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One time my wife and I had a random conversation, utterly random, about cat hamster wheels. Like, why doesn't that exist? I got an ad for it the next day (it ex

by bentt 1y ago

One time my wife and I had a random conversation, utterly random, about cat hamster wheels. Like, why doesn't that exist? I got an ad for it the next day (it exists). I don't believe that my phone is not listening to me and I challenge you to choose a random word out of the dictionary and say it 100 times in front of your phone.

gruez 1y ago
>I don't believe that my phone is not listening to me and I challenge you to choose a random word out of the dictionary and say it 100 times in front of your phone. The person making the claim should be responsible for furnishing the proof. If it's really so simple to prove, why hasn't anyone done a carefully controlled experiment proving this once and for all? At the very least, it'd move us beyond vague anecdotes on social media.
- latexr 1y ago
  > If it's really so simple to prove, why hasn't anyone done a carefully controlled experiment proving this once and for all? They did, and found no listening being done. It’s in the article under “The data doesn't add up”.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
latexr 1y ago
> I challenge you to choose a random word out of the dictionary and say it 100 times in front of your phone. That test has been done. It is explained at length in the article under the heading “The data doesn't add up”.
sroussey 1y ago
It’s too easy to check on your phone if such a thing were happening. Your TV though… that IS listening and the TV even has options to disable it. It’s on every TV shipped in at least the last 5 years, maybe 10.
tsoukase 1y ago
A few times per year I similarly have a conversation with my wife at night (lastly about a hair type) and the next morning a corresponding ad was presented at her at Facebook (shampoo). Only her Android phone was at the room (open, logged in Facebook in Chrome, no app). I definitely believe they hear us but they trigger the action with care and selectively, so as not to get caught (eg to low tech people, when the ad is very relevant to the need etc). I am astonished that nobody had ever done a reverse engineering research yet.
- saagarjha 1y ago
  People have! They haven't found anything yet.
- latexr 1y ago
  > but they trigger the action with care and selectively, so as not to get caught (eg to low tech people That would be an awful plan. Low tech people are the ones who most frequently complain of this because they have no basis to think it wouldn’t happen. > I am astonished that nobody had ever done a reverse engineering research yet. They have. It’s described in the article.
- Suppafly 1y ago
  >I am astonished that nobody had ever done a reverse engineering research yet. They have, what you think is happening has been disproven tons of times. You just don't want to believe it.
hammock 1y ago
Was there a smart tv in the room with you during that conversation?
- bentt 1y ago
  good point!
sanswork 1y ago
And then your wife went and looked them up to see if they do exist and your IP was added for retargeting.
Suppafly 1y ago
>One time my wife and I had a random conversation, utterly random, about cat hamster wheels. Like, why doesn't that exist? I got an ad for it the next day (it exists). Your wife probably googled them as soon as you were done talking about them and then you using the same network got an ad for them.

by bentt 1y ago

gruez 1y ago

>I don't believe that my phone is not listening to me and I challenge you to choose a random word out of the dictionary and say it 100 times in front of your phone. The person making the claim should be responsible for furnishing the proof. If it's really so simple to prove, why hasn't anyone done a carefully controlled experiment proving this once and for all? At the very least, it'd move us beyond vague anecdotes on social media.

latexr 1y ago
> If it's really so simple to prove, why hasn't anyone done a carefully controlled experiment proving this once and for all? They did, and found no listening being done. It’s in the article under “The data doesn't add up”.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]

latexr 1y ago

> I challenge you to choose a random word out of the dictionary and say it 100 times in front of your phone. That test has been done. It is explained at length in the article under the heading “The data doesn't add up”.

sroussey 1y ago

It’s too easy to check on your phone if such a thing were happening. Your TV though… that IS listening and the TV even has options to disable it. It’s on every TV shipped in at least the last 5 years, maybe 10.

tsoukase 1y ago

A few times per year I similarly have a conversation with my wife at night (lastly about a hair type) and the next morning a corresponding ad was presented at her at Facebook (shampoo). Only her Android phone was at the room (open, logged in Facebook in Chrome, no app). I definitely believe they hear us but they trigger the action with care and selectively, so as not to get caught (eg to low tech people, when the ad is very relevant to the need etc). I am astonished that nobody had ever done a reverse engineering research yet.

saagarjha 1y ago
People have! They haven't found anything yet.
latexr 1y ago
> but they trigger the action with care and selectively, so as not to get caught (eg to low tech people That would be an awful plan. Low tech people are the ones who most frequently complain of this because they have no basis to think it wouldn’t happen. > I am astonished that nobody had ever done a reverse engineering research yet. They have. It’s described in the article.
Suppafly 1y ago
>I am astonished that nobody had ever done a reverse engineering research yet. They have, what you think is happening has been disproven tons of times. You just don't want to believe it.

hammock 1y ago

Was there a smart tv in the room with you during that conversation?

bentt 1y ago
good point!

sanswork 1y ago

And then your wife went and looked them up to see if they do exist and your IP was added for retargeting.

Suppafly 1y ago

>One time my wife and I had a random conversation, utterly random, about cat hamster wheels. Like, why doesn't that exist? I got an ad for it the next day (it exists). Your wife probably googled them as soon as you were done talking about them and then you using the same network got an ad for them.