[SkinnyPupp]

Yesterday at lunch my wife and I were talking about what shoes she should buy for work. I recommended Keds. I probably said the brand a few times during the conversation.

Later that night, I fire up Chrome, and there are Keds ads ALL OVER the first site I visit. Keds for Women specifically. I have never seen a Keds ad before, or even an ad for shoes. Also I have personalised ads disabled on my Google account.

Note that this was a VOCAL conversation we had, not texting back and forth in messenger apps filled with spyware. The phone was turned off, in my pocket.

I've heard rumours that Apple has been doing this for a while, and that Google was going to start soon. I never believed it, because they are usually pretty up front about these things. I still don't know for sure if it was a coincidence or not, but when I posted the story on my Facebook, plenty of people claim to have had similar things happen to them.

Have any of you had this happen? What do you think?

[Sir_Loin]

https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/iOS/ios10-iphone6-settings-privacy-advertising-limit-ad-tracking-on.jpg

[SkinnyPupp]

^

Also I have personalised ads disabled on my Google account.

[Hondaracer]

This has happened to me fairly frequently lately, iPhone 6 before I upgraded

Wifey was razing me about tampons of all things, probably mentioned them a few times jokingly trying to annoy me etc. then I'm sitting in the couch reading a few articles on different sites and there are tampon ad'a at the top..

[tiger_handheld]

Can you talk to your wife about Toyota Corolla and report back? Only way to test it.

[SkinnyPupp]

I might try something like that. It would be pretty easy to tell, because I have targeting disabled so the ads I usually get when I first open Chrome are just random shit

Just got the ad again LUL they even use an Asian model

http://i.imgur.com/S90QjHN.png

[StylinRed]

I have a "feature" on my phone that asks for permission to listen and record so as to provide a better listening experience to music/media, found it sketchy when I was given the prompt, now I'm even more suspicious lol

[Hehe]

maybe install a packet sniffer and see what kind of information is being sent by the phone?

This could be a huge story if someone can get to the bottom of this.

Edit: did a quick googling on the topic. FB seems to be the culprit. Let me see if I can dig something else.

What phone are you using SP and what app do you have installed (just the major ones)... might be easier to replicate.

[SkinnyPupp]

Nexus 5 with the basic stuff.. Only non google apps are Twitter, FB, FB Messenger, Whatsapp, Instagram Dropbox and a couple minor things

The ads I'm seeing are Google ads on their network, not on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter.

I don't think a packet sniffer would help as tons of info being sent to Google all the time anyway LUL

[PeanutButter]

Is it at all possible that your wife was looking at keds before she had a conversation with you?

This is very hard to believe, but not unbelievable.

[snowball]

Also the possibility that if you were on wifi they've attached your IP address to searches done on other addresses using the same wifi.

Every time I go to work I get these weird ass ads on all my devices... so I know what my coworkers have been googling... then I go home and they're gone.

[corollagtSr5]

^ X2

[SkinnyPupp]

Is it at all possible that your wife was looking at keds before she had a conversation with you?

This is very hard to believe, but not unbelievable.
Absolutely not possible. She didn't even know her current shoes were Keds replicas LUL

[snails]

I forget what I was chatting about inside mec yesterday, but when I got home every ad thst popped up was regarding this very specific thing...it was very weird as it's not something I have even looked online for. I don't even remember what it was, it was that specific

[twitchyzero]

your phone isn't even off, when it's off.

Even when you pull the battery there's probably some fucking wizardry still happening.

watch Citizenfour, the original interview with Snowden in hong kong. He makes sure to unplug the phones in his hotel room :lol

at least there's some solace knowing the government doesn't care too much about your shopping preferences.

[shawnly1000]

Facebook Says It Is Not Listening To Your Conversations For Ads Using Microphone Access (http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/06/07/facebook-audio-from-your-smartphone-microphone-is-not-being-used-for-ads)

[Discussion] Facebook listening to conversations through microphone? (https://www.reddit.com/r/jailbreak/comments/3nxjwt/discussion_facebook_listening_to_conversations)

[Traum]

Dude,

You need to start talking "Porsche", "Lamborghini", "Ferrari" when your wife's phone is around. Pretty soon, she'll be accustomed to seeing those ads, and she wouldn't be surprised if you show up with one of them in the garage.

Heck... I know what I'm gonna talk about with the wifey now~!

[stewie]

any chance you possibly activated your phone while talking to your wife?

I keep the double tap feature on my phone turned on and since I usually have it in my front pocket I'll tap it while walking with my hands in there and sometimes with just the screen facing my thigh it wake up the screen as I'm walking. I'll end up making pocket dials, texts that say "asdfj2309asdkjf a.,sdjfkd", turn the music on, open chrome etc.

I hope someone is listening in what I say when it's turned off lol. Who ever it is listening must think me and my boss deserve a one way ticket to the mental asylum while we're working all day at work lol.

[Hondaracer]

Also the possibility that if you were on wifi they've attached your IP address to searches done on other addresses using the same wifi.

Every time I go to work I get these weird ass ads on all my devices... so I know what my coworkers have been googling... then I go home and they're gone.

I think this is a part of it as well because I've also seen ads pop up on my phone for searches I've made on the computer

[SkinnyPupp]

The only wifi I use is at home. Besides, that would still be quite the coincidence, to be on the same wifi as someone who is searching for Keds, and somehow Google fucks up and attributes that search history to my account just because I happened to be on the same network.

This may be just a fluke, but a 100% random Keds ad would be much less of a fluke than that, IMO.

[6thGear.]

When my gf gets into the car to drive somewhere, her phone automatically tells her how long it'll take to get to the destination. Scares the shit out of her lol.

[Verdasco]

would smash that asian model


would not pull out / 10

[!Aznboi128]

I've never witness this myself on my iPhone but heard it from my friends on their android devices.

[dat_steve]

sounds like some Black Mirror shit right here

[StylinRed]

Oh are u using chrome? With a login? My mobiles chrome is linked to my desktop etc so I get the same tabs and bookmarks if I need em, imagine it works on searches and ads too

[TOPEC]

When my gf gets into the car to drive somewhere, her phone automatically tells her how long it'll take to get to the destination. Scares the shit out of her lol.

her phone is connected to the car's bluetooth? when google maps sees ur phone been connected to a car's bluetooth, it'll assume ur going somewhere, and it'll automatically calculate the time it takes to ur most frequent destination. in my case, my phone will always pop up a notification on how long it'll take for me to get to work during the day time, and in the evenings, it'll automatically pop a notification on how long it'll take to go home. just pray that when it pops up on her phone the destination is not to some other guy's house :lawl:

[meme405]

I tried this earlier.

I have an android Running newest software. I don't really turn off all the weird tracking shit, and whatever like I probably should. My settings are pretty loose.

So I picked a brand which I have no affiliation or previous experience with, A la OP I made sure it was a relatively easy, and single word brand. And a shoe company, just for good measure. So I yelled Vans at my phone for like 5 minutes (Like a crazy person literally).

It's now been 5 hours, surfed the web, drove home, switched off wifi, back on wifi, onto a new network, etc. And still no ads about Vans.

Obviously not a scientific test, but didn't work for me.

Skinny check your apps?

