Topic: You are the product. Corporations spying on us deeper than we thought? - page 5. (Read 824 times)

  Sometimes we tend to see ad pop ups on our phones. Most tech people will say the ad we see displays as a result of our frequent surf through the net in the sense that whatever we surf on the web, we tend to be getting ads of stuffs related or similar to them and it's true. If you've not observed it, then start now to observe it.
  No doubt technology is evolving and our digital devices are built up in an advancing way to start acting like us. Do not be surprised that in years to come, a whole lot of things will be set up and carried out by robots. It's crazy thinking about the fact that your mobile phone actually has your activities embedded in it. Yes technology can cause a whole lot to happen so we should even expect more. It's all fascinating but too much of it is definitely threatening to be bad but what can we do there than just to watch the advancement.

Dude, you're years too late about this stuff, Snowden leaked that NSA is listening to our phone calls and this didn't stopped the US government from continuing that program so who knows how powerful their surveillance system now is? Pretty sure that they're much more powerful now and more sneakier than ever. It should never come as a surprise to everyone that our government is spying on us so the best thing that we can do is just scream expletives about them because they can hear us anyway, might as well let them hear what we feel about them listening to us right?

The truth is that user data is always exploited and served for research purposes.
The control of large corporations over user data may not have been taken seriously in the past. But over time, when people become aware of personal data security, people will express many questions to technology corporations.
I remember that in the past, the google advertising algorithm was very simple, but now just a few small suggestions that the surrounding things have connected themselves, the achievement of technology. But anyway, there is a need for guidance if we really trust each other about things that are created purely to serve humans. And maybe we should look back a little more broadly, when the problems that are appearing are all easily forced upon each other by ourselves.

Indeed, but there is a catch, you can control on what condition the application would be able to access it. Generally, most applications do ask some permission, the problem is some people just blindly accept whatever they get asked, and that is the problem in case the app functions as an invasive application that breaches your own privacy.

Both Android and iOS have a feature to limitate the permission of any given application.

Take a look here:
https://support.apple.com/en-sg/guide/iphone/iph251e92810/ios
https://support.google.com/android/answer/9431959?hl=en

The general idea is to give permission only when you use the application and reject any permission request that isn't related to the application. For example, a calendar application requesting a camera or location.

Everyone blames software products for spying, and this is a fact, but I see that the hardware is responsible for opening many backdoors that may lead to doing things without giving them permissions. Therefore, if you are concerned, start using a phone that does not connect to the Internet and restrict Internet access to your phone, while placing it in a soundproof place. And cover the phone camera before using it, otherwise anything is possible.

These big tech companies have denied that they are not listening to our conversation but I think they are not telling the truth. I did a brief search online and discovered that OP is not alone in his observation.
Zoe Kleinman a BBC Technology Reporter also had the same concern.There is also a thread in Reddit that is discussing the same observation. Another source also reported that four years ago about 1000 Google Assistant harvested voice recordings collected from Android phones were leaked to a Belgium media house.

I have not experienced this issue maybe because I have not paid attention to my conversation and the ads I see. This is a clear indication that we can only do our best to maintain our privacy but we might not be able to stop these firms from invading it because they have eyes and ears everywhere around us.

Yes, I know that the OP's experience is actually experienced by many other people. I personally had almost the same experience with my phone. But I personally don't have assumptions as far as the OP conveys. Because listening to our conversation feels too surprising. But I found a case where all the things we typed into a search engine, be it Google search engines, online shops, social media and all things connected to the internet, then a few minutes later related news would appear that was exactly what we were looking for before. or related to each other. starting from the products that can be purchased and other things. Basically, all applications that display advertisements from G**gle A****e seem to display the same advertisements which are tailored to our interests taken from our search history on the internet. Sometimes it's quite annoying but sometimes it's also quite helpful. And actually, if we install an application, before we give permission and install it, we have to read their terms and conditions. and when we read it, we definitely don't want to continue installing the application. Because basically when we install an application, we automatically agree to their terms and conditions. In fact, some Gallery applications have been given permission by ourselves to view and change the data on our cellphones. So it is not surprising that all advertisements sometimes become very relevant or exactly what we want. Because that is the goal and method of marketing they do.

