Held at Spring Creek Station Saturday, 18th May, 2019
Ladies gathered at Spring Creek Station to tackle this massive topic. Our guest, Melanie Tesch drew us into the world of advertising on Facebook, how it works and just how and why those intrusive ads appear in our browsers so well-targeted. Ladies had pen and paper in hand and really appreciated receiving relevant, hot tips and practical advice.
Mel shared an eye-opening BBC video on the recent emergent understanding of how America’s presidential campaign was influenced by skillfully, frighteningly well-targeted messages. BBC news Article Check it out.
Each lady had an opportunity to explore their fears, analyse the true risk and together agree on some appropriate strategies to mitigate those risks. Such fears identified were:
– Transacting on line and the fear of credit card fraud
– Having your identity stolen
– The future of artificial intelligence
Mel gave us her five hot tips:
1. Use an ad blocker in your browser
2. Use incognito mode in your browser
3. Understand that you are providing data to these companies
4. Use apple maps rather than google maps. (Google retains the data of your trips and collates them with other data in your profile. Apple discards the details of your trip once completed.)
5. Ensure websites are secure (padlock, ssl, https://)
BONUS TIP: Limit and actively reduce your time on-line, get off social media and experience real moments with friends and family.
Over the course of the afternoon I identified the following practical advice that emerged in the discussion
– Check your sense of outrage. If you are feeling outraged about something you see, you are likely being manipulated. Tread cautiously.
– If it appears ‘too good to be true’, it probably is
– Revise privacy settings regularly – they are changing and refining them all the time
– Fear of missing out can be exploited – advertising uses scarcity as a key motivating tactic. Tread warily
– Try to minimise use of location services, e.g. when an application is in use
– Be open and prepared to continue learning – expect and embrace change
– Don’t be a afraid to try, you won’t break anything