[6thGear.]

her phone is connected to the car's bluetooth? when google maps sees ur phone been connected to a car's bluetooth, it'll assume ur going somewhere, and it'll automatically calculate the time it takes to ur most frequent destination. in my case, my phone will always pop up a notification on how long it'll take for me to get to work during the day time, and in the evenings, it'll automatically pop a notification on how long it'll take to go home. just pray that when it pops up on her phone the destination is not to some other guy's house :lawl:

If its based off of routine sure...but I'm talking random spots she's heading to when she leaves work or home. Her phone would send a notification if say she went to Metrotown or her moms etc.

[Nlkko]

Your wife probably look up Keds and forget about it. You only needs to search the terms. For example clicking on links on Facebook is a sure way to get personalized ads. I get Indochino ads all the time because I follow the TV series Suits. In fact, it could show up on one of the ads on RevScene too. Facebook is arguably the biggest data bank in the world that everybody deposits daily, for free. And you know what, it's probably good that they could do all kind of machine learning out of it.

Of course there is a legal side of it that can get people paranoid quickly and rightfully so but there is a good side of it too.

[SkinnyPupp]

Your wife probably look up Keds and forget about it. You only needs to search the terms. For example clicking on links on Facebook is a sure way to get personalized ads. I get Indochino ads all the time because I follow the TV series Suits. In fact, it could show up on one of the ads on RevScene too. Facebook is arguably the biggest data bank in the world that everybody deposits daily, for free. And you know what, it's probably good that they could do all kind of machine learning out of it.

Of course there is a legal side of it that can get people paranoid quickly and rightfully so but there is a good side of it too.
Like I said, she didn't know what Keds were until I told her. Also, she'd never do a search using my Google account. Also like I said, all ad tracking is turned off. I never get relevant ads to my searches and history, only ads related to the actual site I'm on. For instance on RS I get nothing but automotive ads, or in the gaming forum I'll game game ads, etc. Everywhere else I get random crap LUL

This is either a complete fluke or something sketchy is going on. I was just wondering if others had a similar experience. People on my facebook say they did. But I don't know if they are as secure with their tracking as I am.

[Nlkko]

You know I would not be surprise. If they are running such thing, it is more likely scenario is that it is a focus test run on certain groups and not on a large scale. That means if RevScener trying to speak to their phone now they would probably not get the desired result.

There are devices that can ping shoppers' phone in the mall (without being connected to any WiFi) and get some very basic info like if you are a return shopper and how long you spend in the store, how many people are in the store at any time. I can only imagine the data they can get with you connect to the WiFi. This is why I'm sketch about free WiFi services like Shaw Open.

[SkinnyPupp]

Yeah I avoid public wifi completely. I have no idea why it's even considered a service. Why do you need wifi when you most likely have fast mobile internet anyway? Unless you're downloading huge files or streaming, there's really no need to be on wifi.

[Manic!]

Yeah I avoid public wifi completely. I have no idea why it's even considered a service. Why do you need wifi when you most likely have fast mobile internet anyway? Unless you're downloading huge files or streaming, there's really no need to be on wifi.

Data caps that's why. Some people only have a gig or less of data and shaw has wifi hotspots everywhere.
















Time to start a kickstarter campaign: A cover for your phone that blocks the mic so the phone can't her you.

I'm going to make millions!!!!!

[tacobell]

it's only a matter of time this becomes reality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU3GzYcb1g8

[FerrariEnzo]

google reads all your emails... lol how do you think google now (google assissant now) comes up with all these suggestions in your searches, trips, etc...

im sure apple is the same way in one way or another,...

[Presto]

Yeah I avoid public wifi completely. I have no idea why it's even considered a service. Why do you need wifi when you most likely have fast mobile internet anyway? Unless you're downloading huge files or streaming, there's really no need to be on wifi.

I'm PAYG for voice/text for ~$10/month. I am not gonna shell out money for another internet connection. Data comes through wifi. Typically, one of the many ShawOpen hotspots that are all over the place.

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

Keds are pretty popular women's shoes.

If she even searched for shoes that could show up.

I wouldn't rely on memory for proof. Memory is very unreliable.

[AzNightmare]

So have you been able to replicate this?

This has never happened to me before.
But I am VERY interested in turning this into an experiment and am wondering if you were able to replicate this by saying something else.

Personally, I don't believe this is possible and it may be a fluke.

[SkinnyPupp]

Keds are pretty popular women's shoes.

If she even searched for shoes that could show up.

I wouldn't rely on memory for proof. Memory is very unreliable.
She never searched for damn shoes why do people keep trying to suggest this WutFace

If she ever did I would never have brought this up.

[StylinRed]

I'm using wind and it's slow af, so I love the shaw hotspots, that ae literally everywhere

[SkinnyPupp]

Is the mobile service really that bad? LUL

[bcuzracecarz]

Yea this backfired on me a bit lol my phone keeps popping up with ads for engagement rings on my phone, when I have purposely avoided searching for them on my phone for this very reason. Only on my computer and occasionally tablet. Gf is starting to suspect and asking questions lol

[6o4__boi]

i only ever browse in incognito and i've never had this issue happen to me before

[CivicBlues]

https://i.imgflip.com/1d0nhq.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/1d0nhq)

[MG1]

But, I think out loud and talk to myself.............

I don't answer in a different voice. That would be messed up, so I answer in a different language, instead.

[GLOW]

2 pages in...how has CiC not yet posted in here??? :confused:

[unit]

would smash that asian model


would not pull out / 10

"would have sex with attractive member of the opposite sex"

[Nlkko]

2 pages in...how has CiC not yet posted in here??? :confused:

Probably went off the grid after reading the OP.

[Ducdesmo]

Here you go..this is probably why
Facebook is using smartphones to listen to what people say, professor suggests | The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-using-people-s-phones-to-listen-in-on-what-they-re-saying-claims-professor-a7057526.html)

[SkinnyPupp]

It wasn't facebook it was google. My facebook ad settings are so locked down, the ads and suggestions I get are actually ridiculous

Anyway, I'm going to enable google ad tracking, just to see what it looks like. Enabling EVERYTHING PogChamp

[iwantaskyline]

Is your mobile browser chrome? If it is and you are signed in to your google account and your desktop PC is also signed into that account it shares the history between each other.

So any searches done by your wife on your desktop PC could cause certain ads to appear on your mobile Chrome as well.

I use an ad blocker on my mobile so never noticed this myself.

[SkinnyPupp]

WutFace

[Presto]

Relevant article:

How to block the ultrasonic signals you didn?t know were tracking you | Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/11/how-to-block-the-ultrasonic-signals-you-didnt-know-were-tracking-you/)
Dystopian corporate surveillance threats today come at us from all directions. Companies offer “always-on” devices that listen for our voice commands, and marketers follow us around the web to create personalized user profiles so they can (maybe) show us ads we’ll actually click. Now marketers have been experimenting with combining those web-based and audio approaches to track consumers in another disturbingly science fictional way: with audio signals your phone can hear, but you can’t. And though you probably have no idea that dog whistle marketing is going on, researchers are already offering ways to protect yourself.

