6 ms·

This was happening to me until I removed Facebook and Facebook Messenger from my phone. I believe these apps listen to conversations even when you aren’t using

by txsh 8y ago

This was happening to me until I removed Facebook and Facebook Messenger from my phone. I believe these apps listen to conversations even when you aren’t using them. I am not alone in believing this.

jdlyga 8y ago
Just revoke microphone access.
methodover 8y ago
That is unreasonable conspiratorial thinking. Please don't believe it.
- thebouv 8y ago
  Except when it is real: https://www.wired.com/2016/11/block-ultrasonic-signals-didnt-know-tracking/ https://www.wired.com/2016/11/block-ultrasonic-signals-didnt... https://thehackernews.com/2017/05/ultrasonic-tracking-signals-apps.html https://thehackernews.com/2017/05/ultrasonic-tracking-signal... https://www.wired.com/2017/05/hundreds-apps-can-listen-beacons-cant-hear/ https://www.wired.com/2017/05/hundreds-apps-can-listen-beaco...
  - lozf 8y ago
    This kind of Ultrasonic tracking i.e listening for a set of specific frequencies that are too high for most humans to perceive is much less complex then actual speech recognition, and consequently much more pragmatic.
dingaling 8y ago
Say that only half of Facebook's users have the apps: one billion Say that the average within-microphone-range presence of each user is five hours per day. Probably a huge underestimate. Do you really think that Facebook would devote enough server time to parse five billion hours of mumbling audio each and every day? That's several times longer than the total viewing of YouTube each day.
- vokep 8y ago
  its not that expensive, the transfer of raw audio to the server would probably be a bigger problem to deal with. Likely the processing is done on the phone. Either way its not cool, using YOUR data or battery to do their processing to target you with ads. Its likely a passive listening for keywords kind of thing.
Lordarminius 8y ago
> I believe these apps listen to conversations even when you aren’t using them. I am not alone in believing this. I have evidence of same and it may not be just FB and Messanger Last week a co-worker engaged me in a discussion concerning her father-in-laws diagnosis of prostate cancer. This lasted about 20 or 30 minutes. I had my cell phone on me. I do not have FB or Messanger. I do not deal with cancer cases at work. I did not google any information on prostate cancer. I did not send any mails pertaining to prostate cancer or any other form of cancer. Two days later I start getting ads and suggestions for prostate cancer treatment options. How unlikely should that be? I am trying to reproduce the effect by talking about other rare disease conditions with my phone switched on. If the bugger is spying on me I'd like to know.
- poulsbohemian 8y ago
  What kind of phone? The rest of us might want to get in on this test too.
  - Lordarminius 8y ago
    Motorola running the latest version of Android; but I suspect it is the google search feature that is doing the snooping.
- johnward 8y ago
  I have absolutely no proof but I swear this happens to me and my wife all the time. We just talk about things then end up seeing ads for them. I'm on android and she is on iOS.
- vokep 8y ago
  Even getting ads for related things could happen now. I'd suggest thinking of something entirely new, and begin talking about it, but make sure you do not enter that term or anything too closely related to it into any kind of text field. (or rather, only enter into text fields which should be 100% private)

by txsh 8y ago

jdlyga 8y ago

Just revoke microphone access.

methodover 8y ago

That is unreasonable conspiratorial thinking. Please don't believe it.

thebouv 8y ago
Except when it is real: https://www.wired.com/2016/11/block-ultrasonic-signals-didnt-know-tracking/ https://www.wired.com/2016/11/block-ultrasonic-signals-didnt... https://thehackernews.com/2017/05/ultrasonic-tracking-signals-apps.html https://thehackernews.com/2017/05/ultrasonic-tracking-signal... https://www.wired.com/2017/05/hundreds-apps-can-listen-beacons-cant-hear/ https://www.wired.com/2017/05/hundreds-apps-can-listen-beaco...
- lozf 8y ago
  This kind of Ultrasonic tracking i.e listening for a set of specific frequencies that are too high for most humans to perceive is much less complex then actual speech recognition, and consequently much more pragmatic.

dingaling 8y ago

Say that only half of Facebook's users have the apps: one billion Say that the average within-microphone-range presence of each user is five hours per day. Probably a huge underestimate. Do you really think that Facebook would devote enough server time to parse five billion hours of mumbling audio each and every day? That's several times longer than the total viewing of YouTube each day.

vokep 8y ago
its not that expensive, the transfer of raw audio to the server would probably be a bigger problem to deal with. Likely the processing is done on the phone. Either way its not cool, using YOUR data or battery to do their processing to target you with ads. Its likely a passive listening for keywords kind of thing.

Lordarminius 8y ago

> I believe these apps listen to conversations even when you aren’t using them. I am not alone in believing this. I have evidence of same and it may not be just FB and Messanger Last week a co-worker engaged me in a discussion concerning her father-in-laws diagnosis of prostate cancer. This lasted about 20 or 30 minutes. I had my cell phone on me. I do not have FB or Messanger. I do not deal with cancer cases at work. I did not google any information on prostate cancer. I did not send any mails pertaining to prostate cancer or any other form of cancer. Two days later I start getting ads and suggestions for prostate cancer treatment options. How unlikely should that be? I am trying to reproduce the effect by talking about other rare disease conditions with my phone switched on. If the bugger is spying on me I'd like to know.

poulsbohemian 8y ago
What kind of phone? The rest of us might want to get in on this test too.
- Lordarminius 8y ago
  Motorola running the latest version of Android; but I suspect it is the google search feature that is doing the snooping.
johnward 8y ago
I have absolutely no proof but I swear this happens to me and my wife all the time. We just talk about things then end up seeing ads for them. I'm on android and she is on iOS.
vokep 8y ago
Even getting ads for related things could happen now. I'd suggest thinking of something entirely new, and begin talking about it, but make sure you do not enter that term or anything too closely related to it into any kind of text field. (or rather, only enter into text fields which should be 100% private)