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Sheril Kirshenbaum

Yes, our phones are ‘listening’ to what we say.

“In Leak, Facebook Partner Brags About Listening to Your Phone’s Microphone to Serve Ads for Stuff You Mention”

futurism.com/the-byte/facebook #tech #AI

23 comments
Sérgio Machado

@Sheril that explains a lot of things …the most awkward is that if you don’t allow micro to the app strange adv also appears …

Elena Rossini ⁂

@Sheril I feel vindicated by the fact I don't trust keeping any Meta apps on my main phone - I have a few of their apps on a burner phone with a dongle that cuts off microphone access, tape over the cameras, an empty address book and an empty camera roll.

I know I may seem crazy for this, but I don't trust Meta one bit

Asheville Charlie

@Sheril
I wonder if they bypass Android permissions. I'm very mindful of what app gets what permission and very few get my microphone or camera.

Sheril Kirshenbaum

FWIW it’s not just Meta.

In Fall 2019, an employee from another prominent social media company told me this was common. /2

DELETED

@Sheril Interesting article. I always wondered how they could get away with streaming unauthorized audio data from our phones (and our data plans that we pay for!) in order to potentially listen in to convos.

However, this 'Active Listening' software appears to do the audio analysis on the phone itself, probably keyword-based. I might be wrong about this interpretation - please correct me if so.

It's no less insidious, but it does provide some insight into how it's done.

Blaidd Drwg

@Sheril

There isn't any oversight and the only real standards are opt-in.

Andreas K

@Sheril Stupid question, why is your phone not degoogled yet, and why are using ad-based apps on it?

As the article mentions, at least in some jurisdictions, that's all at least partially legal by the users using these apps.

(Those won't fly probably in places that have limits on ToS being surprising, etc)

It's a bit like complaining that the party of face munching leopards is feasting on your faces after YOU ELECTED them to office. What did you expect? Them respecting your privacy?

Andreas K

@Sheril These modern ad industry scum are known literally to work with criminals if it makes them money. So be happy that they didn't have yet the idea of activating the camera for better predictions, and the chance of selling some adhoc amateur porn (you signed the release when you clicked OK. Luckily for you, the US is important enough and prude enough, that porn releases require a specific form by federal law). Missed that one by sheer luck.

Andreas K

@Sheril So, to repeat, how comes you are still engaging with these toxic apps and social media?

Without the digital equivalent of a hazmat suit?

(like multilayered ad blocking strategy, fine-dosed degoogling strategy, account isolation, IF you really need to interact with these poisonous apps?)

Not David Beckham

@Sheril
It’s a battle for our privacy at so many levels.
Friendly app for social media. Never install a social media app!
Adblocking on all websites.
Sandbox to a different browser for a website will only work with blocking turned off, and nuke the browser when you’re done.
Email service that explicitly respects your privacy, strips out tracking pixels, and is non profit.
Never leave mic and camera permissions turned on when you’re done using an app.

Armin H. aus F.

@Sheril how would they circumvent the indicator light?

J.H.Noyes

@Sheril
This has been going on for years. My wife and I noticed it pre-pandemic, but that may have been via Google Home rather than the phones themselves.
@NuanceRhymesWithOrange

Nazani

@Sheril
I suppose texting just makes it easier.
Think I will have a lot of contrived conversations now about how I avoid palm oil in products, avoid companies that are anti-DEI, etc.

shaddowie Cone

@Sheril I wouldn't be surprised either if they were lying (or at least exaggerating) to attract customers

noodlejetski :verified_gay:

@hgjdew @Sheril according g to 404media, Amazon denied ever working with them, so their claims are at least partially untrue. and Google booted them as a partner.

it's not the first time they've made that claim, either: arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/1

Fred Brooker

@Sheril hardly true, as it would need permissions

Conlan Spangler

@Sheril Is there any evidence this is actually happening? This claim from CMG is a few years old, I think, but I haven't read anything to suggest it’s more than a scummy ad company making up shit to sell ads.

DELETED

@conlan @Sheril

🚨 Y’all! TL;DR this headline is misleading!

Let’s practice media literacy skills together. I say this without judgement; I’ve fallen for this in the past as well.

Futurism link = 2nd-hand reporting on 404’s original reporting.

And what 404 describe is a pitch deck. An unverified claim.

They elaborate on this in their most recent podcast ("Telegram Founder”), and note that this ability has not been proven, and describe the “confirmation bias” effect.

404media.co/heres-the-pitch-de

@conlan @Sheril

🚨 Y’all! TL;DR this headline is misleading!

Let’s practice media literacy skills together. I say this without judgement; I’ve fallen for this in the past as well.

Futurism link = 2nd-hand reporting on 404’s original reporting.

And what 404 describe is a pitch deck. An unverified claim.

DELETED

@Sheril should see what their developers do as jokes. It is as intense as are the lack of procedure to address it when you report to Apple someone was already generating bots off the data as of 2020.

Ben Taylor

@Sheril Google smart speakers also do this. I have twice had Google services present me with information for things that were talked about in front of the speaker but never searched for, in one case by someone else without my phone present. Google denied it, even after I sicced the UK Information Commissioner on them, but it's the only possible explanation.

da

@Sheril
Have we just gone back in time?

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