The technology, called ultrasonic cross-device tracking, embeds high-frequency tones that are inaudible to humans in advertisements, web pages, and even physical locations like retail stores. These ultrasound “beacons” emit their audio sequences with speakers, and almost any device microphone—like those accessed by an app on a smartphone or tablet—can detect the signal and start to put together a picture of what ads you’ve seen, what sites you’ve perused, and even where you’ve been. Now that you’re sufficiently concerned, the good news is that at the Black Hat Europe security conference on Thursday, a group based at University of California, Santa Barbara will present an Android patch and a Chrome extension that give consumers more control over the transmission and receipt of ultrasonic pitches on their devices.

Beyond the abstract creep factor of ultrasonic tracking, the larger worry about the technology is that it requires giving an app the ability to listen to everything around you, says Vasilios Mavroudis, a privacy and security researcher at University College London who worked on the research being presented at Black Hat. “The bad thing is that if you’re a company that wants to provide ultrasound tracking there is no other way to do it currently, you have to use the microphone,” says Mavroudis. “So you will be what we call ‘over-privileged,’ because you don’t need access to audible sounds but you have to get them.”

This type of tracking, offered by companies like Tapad and 4Info, has hardly exploded in adoption. But it’s persisted as more third party companies develop ultrasonic tools for a range of uses, like data transmission without Wi-Fi or other connectivity. The more the technology evolves, the easier it is to use in marketing. As a result, the researchers say that their goal is to help protect users from inadvertently leaking their personal information. “There are certain serious security shortcomings that need to be addressed before the technology becomes more widely used,” says Mavroudis. “And there is a lack of transparency. Users are basically clueless about what’s going on.”

Currently, when Android or iOS do require apps to request permission to use a phone’s microphone. But most users likely aren’t aware that by granting that permission, apps that use ultrasonic tracking could access their microphone—and everything it’s picking up, not just ultrasonic frequencies—all the time, even while they’re running in the background.

The researchers’ patch adjusts Android’s permission system so that apps have to make it clear that they’re asking for permission to receive inaudible inputs. It also allows users to choose to block anything the microphone picks up on the ultrasound spectrum. The patch isn’t an official Google release, but represents the researchers’ recommendations for a step mobile operating systems can take to offer more transparency.

To block the other end of those high-pitched audio communications, the group’s Chrome extension preemptively screens websites’ audio components as they load to keep the ones that emit ultrasounds from executing, thus blocking pages from emitting them. There are a few old services that the extension can’t screen, like Flash, but overall the extension works much like an ad-blocker for ultrasonic tracking. The researchers plan to post their patch and their extension available for download after their Black Hat presentation.

Ultrasonic tracking has been evolving for the last couple of years, and it is relatively easy to deploy since it relies on basic speakers and microphones instead of specialized equipment. But from the start, the technology has encountered pushback about its privacy and security limitations. Currently there are no industry standards for legitimizing beacons or allowing them to interoperate the way there are with a protocol like Bluetooth. And ultrasonic tracking transmissions are difficult to secure because they need to happen quickly for the technology to work. Ideally the beacons would authenticate with the receiving apps each time they interact to reduce the possibility that a hacker could create phony beacons by manipulating the tones before sending them. But the beacons need to complete their transmissions in the time it takes someone to briefly check a website or pass a store, and it’s difficult to fit an authentication process into those few seconds. The researchers say they’ve already observed one type of real-world attack in which hackers replay a beacon over and over to skew analytics data or alter the reported behavior of a user. The team also developed other types of theoretical attacks that take advantage of the lack of encryption and authentication on beacons.

The Federal Trade Commission evaluated ultrasonic tracking technology at the end of 2015, and the privacy-focused non-profit Center for Democracy and Technology wrote to the agency at the time that “the best solution is increased transparency and a robust and meaningful opt-out system. If cross-device tracking companies cannot give users these types of notice and control, they should not engage in cross-device tracking.” By March the FTC had drafted a warning letter to developers about a certain brand of audio beacon that could potentially track all of a users’ television viewing without their knowledge. That company, called Silverpush, has since ceased working on ultrasonic tracking in the United States, though the firm said at the time that its decision to drop the tech wasn’t related to the FTC probe.

More recently, two lawsuits filed this fall—each about the Android app of an NBA team—allege that the apps activated user microphones improperly to listen for beacons, capturing lots of other audio in the process without user knowledge. Two defendants in those lawsuits, YinzCam and Signal360, both told WIRED that they aren’t beacon developers themselves and don’t collect or store any audio in the spectrum that’s audible to humans.

But the researchers presenting at Black Hat argue that controversy over just how much audio ultrasonic tracking tools collect is all the more reason to create industry standards, so that consumers don’t need to rely on companies to make privacy-minded choices independently. “I don’t believe that companies are malicious, but currently the way this whole thing is implemented seems very shady to users,” says Mavroudis. Once there are standards in place, the researchers propose that mobile operating systems like Android and iOS could provide application program interfaces that restrict microphone access so ultrasonic tracking apps can only receive relevant data, instead of everything the microphone is picking up. “Then we get rid of this overprivileged problem where apps need to have access to the microphone, because they will just need to have access to this API,” Mavroudis says.

For anyone who’s not waiting for companies to rein in what kinds of audio they collect to track us, however, the UCSB and UCL researchers software offers a temporary fix. And that may be more appealing than the notion of your phone talking to advertisers behind your back—or beyond your audible spectrum.

[Eff-1]

I'm not as close to FB advertising products as I used to be, but to my knowledge FB doesn't yet sell to advertisers anything along the lines of "voice ads". If it fact this is happening, I would imagine FB would be actively selling this product. Unless it's still a beta being offered to select advertisers. For something like that, they could charge a significant premium over the usual rates.

For what it's worth, I feel like i've had this happen to me before too. I talk about something, and suddenly I see an ad on my FB news feed. I always assumed coincidence, but you never know these days...

[StylinRed]

Relevant article:

Mind literally blown

[coneZONE]

Ok this is pretty weird. Granted that I work in an automotive shop and listen to Chinese music and other North American pop etc, I just noticed on my phone Chrome browser, it showed a Chinese Lexus ad on the RS site, and a Chinese Telus ad. Yet I never have searched (especially not in Chinese) for phone plans or new cars lol

[MeowMeow]

Ok this is pretty weird. Granted that I work in an automotive shop and listen to Chinese music and other North American pop etc, I just noticed on my phone Chrome browser, it showed a Chinese Lexus ad on the RS site, and a Chinese Telus ad. Yet I never have searched (especially not in Chinese) for phone plans or new cars lol

I've been noticing a lot of Chinese advertisements too (even on rs)
.....but I'm not Chinese lol

[Marco911]

It wasn't facebook it was google. My facebook ad settings are so locked down, the ads and suggestions I get are actually ridiculous

Anyway, I'm going to enable google ad tracking, just to see what it looks like. Enabling EVERYTHING PogChamp

Even if you're not on facebook, their ads can appear outside the app. If you're not logged out of your FB account, FB tracks your movements on other web pages, and can deliver content specific ads.

