I use 1 Xiaomi Mi8 and 1 Xiaomi Redmi 7. Both with /e/OS. Mi8 for daily business and Redmi 7 for Whatsapp and Instagram. Until now I had the feeling that I get less personalized ads displayed. So far so perfect.
But this weekend something strange happened to me:
I had a conversion with someone about a Robot Lawn Mower for his garden. Later he sent me a Link to an offer by personal mail. (not a free mailer and Link was opened on my Mi8 with the Nine Mail App)
The next day I received advertising in Instagram regarding Robot Lawn Mower (on my Redmi 7)
Coincidence? I have my doubts.
How can this be? OK, Nine App has 3 Google Tracker. But I am using AFwall+ and Advanced Privacy.
Or is XIAOMI itself listening to me, even on a degoogled phone?
Anyone experienced something like that? How can I improve my concept? Because this itâs really annoying and somehow scary.
The link was opened with a mail app? - I guess the mail app used your browser or a part of your browser and this component left a cookie which was then used later.
I als had the idea about the Cookies. But Insta and Whatsapp are on another Cellphone. And I donât synchronize the Browsers between devices.
Yes, the app is called Nine from 9folders.com
So how does AFwall+ switch off the trackers? As long as you donât forbid their network activity they will probably still do their job.
The first step would be to log the entire traffic the mail app causes for a while. Perhaps you have already a log in AFwall+, donât know. Normal traffic of a mail app is accessing the configured mail servers (IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Exchange). And all other traffic is probably unwanted. The second step is then to block the unwanted traffic, based on addresses or ports.
actually, AFwall+ doesnât block trackers by default. How should it? Netguard has a possibility to add a black- (or blocklist) with unwanted URLs. But AFwall+ doesnât have this option, as far as I have seen. For that reason we have Advanced Privacy onboard.
But really, I think I have to check logs and trace the traffic leaving my cellphone for a while. Boring job, but I am afraid, itâs the only way to track this downâŚ
I am also trying out Warden now. Should also be able to deactivate the trackers and loggers. Someone experienced with that?
there could be other explanations of ads matching chat topics: a person could have googled a product and forgot about it; a personâs interlocutors could have googled or engaged in social media with the information, and the ad was shown to the person because of their connection or mutual interests
In case the other person is on Instagram, too, and youâre connected there this doesnât seem too far fetched to me.
I use RethinkDNS from F-Droid for that. This has detailed logs for every app by default switched on, you can see what happens and switch that off. So you can achieve a very clean and predictable traffic of a mail app. It allows blocking apps in general for mobile (or wifi) access (I use this for streaming apps and installers) and has also large block lists for ad and malware servers.
Perhaps the data did not tracked from your phone A to display Ads on phone B. Instagram & Whatsapp can listen around even when are not used. Thus, even if you opened the link on phone A but the conversion is captured by whatsapp or Instagram on phone B and used to target you with ads.
I like this thought. Also the article from adguard is interesting to read.
I this particular point we are talking about my father. He has no Instagram. But we are on different ways connected. Including Whatsapp. And this could be a possible wayâŚ
I have my doubts.
