What happened to Facebook

[Woodswalker]

I'm being flooded with ads for God, Country, Come and Take my Guns, Bibles and Guns bullshit T-shirt and Hat ads, amongst other conservative BS. I've tried changing my ad preferences to avoid this rightwingnut douchery but it seems to be getting worse????

[elleng]

1. Dunno, I get few if ANY ads.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. It's the New Facebook that isn't really Facebook.

[ItsjustMe]

3. Do you use an ad blocker?

If not, install the adguard browser extension, it works great, I never see ads on Facebook, YouTube etc.


https://adguard.com/en/adguard-browser-extension/overview.html

[Woodswalker]

5. I'm going to look into this.

[PatSeg]

26. I don't think that will work on these kinds of Facebook ads

These ads are posts that show up in your newsfeed. You can indicate a preference to not see certain ads or report ones that you feel violate Facebook's policies. I have found tons of ads that are blatant scams - reduced USPS postage stamps, $1500 laptops for $69, and $2500 transformer scooters for only $89. As fast as they are taken down, more pop up.

Apparently Facebook has no adequate screening process for their advertisers and a lot of "Princes from Nigeria" have found a new venue. Some of their ads are so ridiculous, it is hard to believe anyone falls for them, but I'm sure there are a few.

[lamp_shade]

4. I get none at all. When I first signed up for FB many years ago I answered the

question Political Views as "Proud Liberal". Maybe that's why I get zero right wing political ads.

[Progressive Jones]

29. I get right wing ads all the time. Probably due to the shit I dump all over the right. nt

[electric_blue68]

6. Oh, dear! I get ads but not those (thank goodness!).

[left-of-center2012]

7. I get none of that on Facebook

I have been using it for some years to keep in touch with family and friends.
I also belong to several Facebook groups which post cartoons, humor, jokes, etc

I have read all the complaints on DU about Facebook
but I don't see any of that when I go there.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

14. same here.

But the people who have zero critical thinking ability see them.

[obamanut2012]

23. same and same

My sponsored ads are nothing like that.

[left-of-center2012]

28. "sponsored ads"

If I 'google' the internet for something,
I may see ads on Facebook for similar items.

google "review room air fresheners"

Then I'll see ads for Glade, etc.

[Auggie]

8. Have you tried deleting your browser history, and removing all cookies?

I do every once in a while. Its amazing what can accumulate just by clicking on links found in D.U., for example.

You'll have to sign into DU (and Facebook again), but I found its worth it. I also use private browsing mode at times. And I have three different browser apps that I use along with two different search engines, one of which, DuckDuckGo, doesn't track you.

[NJCher]

13. The duck is excellent

The best search results with none of the garbage.

[Woodswalker]

16. I might go with this. Good advice

[Scrivener7]

21. It is. I don't know why anyone would use google.

[Woodswalker]

17. Many times. Hasn't helped

[Auggie]

27. Evercookie? Supercookie?

There is -- or used to be -- Java-script programming that could identify what cookies were being deleted from your browser and automatically reproduce them. They're called "evercookies" or "supercookies." I has them once. Drove me nuts.

From wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evercookie

If you do discover cookies that reappear after you delete them, do a search for how to delete evercookies/supercookies.

[captain queeg]

9. Good advice

[left-of-center2012]

10. You can go into your Facebook settings and control ads

Have you done that?

If you do not know how you can Google it.

[Woodswalker]

15. I have

[KT2000]

11. My page has been taken over

by ads. Barely look at it any more.

[Beachnutt]

12. Deleted my account years ago

no drama and don't miss it at all

[Woodswalker]

18. Let's Go Brandon

Tshirts, bumper stickers. I'll admit I may be partially to blame for hitting the comments in these ads. In the most negative way of course. But that's probably what put me on their radar

[left-of-center2012]

19. ok

I am out of ideas.

[blogslug]

20. This browser plugin is very helpful

It allows the user to hide numerous FB features and irritants.

https://www.fbpurity.com/

[genxlib]

22. Yes!!!

Apparently Facebook thinks I am an asshole.

It isn't ads for me as much as suggested content. They keep feeding me shit from Confederacy fawning, pro police, war porn, etc.

Somehow their algorithm has tagged me as a simpleminded southern conservative who loves all that shit. It has the veneer of being good natured but carries some seriously fucked up undertones.

The most offensive I saw a few days ago was about a Confederate leader that was being hailed as a good guy because he proposed that slaves be freed if they agreed to fight for the confederacy. They literally compared it to the Emancipation Proclamation without any concept of irony. WTF!

The problem I have is that I have very low volume interaction so I don't give them a lot of data in postings or reactions. The one topic I occasionally post about is my work in search and rescue. I had a number of those surrounding Surfside and the 9/11 anniversary (both of which I worked). Somehow, it seems the algorithm connected dots from USAR to First Responder to Pro-police and I have been paying the price ever since.

Now I am left wondering whether I have to start interacting heavily in the opposite direction just to retrain the algorithm.

The only benefit is that I get a window into the other side and I can see how insidious it is.

And for those of you so inclined...spare me the lectures about just dropping Facebook

[Woodswalker]

31. Exactly.

I'm pretty sure it's the window to the other side thing. Really shows what these people are about and it's mind blowing.

[MrsCoffee]

24. I get ads for robotic knees, farm delivery services and vacation spots.

None of which I really mind, because my docs want me to get knee replacements, I hate to go out for groceries and I really, really, really need a long vacation.

But I don't post and I only go to Facebook to see pictures of my grandkids and my nephew in Japan.

[we can do it]

25. Still a moneygrubbing, traitorous piece of shit.

[DeeNice]

30. I noticed the same thing, and it was a sudden change.

I hide most, report them if they are blatantly dishonest. I have also noticed that it's become harder to report individual posts (on my ipad app at least). Mostly I do this with false information about covid & the vaccine. I'm not one to report everything I don't like or disagree with. But anyway what happens is you go through the report process but then it will go to a greyed out screen and the spinning wheel will stay there until you kill the app and restart it. No idea if the report actually went through.

[Woodswalker]

32. Exactly

Happened right after a thirty day ban I received back in the fall. Almost like an extended punishment, lol!

[634-5789]

33. And that's why I don't have a FB account.

[lagomorph777]

34. Do you seriously think Falsebook pays attention to your settings?

Time and again, that has been proven to be flagrantly false.

Those settings (especially the "privacy" and "security" settings) are like the "Close Door" button in an elevator. Just there to trick the rubes.

Close your account and you won't have to see the bullshit.

[Maeve]

35. AdBlock Plus and/or FBPurity.com will fix that right up

Used both for years, no ads, not problems

[sarcasmo]

36. Right wing cesspool book.