[SkinnyPupp]

Even if you're not on facebook, their ads can appear outside the app. If you're not logged out of your FB account, FB tracks your movements on other web pages, and can deliver content specific ads.
Only if those sites are running their code though. I saw this banner on sites I know are only running Google code

Unless they're buying ad inventory from Google? Which I doubt, they have plenty of their own

[Hondaracer]

So here's some fucked up shit.. (and yea 4chan I know)

So I'm walking around metro to look at appliances, went from bestbuy, to sears, to the bay. I was taking pictures of relevant models and discussing washer/dryer in my iMessage but I never once searched anything In safari

While I'm waiting for the sales associate in the bay I open safari and look at the pop up ad at the bottom of the page:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/sniperslayer/3C85C23A-1C33-4D45-AFBD-A7FF01F188E6_zpstqckho3n.png (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/sniperslayer/media/3C85C23A-1C33-4D45-AFBD-A7FF01F188E6_zpstqckho3n.png.html)

And the ad for sears none the less! I had wifi turned off so it's not like it connected to sears wifi or anything either..

[Armind]

So I was out late on Sunday night, drank but didn't drive.

4 instagram accounts about driving services followed me overnight lol

[Presto]

Probably, Location Service is what gave you away.

[underscore]

If it's only done it with one thing, it's likely a fluke. I know you said your wife had never heard of Keds before, but doesn't that make it more likely that she looked them up in the time between your conversation and the time you saw the ads?

[SkinnyPupp]

If it's only done it with one thing, it's likely a fluke. I know you said your wife had never heard of Keds before, but doesn't that make it more likely that she looked them up in the time between your conversation and the time you saw the ads?
Nope, for one it was later that same day. Second her phone would have been on a different network from mine. If they're going to retarget her, it would be on her phone, not my PC. Third, our accounts aren't connected in any way. Although I may have logged onto her phone with my google account once to install an app, that would be long since removed.

[SkinnyPupp]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0SOxb_Lfps

[nsmb]

recently some recommended videos from youtube have been about topics i had discussed with the wife the night before, and even videos relating to a course i had to take for work... i mean come on..
anyone else experience this?

[asian_XL]

how can I disable google showing me ladyboy ad all the time? I keep getting it on Chrome at work.

[donk.]

how can I disable google showing me ladyboy ad all the time? I keep getting it on Chrome at work.

quit lookin up vacations to vietnam man

[Mr.HappySilp]

Doesn't seem to affect me. Or maybe I just don't care enough for ads. I don't even bother reading or looking at them lo.

[coneZONE]

Not relating to ads but i think Google Maps listens too...
If i even just mention an address before looking it up on the app, like just an address i've never been to, be it a house or business, it would autocomplete the suggestion address once I've typed two digits of the building number it

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

we live in a super-deterministic world. that is all that needs to be known to understand what is happening.

[bcrdukes]

Get a dumb phone.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Get a dumb phone.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/nintchdbpict000305168568.jpg?strip=all&quality=100&w=960

[bcrdukes]

You laugh now...
https://www.nokia.com/en_int/phones/nokia-3310

[welfare]

Metadata is big business.
Companies buy and sell people's every tracked move. Have been for quite some time.
It's funny, I was just watching a more recent Snowden interview last night. But on cointel, blm, and operation mk ultra.

I didn't read all of presto's posted article but I believe the gyst of it is that any device with a voice activated command is technically always listening for it's operational command.

[stump]

recently some recommended videos from youtube have been about topics i had discussed with the wife the night before, and even videos relating to a course i had to take for work... i mean come on..
anyone else experience this?

haven't had that yet but I've had conversations with my dentist about watches which I've never googled or searched for and the next day i started getting amazon emails about those watch brands.

I've also taken a pictures of items on my vacation and then started getting ads about those same brand items.

[mikemhg]

Little off-topic. But as an IT guy myself, I think it's quite amazing how far we have come with our algorithms that are able to decipher verbal conversations, contextual, and location data in order to convey these types of ads to the consumer. It's remarkable, and extremely complicated.

It's a shame that so much of this technology isn't being utilized for better means to improve our lives.

[twitchyzero]

I've also taken a pictures of items on my vacation and then started getting ads about those same brand items.

that's fucked up

[hud 91gt]

It's a shame that so much of this technology isn't being utilized for better means to improve our lives.



This.

[minoru_tanaka]

So I went to a restaurant for a friend's bday and his other friends are all spanish. We're waiting for a table and everyone around me is speaking spanish only. I look up the restaurant on my phone to look at the menu and the website asks me if I want

ESPANOL

I don't speak spanish and have never looked up anything in spanish. Looking at that same website now it doesn't ask me if I want the site in spanish anymore.

[Traum]

^^ This could potentially be due to your phone's location service taking note of you being at a Spanish place, looking for their menu.

There is no doubt Google / Apple is snooping on you, but hey, what do I know?

[minoru_tanaka]

^^ This could potentially be due to your phone's location service taking note of you being at a Spanish place, looking for their menu. Wasn't a spanish place. Just a reg chain restaurant

[Traum]

Whoa~ That is kind of creepy... :denied:

[ZN6]

Say anything that remotely sounds like Siri on an idevice like "serious", cereal/Serial" etc. Yeah, the mic is on. My coworker's iphone always responds when she says "serious". I make sure to fap very loudly next to my phone's speaker so the folks at google find me some better fuckin' porn.

on a separate note, Pixel XL 128gb for sale. screen protector always on, always in case. May have some crust off the side.

[MSREE]

Before i left for my trip last week i told my bf i was "late". I was holding my note 4 in my hand. Its not connected with a network.. No sim. Use it for games, music and rs.
After that all my ads were alternating between tampons or pregnancy tests. I didnt search anything baby related. COINCIDENCE???? I think fucking not.

The government is watching all of us, all the time. Ive put stickers over my front facing cameras on my laptop/ipads lol.

Sometimes i like to talk about cocaine to throw them off. Like am i reliable or not?? Keep em on their toes.

[underscore]

After that all my ads were alternating between tampons or pregnancy tests. I didnt search anything baby related. COINCIDENCE???? I think fucking not.

If you're female, and any of the sites/searches are female-related then that makes sense. The word "late" alone seems unlikely to go immediately to that.

[MSREE]

If you're female, and any of the sites/searches are female-related then that makes sense. The word "late" alone seems unlikely to go immediately to that.

Nope. I didn't search anything that could indicate anything about female periods. I even checked my search history back into 3 weeks...nothing about menstruation or babies. The phone i also keep my period calendar is my LG so that doesnt make sense either. I did go into detail about how "late" = no period with my bf = maybe a baby, I saved you guys those details for obvious reasons lol but I guess not so obvious for some.

I get ads on revscene (male/car dominant) and while I'm playing my games on my phone the ad will pause my game to pop up. I dunno what the heck app I have that the ads pop up during app use. I've tried deleting everything I don't use and they still come up and it drives me crazy.

[underscore]

Not specifically periods, but if there's anything to indicate the user is female then seeing tampon and pregnancy test ads is gonna be pretty likely. It's not like a woman having a period is a rare thing lol.

As for the ads during games, that's built into the game. Try switching off wifi before starting it up.

[Obsideon]

Is it at all possible that there are always ads popping up everywhere that you just don't notice them until it does strike something that you talked about previously so your brain is wired to notice it as suspicious?

Because the same thing happened to me recently, I can't remember what it was but for sure I have never googled because I didn't even know what it was. My friend was telling me about it, then I get home and some ads popping up had that item.

