So I had a verbal conversation with a coworker yesterday and now I’m getting fed very specific ads. No possible way it’s accidental. I have most of the microphone access to apps limited, I have Google assistant turned off and no VPA setup in my home. I use a Oneplus 9 pro, does anyone have recommendations on how to further root cause this or just par for the course for using any standard android OS? Have other folks had similar experience after locking down their stock phones?
The thing with tailored ads is, you’re more predictable than you think you are. Source: am a data scientist (not in advertisement).
your coworker might’ve looked up things related to the conversation, and the ad provider figured out that you two are in the same social circle. so far I haven’t seen any actual research that would prove that ads are tailored based on microphone recordings (and actually seen the results stating the opposite a few years ago), just a bunch of anecdotal stories.
This. It’s a form of cognitive bias. You notice when you see ads for something you’ve been thinking about, but you don’t notice the dozens of other times you get ads for things that are completely irrelevant to you. If they were actually doing it, you’d notice it happening all the time.
That’s actually a great point. He is older and uses a dumb phone but we have been working with each other over 5 years so there are going to be lots of connections to each other. Furthermore this coincidental ad is rare, I haven’t gotten one like this in awhile.
There are people who google stuff while being logged into google?
I have 0 apps allowed microphone access all the time.
There is no evidence that phones are snooping on people, but I would say even if unlikely it’s a reasonable concern given what companies do get up to.
However it is more likely the ads were being served because of all the other data you’re allowing Google to scrape from you all the time rather than the phone mic.
Rather than focusing on the microphone, look at the bigger picture of how your data is being pillaged by Google all the time.
For me, I switched away from Gmail, stopped using their search engine, use Firefox and not Chrome, and don’t use their other services where possible. I have android on my phone and use Google maps and Google home. It’s still a huge problem but I use that part of the ecosystem for convenience and no other. Similarly on PC I don’t use Google for anything where I can avoid it, use Firefox containers to keep Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta data as separate as possible, plus I use Linux and VPN as needed, and lots of privacy extensions in Firefox.
It’s possible to minimise your data exposure to the big tech companies, but difficult to severe completely. You could go even further and switch from android to Graphene OS (I have seriously considered this).
I would go by the principle of compartmentalising your data as much as possible and limiting access to snooping eyes. The transition can be hard but once you’ve done it you get used to using disparate unnonnected services. Like I really don’t need or benefit from my email data being connected to my data storage or my search engine; it’s a false convenience that benefitted Google only.
Thank you for the super thoughtful response. I’m in the process of fully ditching Windows. I use Vpn whenever I’m not home, I run my own cloud services, last big leap is to switch to graphene when I upgrade my phone and ditch the gmail accounts. I’m close and so finding this shockingly specific article got me thinking. Usually the articles are indeed spot on accurate but expected, not obscure yet specific.
Before caller ID people were SURE they were psychic because ‘I was just thinking about them and they phoned’
The reality is the odds of things like that never happening are far more unlikely than it happening occasionally
Every single example of this happening is anecdotal. The people who tried to properly investigate this have not found it to be true. If you find a video of an actual serious research who proves this is true then I’ll admit that I’m wrong. Otherwise these types of posts are useless
A few years ago, I’ve read an article where the journalists investigated this. They asked to Facebook it they actually do it and Facebook confirmed.
Gonna need to see a source on that one, please.
404 Media has been investigating it. They have evidence of companies offering this service, both on their websites and through sources who say they’ve been pitched the product by company representatives. Many questions still remain but I’m not sure this issue can be dismissed as easily as it once was.
Can you summarize their findings? Did they find evidence that this is being done in the wild without opt in or disclosure? Just because it’s possible doesn’t mean it’s being used. Obviously the tech to spy on people via microphone isn’t crazy complicated. The question is whether most apps use it. The amount of data that would be uploaded on people’s data plans would be absurd. I’m very skeptical that this is actually widely used in mainstream apps.
There have been SO many tests of this and not a single one has showed this actually happening… Just because one single company tried to brag about a tech project to get free PR doesn’t mean this is actually used…
Just because one single company
It was more than one company. Please read the article or listen to the podcast. And no, I will not summarise them for you. Stop being lazy.
I can’t read the damn articles because the site is paywalled…I much rather read an article than listen to a 45 minute podcast. That is why I asked you to summarize. Thanks for being unhelpful though!
Also, the podcast stream itself has like 2 minute ads interrupting me every time i skip forwards or backwards. For a source so dedicated to anti-intrusive advertising, it sure as hell is riddled to fuck with intrusive advertisements. Thanks for the amazing source ;-).
The podcast doesn’t have 2 minute ads every time you skip. Get a better podcast app.
Well I just tried it on 3 browsers and 2 mobile browsers and they all say i have to be a paid member to read the articles. I’ll watch the video then but I much rather read.
@czardestructo@lemmy.world you should have a listen to this as well (or read the articles it’s based on). What you are describing may not be as tinfoil as some people believe.
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I had a friend that was convinced that facebook was listening because she was talking about some ice cream and later got an ad for said ice cream.
Well, of fucking course you got an ad for ice cream. It’s fucking summer, you will get ads for ice cream in the summer.
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I am using a deGoogled phone and also doing browser separation, I only use google in chromium, never for searching stuff. I was talking about getting an electric toothbrush and my wife googled a big brand to check the price (she does not care about privacy). About 10 minutes later ad blocking was not working for some reason and I starter getting toothbrush ads. I would say it knew somehow that we were in the same household and targeted us both.
It’s more likely that ad networks are showing you ads based on the other person being in vicinity and having things in common. I don’t think voice snooping is the main cause here
pinephone has hardware killswitch. but that cant protect you from other devices like other ppl phones.
Just get a Pixel and flash GrapheneOS.
I’ve never had this happen to me but I am always on a a Degoogled version of Android such as GrapheneOS, DivestOS or /e/ OS.
It’s scary how accurate they can predict you with what data they have; they don’t need to tap your microphone.
You’re on a OnePlus; there’s always a status bar icon if the microphone is active.
Think of what led to your conversation? Everything related to it you saw or searched online that could’ve later triggered you to talk about the subject, could also trigger them to serve you ads about it later. Perhaps your friend was the one, and the ad companies have linked you together, ie. by tracking your location and contacts.
And now you’ve noticed the adverts, you’ll notice them much more, where you’d normally ignore them completely. Furthermore, if you noticed these ads, you might’ve clicked them or stopped scrolling and stared at them too long in a wtf moment and now the ad companies know, so they’ll serve you a whole lot more of the same.
I’ve seen ads for things I’ve only thought about but haven’t actually done any searches or even talked about yet. Innocuous stuff too, like a movie I wanted to buy on DVD. An older movie at that.
It’s very eerie.
They are probably just predictions based on the data the advertising companies gathered on you and you just happened to notice the ones that you only thought about.
Even if it’s entirely random you’re bound to run into some spooky occurrences.
You’re on a OnePlus; there’s always a status bar icon if the microphone is active.
This is a feature I think for all new Androids (at least pixel). BUT it does not cover all apps. System apps can hide it. Quick example, activate Google assistant voice activation. You should be seen the icon all the time, but likely you don’t.
I do see it on OnePlus though with all voice apps, including Google assistant. I think OxygenOS is not hiding it
I bet using an adblock would make it much more difficult for your phone to call home. Try adaway
Why would you use that software in the first place
