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byziphone4

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 30, 2011
87
3
How does the ads in Game Pigeon for iMessage know my search history?? It appears to be Amazon items I’ve searched for... but I noticed this as I was playing and when waiting for the other opponent to play it shows ads of items that I’ve searched for before. How is this possible considering it’s iMessage and Apple being secure???
 

byziphone4

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 30, 2011
87
3
Sorry but I have to ask.. Is “cookies” really a good enough answer... not trying to pick, but I clear my cookies very frequently... and how can something in iMessage(an app for iMessage really, Game Pigeon) pull from Safari? I can understand cookies from website to website... but from website to an iMessage app seems not secure. And with iOS being so secure it seems iOS wouldn’t allow such a crossover??
 

MandiMac

macrumors 65816
Feb 25, 2012
1,431
882
Simplified, it is a good enough answer.
Ads in games are like websites: They load themselves in the background and present themselves to you as the ad banners we all came to love. (That’s why if you play such a game without internet connection, there will be no ads.) Just because it‘s an iMessage app that happens to load ads/websites, this does not mean iMessage with its end-to-end encryption is any less secure.
 

byziphone4

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 30, 2011
87
3
Simplified, it is a good enough answer.
Ads in games are like websites: They load themselves in the background and present themselves to you as the ad banners we all came to love. (That’s why if you play such a game without internet connection, there will be no ads.) Just because it‘s an iMessage app that happens to load ads/websites, this does not mean iMessage with its end-to-end encryption is any less secure.
This explanation helps a little bit more.

So basically the ad works like a website and collects cookies... how can this be prevented?? It’s a little creepy knowing Game Pigeon knows what I am searching for! Nothing like playing a game with someone to see an ad that’s personal of something you searched for.
[automerge]1579546584[/automerge]
Game pigeon is obviously collecting data.. since the ads are from past searches and cookies being cleared.
 
Last edited:

MandiMac

macrumors 65816
Feb 25, 2012
1,431
882
This explanation helps a little bit more.

So basically the ad works like a website and collects cookies... how can this be prevented?? It’s a little creepy knowing Game Pigeon knows what I am searching for! Nothing like playing a game with someone to see an ad that’s personal of something you searched for.
[automerge]1579546584[/automerge]
Game pigeon is obviously collecting data.. since the ads are from past searches and cookies being cleared.
Small question? Are you seeing these ads or the other person? If it's only you, you have nothing to worry about. Of course Game Pigeon (or their ad server) know which ads they have served you before, so they'll use that data when you delete your cookies. Sound plausible?
 

byziphone4

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 30, 2011
87
3
Small question? Are you seeing these ads or the other person? If it's only you, you have nothing to worry about. Of course Game Pigeon (or their ad server) know which ads they have served you before, so they'll use that data when you delete your cookies. Sound plausible?

Only I can see... so yes nothing to worry about there.

I actually found you can limit ad tracking on iOS.. does that take care of these issues mentioned here or only App Store and Apple News ads?
 

MandiMac

macrumors 65816
Feb 25, 2012
1,431
882
Only I can see... so yes nothing to worry about there.

I actually found you can limit ad tracking on iOS.. does that take care of these issues mentioned here or only App Store and Apple News ads?
It should limit cross-tracking between sites, yes. But it can‘t stop a site showing you the same ads because the sites know exactly what they‘re showing to you. So if you limit ad tracking and search for new items like bags, it shouldn‘t show up so much :)
 

sprague.rod

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2017
101
47
Really I should correct that. Although the site obviously uses cookies this phenomenon is more about trackers.
 

cics

macrumors regular
Dec 6, 2016
126
81
Milano
This explanation helps a little bit more.

So basically the ad works like a website and collects cookies... how can this be prevented?? It’s a little creepy knowing Game Pigeon knows what I am searching for! Nothing like playing a game with someone to see an ad that’s personal of something you searched for.
[automerge]1579546584[/automerge]
Game pigeon is obviously collecting data.. since the ads are from past searches and cookies being cleared.

Game Pigeons or any other publisher doesn't know what you searched for and they are not collecting data. They are just a container. Amazon is collecting data and Amazon is showing you the banner ad, using Game Pigeon as a vehicle (or any other game/website of the ad-network they use).
 
Last edited:
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sprague.rod

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2017
101
47
Well put, that sums it up really well. Everyone should try Ghostery, at least for a while. It’s a real education.
 
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