Hah, woke up to a ping about a surge in my website traffic. Thanks for submitting OP!

OP of the Facebook Ads Prank here, AMA.

I read that it's no longer possible to micro target ads in this way. Is it accurate or are there still ways to do it?

PS: The link at the bottom of the page says that "This typeform is private" http://www.ghostinfluence.com/register

The general framework is still possible; small groups, not individuals.

Here's a guide for how I've been using the strategy since 2014:

https://mythos.one/brianswichkow/d2a91e

Thanks for letting me know about the dead link!

This is one of my all time favorite blog posts.

Would it still work if you use the method in the edit?

For targeting an individual, not likely. Though I haven't tried it in some time.

Though—since publishing this—I've had meaningful wins with campaigns targeting 20-50 person audiences so as to convert B2B sales, secure venture capital, etc.

Knowing exactly what you want/need and who from your intend to acquire it makes the social engineering aspect much simpler to accomplish.

Needs a (2014) in title.

Added. Thanks!

Now you can do this on most sites, not only Facebook. Google Adsense has a Customer Match [1] feature that allows you to target ads to the list of emails or phones so it opens new possibilities for digital stalking.

[1] https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/7474263

more of a human interest story than a technical breakdown of any kind... the kind of story i don’t come to HN for.

but i loved it. well played indeed.