[Nlkko]

Of course your phone listens to you all the time. How do you think it response to "Hey Siri", "Ok Google", "Alexa". It always passively listen and search for the trigger word. I'd hazard a guess that it compiles keywords and push personalized ads but otherwise, store no data of the conversations.

These AIs constantly learn and adapt and getting better and better without much human intervention.

I highly doubt government entities have any pieces in this though. These companies are global and are too huge to have to risk their customers. Their lawyer teams can probably go head to head against the government's if needed to. NSA probably salivates at the tech capabilities but probably told to kick rocks.

[sonick]

Is it at all possible that there are always ads popping up everywhere that you just don't notice them until it does strike something that you talked about previously so your brain is wired to notice it as suspicious?

Pretty much this – frequency illusion & confirmation bias. If you buy a new car, you'll start noticing people with the same car everywhere.

Also the fact this phenomenon seems to have just come up all over the place recently, when it was probably happening all along. People are noticing it now because it's being mentioned more:

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=facebook%20is%20listening

I admit I fell for it too. Was talking about Sonos black friday deals with my Chiro last weekend and lo and behold right after, Sonos ads. But then again, I am pretty much in their target demo.

[SkinnyPupp]

Wife was complaining about neck pain yesterday, after sleeping on it wrong overnight. Today this ad starts popping up on my feeds (facebook and ig)

https://i.imgur.com/blRiG7j.jpg

[Presto]

We went out for lunch with my parents, and my sister and her husband. They're having a baby in April, and was talking about the only purchase they made is a Pack 'n Play bassinet thing. This morning, I receive an email about deals on Graco Pack 'n Play stuff!

[Traum]

For those who are using Android phones / tablets, make sure you have disabled the Google Voice assistant configuration. Double check, and occassionally go back into the setting and check again, cuz for at least 2 or 3 times, I have found that the option to have my phone listen to me saying "OK Google" is enabled.

I do have Google Assistant turned on, but have always set the setting to listen only when the Google App or the Google Assistant has been opened. I suspect that the setting must have been reset back to listening on me all the time when some part of the phone -- be it the OS updates or the App updates -- were installed.

The exact steps to turn that off seems to have changed a bit every now and then as well, and even though I kind of know where / what to look for -- "OK Google" -- it always takes me a while before I can track it down.

[DragonChi]

You could try turning off personalized ads on your phone.

[underscore]

Unless you're making note of what ads you're seeing over time, and able to actually confirm that you weren't presented with a particular type of ad until after you phone may have "heard" it then these could all just be frequency illusion & confirmation bias. Using SkinnyPupp as an example, chances are you would've just skimmed past neck pain ads without even noticing them until your wife mentioned it.

[welfare]

Probably good idea to go back and check/adjust settings after any update as well

[snowball]

I have an android samsung and I have repeatedly and purposely said "handbags" and "laser eye surgery" over and over with the phone in proximity. I even told my friends what I was doing and they go out of the way to say the key words once in a while when my phone is near.

This has gone on for a month, no ads for hand bags or laser eye surgery yet.

[SkinnyPupp]

I have an android samsung and I have repeatedly and purposely said "handbags" and "laser eye surgery" over and over with the phone in proximity. I even told my friends what I was doing and they go out of the way to say the key words once in a while when my phone is near.

This has gone on for a month, no ads for hand bags or laser eye surgery yet.
Do you have Facebook installed?

[320icar]

Went to my chiro last week and we talked about he’s going to work in Dubai for a year. The next two days straight all I got on YouTube were ads for ‘tourism Dubai” and emirates flights or whatever. Never in my life have I ever talked about or even thought of Dubai, let alone seeing ads for it.

It’s totally one thing if I am searching up car parts then get targeted ads for summit racing’s but this is too far

[snowball]

Do you have Facebook installed?

Facebook, instagram, snapchat, all the goodies are installed. Google assistant is off though.

On an unrelated, somewhat related note, I once had a friend's brother see ads that were targeted at my computer. She came by, used the wifi at my house and it probably gave her phone some cookies with my IP attached to them. She took her phone home, they attached her IP to my cookies, and we started seeing ads aimed at each other's households. Ad targeting spreads like a virus!

[stewie]

For those who are using Android phones / tablets, make sure you have disabled the Google Voice assistant configuration. Double check, and occassionally go back into the setting and check again, cuz for at least 2 or 3 times, I have found that the option to have my phone listen to me saying "OK Google" is enabled.

I do have Google Assistant turned on, but have always set the setting to listen only when the Google App or the Google Assistant has been opened. I suspect that the setting must have been reset back to listening on me all the time when some part of the phone -- be it the OS updates or the App updates -- were installed.

The exact steps to turn that off seems to have changed a bit every now and then as well, and even though I kind of know where / what to look for -- "OK Google" -- it always takes me a while before I can track it down.

I've "Hey Google" turned off and haven't really noticed any ads that ever pop up anymore. If it's listening all the time waiting to hear that one voice command it's most likely listening to every single word you're saying and remembering it. I remember at one point I had Shazam set to auto recognize and when I'd go shopping at certain stores I'd hear some decent songs I knew and sure enough they were on my recently Shazamed list.
For knowing where I'm going I'm pretty sure it's all with having your location settings on and noticing patterns in your days. Mon - Fri I leave for work at the same time at 6:40am and there's always a "there's no traffic on your route" message and it'll pop up again at 3:20pm. Only does it on weekdays.
When I go to restaurants I always get a "at X right now? take a photo or write a review". If I look at my daily google timeline it knows where I'm at for how long and what store I was in. If there's ads I'm guessing it's based off that. I THINK it was my Z3 that had an option to group photos by location and faces, so if you're taking photos of something I'm sure it can recognize popular name brands or logos in the background and have ads that are similar to it or from the location of the photo's time/location stamp and know where it was taken and suggest trips there etc.

Add an edit here - As some were saying how your google accounts are all synced up anything I search at my home desktop (google random letters aksjdf adsklfja ;sdnfmlk on your desktop and then type the first couple letters on your phone and it'll bring it up. My work desktop has me logged into through chrome and if I type those same few letters in it'll bring everything up and most likely suggest ads related to whatever it is.

[Traum]

On a somewhat unrelated note -- does anyone noticed how the Google GPS / location service / timeline tracking has become a lot more fine grained in the recent month or two?

I was reviewing my timeline just now, and it seems to me that the degree of accuracy with Google's location tracking is significantly more fine grained / detailed than it used to. From my location / timeline tracking data, it seems to me that I am seeing some very strong evidence that Google Map nearly tracked out my exact detailed route for the whole day on Dec 5, and have more or less been doing the same since then. In the past, the route is far less detailed, and only roughly maps out the locations I've been to and the routes I take. As of early Nov, it was still more or less like that.

[stewie]

On a somewhat unrelated note -- does anyone noticed how the Google GPS / location service / timeline tracking has become a lot more fine grained in the recent month or two?

I was reviewing my timeline just now, and it seems to me that the degree of accuracy with Google's location tracking is significantly more fine grained / detailed than it used to. From my location / timeline tracking data, it seems to me that I am seeing some very strong evidence that Google Map nearly tracked out my exact detailed route for the whole day on Dec 5, and have more or less been doing the same since then. In the past, the route is far less detailed, and only roughly maps out the locations I've been to and the routes I take. As of early Nov, it was still more or less like that.

