Re:A man using Google ad data to help heroin users
by texasbigdata on Monday December 09, 2019 @10:55AM
(#21743649)
I've used call rail before. They don't IIRC. I believe he's using the IP (from Google?) since he says "Yet Callrail still withholds your IP address (exact location) from us.". So it seems he's taking 1) Your IP, 2) Your Phone Number and 3) matching your phone number to your name (I don't think call rail does this natively, unless you have a CRM).
I'm not a Call Rail expert, but couldn't you do this with a pixel or alternative measure? Like really you're baiting them into calling you, then layering on the IP of their device to triangulate where they likely are.
Re:A man using Google ad data to help heroin users
by mrandish on Monday December 09, 2019 @12:19PM
(#21744367)
There are data brokers who claim to turn a phone number into a billing address zip code probably relinking via some credit card company or bank selling "anonymized" data.
Re:A man using Google ad data to help heroin users
by endsofinvention on Monday December 09, 2019 @10:49AM
(#21743599)
Google Ads allow audience targeting based on user interests or affinity groups. This is inferred using past Google searches and pages visited. An advertiser can add as many of these groups as they want to a campaign and get visibility into their visitors' interests.
> By syncing Google Ads with Callrail, your name and address is tied to your click (and all your other data) when you conduct a certain action on a website that an ad directs to. (Clicking a phone number on the website, for example).
How does Callrail have people's name and address? None of the data relinking the article describes should be made possible by Google and Callrail. If true, this is obviously illegal.