just lets you know the product exists or reminds you of it while strengthening certain associations in your brain. I know I can’t think of VPNs without thinking of NordVPN and if I were to decide I want one, I don’t think there would be a chance it didn’t at least occur to me to maybe look into
And you almost certainly leave thinking you aren't being careful enough with your privacy and you should look into getting a VPN. Works the same with any ad, or even a promoted social media post. "You'll like this thing because of how we know you think of yourself."
It's pernicious and erodes everyone's ability to be happy and content, no matter how resistant you think you are to advertisements.