Does facebook listen to conversations??

[s1962a]

This might be total paranoia, but last night the mrs and I were having a conversation her car service and how they hadn't fixed the aircon (car service was months ago). This morning I get an ad on my FB for a local garage that services aircon.. hmm

I didn't do any searches online for this yet, as I doubt she did (she uses me as google rather than type something in herself).

The only way someone could have targeted an ad to me like that is if they listened to that conversation last night.

Anyone else experienced this or have I lost the plot?

[s1962a]

bloody hell.. better not keep the phone near when indulging in certain activities then

[s1962a]

WinstonWolf said:

s1962a said:

This might be total paranoia, but last night the mrs and I were having a conversation her car service and how they hadn't fixed the aircon (car service was months ago). This morning I get an ad on my FB for a local garage that services aircon.. hmm

I didn't do any searches online for this yet, as I doubt she did (she uses me as google rather than type something in herself).

The only way someone could have targeted an ad to me like that is if they listened to that conversation last night.

Anyone else experienced this or have I lost the plot?

Android phone?

Iphones actually.. both of us.

It wasn't just a regular ad - it was for a local company that fixes aircons! I usually get other ads on FB related to what I might have searched on Amazon etc. A local aircon recharge company ad when we just talked about it a few hours earlier is eerie!

[s1962a]

130R said:

Some of the theories here are hilarious.

I was ultra sceptical as well till it happened to me (the listening in on convos) when I started this post. How random is it to send you an Ad for a local aircon servicing place, when you were just talking about your car being serviced and them not checking the aircon a few hours earlier? There was no googling or any electrical record of that search as my mrs leaves it all up to me and I sure didn't search for anything to do with servicing aircon!

I had another thought - as it's hot you'd expect some aircon related ads anyway, but how come I didn't get any ads for fans or house aircon?

They're out to get us, I tell ya

[s1962a]

Conor D said:

I'm genuinely surprised people don't know that this goes on... You should take a look at some of the permissions you give to an app when you download it to your phone.

Siri, Google Cortana, Text Dictation, Facebook, Snapchat, Whatsapp etc all have permission to use your microphone and camera pretty much when they please. Features like 'Hi Siri' will require the microphone on at all times for it to function.

Which means your mic is always active and is analysing what is being said until it hears "Hey Siri"... What do you think is happening to all that data? Same goes for Smart TVs and the Xbox One with the Kinect Sensor. The Xbox One has a feature where you can turn it on using voice commands when it's powered off.. i.e. the microphone is always active.

Facebook and Google are in the data business. Better targeted advertisements equates to more money.

Good points.. I wonder if the naysayers still deny it happens?