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That could explain why I've been getting oddly accurate (highly targeted) ads on FB related to the niche of a new app I'm developing. I haven't liked similar stuff on FB and I was wondering how in the world FB knows that info (I have talked about it extensively via whatsapp). So there are only 2 options:

1- They somewhat are able to read my browser history even when I have ABP with "Fanboy's Social Blocking List" and a selective JS blocker installed.

2- They read my whatsapp messages.



It is more likely that you visited a site with 'Facebook social integration' on it.

>"When a logged-in Facebook user visits a site with Facebook social plug-ins, Facebook receives the Facebook ID and browser ID, along with the URL of the page being visited,"

quote from a The Verge article:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/31/8319411/facebook-tracking-...


He said he is using ABP with "Fanboy's Social Blocking List" which is blocking these social plug-ins.


Why don't we test this hypothesis and start talking about something in whatsapp and see if we get ads on facebook?


first of all, I dont use facebook, I had the account active, but force myself to stay out of it ..

Lately I had added a couple new contacts to my phone's agenda, and now facebook shows me these in the "people you may know" emails

it's clear to me that they had already started the data capture


How would they link your whatsapp account to your facebook account? Whatsapp only knows my phone number and what phone numbers I contact, and my facebook account doesn't know my whatsapp phone number.


Because Facebook knows my mobile number... I provided it long ago (IIRC for setting up some ad campaigns or was required as anti-spam measure)


If you have WhatsApp and Facebook or Facebook Messenger installed on your phone then they are aware of each other and can exchange information freely.




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