Extremely detailed. I was in Metrotown a week ago and was going in and out of shops. I was in West 49 for no more than a few minutes and my phone had the pop up to take a photo and write a review for the place. Only way I can see that happening is long/latt coordinates instead of general vicinity location. Granted it is called GPS for a reason lol but I don't understand how it can tell I'm in that store and not the one below it.





edit - Just looked it up out of curiosity and found this from the nytimes from a few years ago cell tracking (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/business/attention-shopper-stores-are-tracking-your-cell.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0). That was published in '13. If it's even true think of how much further they've probably come since then.

[Traum]

Well... Facebook finally came out to admit that they've been snooping on our conversations and stuff through our phones:

Facebook Has Been Collecting Android Users' Cell Phone Data For Years | Time (http://time.com/5215274/facebook-messenger-android-call-text-message-data)

The link above also shows you how you can download a copy of all the data that Facebook has recorded on you, and how you can stop it from continuing to do some of those eavesdroping.

[GS8]

I'm personally a-OK with FB losing billions of dollars at this juncture. I remember downloading the app on my Android back in 2012 and used it for maybe 4 months but after reading articles BACK THEN about how the app can harvest information without sufficient knowledge, I deleted the app right away.

I've watered down my FB profile over the years. The features they added just went beyond the creep threshold for me.

[welfare]

Fairly comprehensive article on his thievery
How Facebook Was Founded - Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/how-facebook-was-founded-2010-3#i-feel-like-the-right-thing-to-do-is-finish-the-facebook-and-wait-until-the-last-day-before-im-supposed-to-have-their-thing-ready-and-then-be-like-look-yours-isnt-as-good-3)

"I'm going to fuck them."
Eduardo Saverin and Adam D'Angelo were not the only people Mark discussed his Harvard Connection - Facebook situation with. We believe he also had many IM exchanges about it with relatives and a close female Harvard friend.

In January 2004, Mark met with the Winklevoss brothers and Divya Narendra for what would be the last time. The meeting was on January 14, 2004, and it was held at the same place Mark met with the HarvardConnection team for the first time — in the dining hall of Mark's residence, Kirkland House.

By this point, Mark's site, thefacebook.com, wasn't complete, but he was working hard on it. He'd arranged for Eduardo Saverin to pay for his servers. He had already told Adam that "the right thing to do" was to not complete Harvard Connection and build TheFacebook.com instead. He had registered the domain name.

He therefore had a choice to make: Tell Cameron, Tyler and Divya that he wanted out of their project, or string them along until he was ready to launch thefacebook.com.

Mark sought advice on this decision from his confidants. One friend told him, in so many words, you know me. I don't ever think anyone should do anything bad to anybody.

Mark and this friend also had the following IM exchange about how Mark planned to resolve the competing projects:

Friend: So have you decided what you're going to do about the websites?

Zuck: Yeah, I'm going to fuck them

Zuck: Probably in the year

Zuck: *ear

[sonick]

Well... Facebook finally came out to admit that they've been snooping on our conversations and stuff through our phones:

Facebook Has Been Collecting Android Users' Cell Phone Data For Years | Time (http://time.com/5215274/facebook-messenger-android-call-text-message-data)

The link above also shows you how you can download a copy of all the data that Facebook has recorded on you, and how you can stop it from continuing to do some of those eavesdroping.

Clarify its only SMS text messages and phone call records, not via audio while the phone is inactive.

[twitchyzero]

I'm personally a-OK with FB losing billions of dollars at this juncture. I remember downloading the app on my Android back in 2012 and used it for maybe 4 months but after reading articles BACK THEN about how the app can harvest information without sufficient knowledge, I deleted the app right away.

I've watered down my FB profile over the years. The features they added just went beyond the creep threshold for me.

does deleting the app delete the API and all associated codes completely? 4Head

The cached archive was generated once and not updated on the second request. However, two days after a request to delete all contact data, the contacts were still listed by the contact management tool.)

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/03/facebook-scraped-call-text-message-data-for-years-from-android-phones/

i'm surprised people are finding this revelation surprising...just about every social media android app asks for permission of contacts, birthdays, etc....to assume call/msg history and beyond are not logged when they've already gone to those lengths?

[320icar]

Be like me and never get Facebook, ever.

[twitchyzero]

Be like me and never get Facebook, ever.

so that means you're not on instagram, whatsapp?

[Gerbs]

Time to buy in the $FB dip :fullofwin:

[twitchyzero]

lol no one is safe...even if you deleted FB years ago or don't have FB but uses WhatsApp or just the Internet in general

In a blog post, Facebook’s product management director, David Baser, wrote that the company tracked users and non-users across websites and apps for three main reasons: providing services directly, securing the company’s own site, and “improving our products and services”.
Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook hearing was an utter sham
Zephyr Teachout
Read more

“When you visit a site or app that uses our services, we receive information even if you’re logged out or don’t have a Facebook account. This is because other apps and sites don’t know who is using Facebook,” Baser wrote.
“Whether it’s information from apps and websites, or information you share with other people on Facebook, we want to put you in control – and be transparent about what information Facebook has and how it is used.”

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/17/facebook-admits-tracking-users-and-non-users-off-site

[320icar]

I don’t have social media. Texted a few friends about how I’m in the market for a pre-owned car. Posted in here too. This week has been a non stop cycle of ford and Mitsubishi and Honda etc car ads, very specifically about buying pre owned.

Fucking desperate and pathetic

[SkinnyPupp]

I don’t have social media. Texted a few friends about how I’m in the market for a pre-owned car. Posted in here too. This week has been a non stop cycle of ford and Mitsubishi and Honda etc car ads, very specifically about buying pre owned.

Fucking desperate and pathetic
If you're in the market for one, would you have been looking online using your web browser?

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

its not just about what you are doing.

it's about your position in the bigger picture.

who your friends are, what they are posting and what the computers can correlate between you and them and what they are doing.

like i said, it's not just you.

totally out of your hands.

for those of you that are too stupid to get it.

im gonna make it slightly easier

A^2+B^2=C^2

you only have to know 2/3 to figure out the 3rd.

and guess what, the computers know the 2/3 and you're the 3rd.

like a fucking puzzle missing only one piece. only ONE PIECE FITS IN THERE. lol. YOURE THE MISSING PIECE.

doesnt matter if you hide... it knows your shape. it knows what's supposed to fit in there. and that's you.

[SkinnyPupp]

o...k....

[sonick]

If you're in the market for one, would you have been looking online using your web browser?

Also if you go into dealerships and sign onto their wifi, they will also retarget you for related ads after.

[320icar]

If you're in the market for one, would you have been looking online using your web browser?

Only Craigslist which is no different than any other day. No google searches for tips on used vehicles etc

[underscore]

^ I'm gonna assume you went into the "cars and trucks" category? Which is largely populated with pre-owned vehicles.

[ssjGoku69]

What really made me feel violated was that Instagram Advertisements for Amazon showed my previous purchases and items I've viewed. FB/Instagram and Amazon are separate companies, but this browsing/account information somehow gets implemented into facebook's targeted advertisement?

