Instagram/Facebook listening through your microphone for ads
Discussion
Not sure if this can be posted here or in the computers and gadgets forum, but here goes.
Anyone else find adverts in their Instagram/Facebook for things they have spoke about in person or on the phone, things they have never searched for, so there should be no reason why it comes up as a suggested advert.
I was speaking to someone at work a few weeks back about getting trackers for the vans, and I went on Instagram a bit later and there was an advert for mini trackers, which I thought is a bit weird, but is just a coincidence.
Fast forward to today, the mrs was joking to me about getting me earplugs so I could sleep through our newborn crying at night, just opened up Instagram and low and behold.
I mean it must just be a big coincidence, it just seems really weird, are they listening?!
Has this happened to anyone else? I’m not on Facebook but as they are both owned by zuckerburg I presume they work the same.
Anyone else find adverts in their Instagram/Facebook for things they have spoke about in person or on the phone, things they have never searched for, so there should be no reason why it comes up as a suggested advert.
I was speaking to someone at work a few weeks back about getting trackers for the vans, and I went on Instagram a bit later and there was an advert for mini trackers, which I thought is a bit weird, but is just a coincidence.
Fast forward to today, the mrs was joking to me about getting me earplugs so I could sleep through our newborn crying at night, just opened up Instagram and low and behold.
I mean it must just be a big coincidence, it just seems really weird, are they listening?!
Has this happened to anyone else? I’m not on Facebook but as they are both owned by zuckerburg I presume they work the same.
I notice this on google aswell (when using google on my phone), I can be talking to mate and he will say something like "you should google where Jeremy Clarkson was born" and i'll get my phone out of my pocket, open the browser and start typing into google, as soon as I type 'where' it comes up with suggested searches and the first one is 'where was Jeremy Clarkson born'.
It happened more tgen once with totally random phrases/questions which I've never searched for before. It only seems to happen when the word 'google' is spoken in conversation. (I don't have 'ok google' or whatever ot is activated on my phone, in fact I don't have any sort of voice control turned on at all)
It happened more tgen once with totally random phrases/questions which I've never searched for before. It only seems to happen when the word 'google' is spoken in conversation. (I don't have 'ok google' or whatever ot is activated on my phone, in fact I don't have any sort of voice control turned on at all)
ReverendCounter said:
There's already a thread about FB listening in on conversations, and PHers own experiments seem to prove what you've experienced.
CharlieH89 said:
Oops, should of probably searched before I started a thread, or better still, I should of spoke about it and then waited for Instagram to post an advert for PistonHeads with the thread.Greg66 said:
So turn off these apps access to your mic.
No chance, I’m going to start talking about £100 Lambos and wait for the adverts to start flooding in.Similar but even more random, was discussing with one of the girls who works for me her new house and what she needed to furnish it, basically she needed a TV cabinet/stand thing and that was about it. Now this discussion happened at our reception desk where phones are not allowed out etc.
That evening my Facebook feed was spammed out with local "for sale and wanted" groups that were selling, you guessed it, tv stands and cabinets.
This was about 4 or 5 months ago.
That evening my Facebook feed was spammed out with local "for sale and wanted" groups that were selling, you guessed it, tv stands and cabinets.
This was about 4 or 5 months ago.
Last night I sent my friend a Facebook message saying I was in the pub and there was likely to be a lock in. Seconds later my newsfeed had adverts for hangover cure drinks! Not as surprising as spoken stuff being picked up admittedly, but still a bit creepy considering you think these messages are private.
I have the eBay app on my phone. I don’t sign into it, just browse stuff (usually cars I have no space for). Then I’ll get e-mails from eBay telling me “x” is no longer available you might like “y” instead. It is obviously pulling data together and joining the dots.
And I’m sure the phone listens. Like others have said - first suggested search is what was being spoken about, Facebook ads for things spoken about etc.
And I’m sure the phone listens. Like others have said - first suggested search is what was being spoken about, Facebook ads for things spoken about etc.
ESOG said:
I was discussing this very thing with my sister. We both gave our examples.
There is definitely truth to this.
The media picked up on this a while ago, FaceBook and Instagram are certainly tracking conversations, say the BBC, Vice etc. There is definitely truth to this.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35639549
There's a lot more covert tracking going on, Google are issuing free BlueTooth beacons to stores, restaurants and retail outfits, the phone stores the beacon's location and ships the data to Google. So if you're loitering by the lingerie counter in Debenhams, you might later get ads for lacey lovelies.
Google recommends the beacons are installed out of sight: under counters by tills, or above displays so the user can be tracked to which displays they've visited within a couple of meters.
https://developers.google.com/beacons/
Suddenly, using that old Windows phone or BlackBerry you've still got, looks like a good idea. :-)
There's an Android app in the Play Store called Netguard, it can either block apps' internet access altogether, or only allow it when it's on screen.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.f...
Put this on the other thread but the other day. Watching telly at home and the Halloween Sainsbury's advert came on and reminded of my childhood I sung along to the round the twist theme tune. Until I saw this advert I hadn't seen, thought about or certainly not searched or spoke about round the twist for years.
About ten minutes later I was bored with whatever my wife was watching and picked up my phone and opened up the you tube app. Third suggestion down was the round the twist theme tune!
About ten minutes later I was bored with whatever my wife was watching and picked up my phone and opened up the you tube app. Third suggestion down was the round the twist theme tune!
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