[BIC_BAWS]

Extremely detailed. I was in Metrotown a week ago and was going in and out of shops. I was in West 49 for no more than a few minutes and my phone had the pop up to take a photo and write a review for the place. Only way I can see that happening is long/latt coordinates instead of general vicinity location. Granted it is called GPS for a reason lol but I don't understand how it can tell I'm in that store and not the one below it.


This is actually done through both wifi location services and bluetooth location services. It's beginning to trend as marketing tactics, but essentially when you walked into that store, the strongest Wi-Fi signal is of that store or BT signal of that store.

That's how Google knows you're at W49 and not Gap.

[underscore]

What really made me feel violated was that Instagram Advertisements for Amazon showed my previous purchases and items I've viewed. FB/Instagram and Amazon are separate companies, but this browsing/account information somehow gets implemented into facebook's targeted advertisement?

Amazon purchases ad space from FB/IG, the same as anyone else. Nobody would make much ad money if the ads they ran were only for their own products.

[SkinnyPupp]

What really made me feel violated was that Instagram Advertisements for Amazon showed my previous purchases and items I've viewed. FB/Instagram and Amazon are separate companies, but this browsing/account information somehow gets implemented into facebook's targeted advertisement?
Amazon buys ads elsewhere that read your cookies and login info to target you. This is why they are making such a huge deal over cookies in the EU.

There are obvious tracking methods, but that's not really what this thread is about. What's REALLY creepy is when you get targeted after having a verbal conversation with NO other ways to track, like in my OP.

[Hondaracer]

So I come home for lunch, make lunch, put my phone down on my coffee table and put on a “Rick steves Europe” I have PVR’ed. Anyone who knows rick Steve’s knows he has a fairly unique voice.

About 10 minutes in my phone vibrates and I look at it. It “randomly” recommends me a rock Steve’s podcast in the notifications..

I’ve never once seen a podcast notification come up and I don’t even subscribe to his podcasts (although I have listened in the past but not for months..)

[320icar]

Has anyone else’s YouTube ads been going real heavy lately? Specifically on mobile for iPhone (no Adblock). I’ve started getting an 80%+ chance of an ad before every video, and even started getting ads after the video has ended. So say I’m listening to a music playlist or something, I’d get an ad before a video, at the end of the video, and immediatly again at the start of the next video.

Just as I’m making a sandwich for lunch listening to a video in the background, I’m hitting every single ad break or whatever.

I understand why advertisement is there. But this is getting out of control. Especially Spotify ads recently, it’s also happening between every 2 songs. And it’s alsays ads for “get Spotify premium!” So they’re literally engineered to be annoying and make me sign up and pay.

[OriginalJC]

I've had this creepy shit happen a couple of times now.

This week, a co-worker was telling me about his weekend. He fixed up his dirtbikes and stuff, and told me he was considering buying a new can-am side by side.

The last two days, I'm seeing can-am ads on my facebook feed....

[stewie]

Has anyone else’s YouTube ads been going real heavy lately? Specifically on mobile for iPhone (no Adblock). I’ve started getting an 80%+ chance of an ad before every video, and even started getting ads after the video has ended. So say I’m listening to a music playlist or something, I’d get an ad before a video, at the end of the video, and immediatly again at the start of the next video.

Just as I’m making a sandwich for lunch listening to a video in the background, I’m hitting every single ad break or whatever.

I understand why advertisement is there. But this is getting out of control. Especially Spotify ads recently, it’s also happening between every 2 songs. And it’s alsays ads for “get Spotify premium!” So they’re literally engineered to be annoying and make me sign up and pay.



I always watch those people are awesome videos. When my girlfriend watches them on her phone it's a solid video. When I watch them on my phone there's the 15 second ad before it starts and then I get another one halfway through the video. Extremely annoying!

I stay signed in on YouTube so does it know that since I watch a lot of videos I'm more prone to seeing the ads compared to my girlfriend who barely watches any videos and gets no ads?

[invader]

youtube pushing hard on getting that premium sub

[Traum]

I'd say this is more of a YouTube effort to push ads with far more effort than before. I watch YouTube on both my mobile devices and PC, and I've also noticed that on most videos that are 10+ min long, it is very likely that I'll get hit with ads before, during, and after the video.

IMO, there isn't much I can do when I am unwilling to pay for YouTube premium.

Has anyone else’s YouTube ads been going real heavy lately? Specifically on mobile for iPhone (no Adblock). I’ve started getting an 80%+ chance of an ad before every video, and even started getting ads after the video has ended. So say I’m listening to a music playlist or something, I’d get an ad before a video, at the end of the video, and immediatly again at the start of the next video.

Just as I’m making a sandwich for lunch listening to a video in the background, I’m hitting every single ad break or whatever.

I understand why advertisement is there. But this is getting out of control. Especially Spotify ads recently, it’s also happening between every 2 songs. And it’s alsays ads for “get Spotify premium!” So they’re literally engineered to be annoying and make me sign up and pay.

[320icar]

I’m pretty sure youtube makes more on me via ad revenue than my subscription to youtube black or whatever

[SkinnyPupp]

Just a reminder that if you sub to our sponsor PIA (https://www.revscene.net/offers/go.php?id=46), it'll block all this sort of tracking, and block all ads including mobile youtube ads SeemsGood

Just turn it off when you come to RS Kappa

[twitchyzero]

98% sure facebook is listening to me

at work having a conversation with a client, did not search the keyword afterwards... slim chance it's coincidence as its not really a trending topic

crazy thing was my phone was at least 20m away unless my garmin watch/work desktop has a mic i dont know about

[68style]

I’m wondering if devices can talk to each other or get info from your router???

I have noticed a couple times now where I’m talking about something or I googled something on my phone and then my work Microsoft surface (so many features disabled) I went to google the same thing and it auto completed what o had just searched (highly specific) on my phone and knew what I was looking for. Not even the same browser, not logged into Chrome or anything... creepy as fuck

[underscore]

^ I think a lot of things do it based on your modem's IP? Google definitely knows both devices are accessing their site from the same location. If it's only the devices you use (and not others at your place) though the shadow profile algorithms have probably guesstimated it's the same person using both devices.

[320icar]

Funny this got bumped. Talking to a new coworker at lunch yesterday she was talking about how they were quite poor growing up (parents declared bankruptcy etc)

Later that night I had about 4 YouTube ads in a row about financial help, assistance programs, bankruptcy etc etc

I’ve never ever googled it, talked about it or anything of the sort before nor gotten ads like this. The evidence for my phone listening is too obvious to miss

[SkinnyPupp]

Update on this 8 year old thread

Facebook partner admits smartphone microphones listen to people talk to serve better ads (https://www.tweaktown.com/news/100282/facebook-partner-admits-smartphone-microphones-listen-to-people-talk-serve-better-ads/index.html)

[Traum]

Update on this 8 year old thread

Facebook partner admits smartphone microphones listen to people talk to serve better ads (https://www.tweaktown.com/news/100282/facebook-partner-admits-smartphone-microphones-listen-to-people-talk-serve-better-ads/index.html)
LOL~ Even before they came out to admit it, don't most people already know this through first hand experience?

[SkinnyPupp]

LOL~ Even before they came out to admit it, don't most people already know this through first hand experience?
Yup that's what this old thread was about (and if you look back some people denied it). But here it is, finally, fully admitted to.

[SkinnyPupp]

Yeah I avoid public wifi completely. I have no idea why it's even considered a service. Why do you need wifi when you most likely have fast mobile internet anyway? Unless you're downloading huge files or streaming, there's really no need to be on wifi.
Still don't know why I got failed for this LUL

[RabidRat]

Still don't know why I got failed for this LUL

Poor reception in concrete buildings, older folks refusing to pay for data (my in laws and parents included), last resort for comms if cellular connection is glitching out on your device? Lack of tethering on your cellular data plan and wanting to use a laptop, tablet, etc?

I don't know either why someone would fail you over this though lol.

[EvoFire]

There's a narrow band of niche where I need public wifi.

- No reception in said building because of construction/deadspot or my HK phone just doesn't have the correct bands. Even then I'll just make do.
- Need it for a laptop because I don't have reception or don't have any juice left on my phone to hotspot. It's extra niche because the work laptop has security policies in place and will not connect to VPN on most public networks so I need my hotspot most of the time.

[underscore]

Yup that's what this old thread was about (and if you look back some people denied it). But here it is, finally, fully admitted to.

Well no, it isn't. The only "sources" are garbage sites.

[RabidRat]

work laptop has security policies in place and will not connect to VPN on most public networks so I need my hotspot most of the time.

Isn't the point of a VPN that it's secure tunneling through whatever you're running your connection through, regardless of snooping and whatever malicious intent?

[EvoFire]

Isn't the point of a VPN that it's secure tunneling through whatever you're running your connection through, regardless of snooping and whatever malicious intent?

The VPN is more so to give me access to internal sites than prevent snooping. I think even if encrypted, they don't want to risk data being intercepted on an un-secured network.

[SkinnyPupp]

Well no, it isn't. The only "sources" are garbage sites.
It's former VICE people, do you have experience with their journalism being bad? Do you think they faked the pitch deck and wrote a fake story about it? That would be a pretty bad idea for a new media site to do, especially one that relies on subscriptions

[unit]

im surprised that this needed a former exec to admit. shouldn't it be somewhere in the fine print when you install fb and someone with lots of time on their hands or a lawyer should have found this a long time ago? if it's not in the fine print somewhere then it would definitely be an illegal privacy breach since there is a reasonable expectation of privacy when you have your phone sitting in your pocket.

[underscore]

It's former VICE people, do you have experience with their journalism being bad?

Unless they're currently working for VICE that doesn't mean anything, even if you think VICE is good.

That would be a pretty bad idea for a new media site to do, especially one that relies on subscriptions

Is that not an incentive to sensationalize things for profit?

Gizmodo has an article that is actually somewhat thorough but a week in and no significant news source reporting on it makes it seem like this is a pretty big nothingburger: https://gizmodo.com/pitch-dek-gives-new-details-on-companys-plan-to-listen-to-your-devices-for-ad-targeting-2000491095


Media conglomerate Cox Media Group has been pitching tech companies on a new targeted advertising tool that uses audio recordings culled from smart home devices. The existence of this program was revealed late last year. Now, however, 404 Media has also gotten its hands on additional details about the program through a leaked pitch deck. The contents of the deck are creepy, to say the least.

Cox’s tool is creepily called “Active Listening” and the deck claims that it works by using smart devices, which can “capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations.” After the data is captured, advertisers can “pair this voice-data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers,” the deck says. The vague use of artificial intelligence to collect data about consumers’ online behavior is also mentioned, with the deck noting that consumers “leave a data trail based on their conversations and online behavior” and that the AI-fueled tool can collect and analyze said “behavioral and voice data from 470+ sources.”

The main question I have is: how the fuck is this legal?

Most states have some form of wiretapping law that restricts the ability to record a person without their explicit knowledge. If we are all being recorded by our smart devices all the time, and those recordings are then being funneled into targeted-advertising so that e-commerce sites can sell us more jeans or Blu-Rays or whatever we happen to be yapping about in our living rooms, how is that not a breach of, say, California’s state law that requires two-party consent for conversations to be recorded?

The pitch deck also claims that Cox currently partners with major tech platforms, including Google, Amazon, and Facebook. “WE PARTNER WITH THE BEST TO PROVIDE THE BEST,” the deck states, showcasing affiliations with the major tech companies. While Cox may partner with those companies in some capacity, it’s not clear that any of the companies have partnered with it in regards to this particular advertising tool.

Some of the companies listed in the deck seem like they are a little bit wary of the legal ramifications of Cox’s “Active Listening” product. When 404 Media confronted Google about the pitch deck, the company said it dropped Cox Media Group from its advertising partners program. “All advertisers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations as well as our Google Ads policies, and when we identify ads or advertisers that violate these policies, we will take appropriate action,” the tech giant told 404 in a statement.

In a brief statement, Amazon told Gizmodo, “Amazon Ads has never worked with CMG on this program and has no plans to do so.”

When contacted by Gizmodo, a Meta spokesperson wrote via email: “We don’t have any comment. But just to clarify, the pitch deck in the article lists Meta as a general marketing partner, not as a partner ‘in this program'”. They then provided a link to a blog post on Facebook’s policies on using microphones for targeted ads.

Gizmodo reached out to Cox Media Group as well as Google. We will update this story when we learn more. You can read the full pitch deck by clicking here.


Someone pitching a concept isn't "fully admitting" to any of the nonsense in this thread.

[SkinnyPupp]

Unless they're currently working for VICE that doesn't mean anything, even if you think VICE is good.



Is that not an incentive to sensationalize things for profit?

Gizmodo has an article that is actually somewhat thorough but a week in and no significant news source reporting on it makes it seem like this is a pretty big nothingburger: https://gizmodo.com/pitch-dek-gives-new-details-on-companys-plan-to-listen-to-your-devices-for-ad-targeting-2000491095



Someone pitching a concept isn't "fully admitting" to any of the nonsense in this thread.
So you don't think it's true?

[mikemhg]

While I'm sure we all suspected it was happening, Apple recently added monitoring controls to your phone, you're able to see if your GPS or mic/camera is being utilized by any app.

With that in place, do we still believe your mic is being used to market to you?

Maybe so, if you ask "Hey Siri" that same functionality of informing you your mic is being utilized doesn't display, perhaps they disable that feature for the corps that throw Apple some $$$ (Meta and Google pretty much.)

Anyone notice how Safari now CONSTANTLY has a little pop-up letting you know about Google Chrome, and using Chrome Keys instead of passwords? That's a result of this bullshit:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-01/google-s-payments-to-apple-reached-20-billion-in-2022-cue-says

[underscore]

So you don't think it's true?

I don't think this pitch from Cox is proof of anything actually occurring in a users device, no.

[SkinnyPupp]

I don't think this pitch from Cox is proof of anything actually occurring in a users device, no.
Do you think this happens though

[GS8]

My phone is definitely listening to me :pokerface:

https://i.imgur.com/sO94GPv.jpeg

[Badhobz]

Hahahaha !!! That’s retarded

[underscore]

Do you think this happens though

For the general public they already have much more efficient ways to learn a ton about you without the risk of legal trouble. Just look at how much data Tiktok sucks up.