Is our privacy only a show? First, it's true that companies like Google and Meta use complex algorithms to make ads more relevant to each person. It's too much of a jump to assume direct listening, though. Often, it's about connecting pieces of information, like your browsing past, where you are, or even the way you type. Still, what you said sounds very strange, doesn't it?

The legal and moral line is the second thing to think about. Even though companies have rules against recording without permission, technology isn't always accurate. This could be caused by software bugs or functions that weren't meant to be there. Even so, it's important to stay aware and watchful. Change the privacy settings, pay attention to what apps can do, and maybe, just maybe, don't have private talks on your phone. Finding the right mix between privacy and ease of use in this connected world is important

I'm pretty sure it's not a coincidence. I have experienced something similar before, just didn't pay attention. I have used both Android and IOS it doesn't matter really. Whatever I mention in my conversation: car tyres, dog food or Bitcoin, targeted ads appear every time. And note I wasn't googling these items.

Yes, perhaps it was my fault by giving access to these apps but when you're installing Instagram for example, you kind of expect it will ask for camera permissions right?

Corporations are doing deep spying so I think it is important for us to be careful before using apps. While logging in any app from google play store it gives various information these should be installed later they are easy to track if many users don't wear them properly. Sometimes apps are applications created by external developers on the platform and are not owned by it. When you connect a third party app to your account you give that app access to use your account an authorized app may be able to collect and use information from your account in different ways depending on its permissions. You should be careful if you don't feel comfortable giving an app access to your account only cancel on the authorization page to deny the app access.

All the apps have their own terms and conditions, and when first launching the app we all agree on that though 99 people out of 100 don't actually read what's written there. All these apps that are available on google play actually track our usage history and share it with our business partners. Most of their terms and conditions say they won't share user data with third parties but there isn't any mention of their business partner. There is an obvious reason why you are seeing those ads in the first place. Also try to give as little permission as you can to the application you are using on your phone because they are the source of the information that those companies get about us.

Maybe Because we live in different parts of the world and our technological advancement differs because some parts of the world lag far behind the most advanced countries in terms of technology advancement, network, and phone gadgets, perhaps that is why you are experiencing this; however, I believe you 100% that it can happen because we fully trust our devices these days without caring about how our privacy might be leaked.

My phone does track some of my activities in the search engine, meaning that whenever I am searching for something, it either completes my sentence for me or gives me my desired result before completing my sentence or request, which to me is normal because we do have AI now that does more than search engines.

But using voice spying is something I have never experienced. I never noticed my phone using my voice or my conversation to show me something similar to my request, which is why I am saying that it might be your type of phone or the command you give your phone.

There is an algorithm term on YouTube and usually videos will be given according to our interests in watching on a scale. At first I didn't understand why every time I controlled children on social media platforms they always saw the same behavior and it turns out that's how YouTube works. In fact, we are like being watched amidst the sophistication of technology and there are many bad impacts when someone doesn't understand it and therefore we are the biggest control that can monitor ourselves. The security level of using social media amidst the sophistication of technology cannot be understood by the layman because it can have a bad impact on us personally or those closest to us.

I'm sure you understand how it works and how this situation is observed by many eyes and when you are careless then that's where they come in to do things we don't want. It's best to be careful and wise in using it to avoid problems and protect yourself and don't do things that can have a negative impact on us because that's all we can do amidst today's technological sophistication.

That's the point, people give all the permissions without looking at the apps and then are surprised because things like the OP describes happen.

Guys, let's see if you get this straight, the big business of the 21st century is neither RE nor guns nor drugs as in the 20th, it's Big Data. That is why it is more important than ever to take care of privacy in your phone use, paying with cash and using bitcoin taking care of privacy to the maximum.

Don't know that they are spying on our conversations or chats, so far I only know that every time we search on a search engine they will record that is why we often get advertisements related to our searches, there are many ways to avoid this on YouTube or Google and I don't know for sure how effective this method is because I haven't tried it and prefer to be more careful in giving permission to the applications I install on my Android.

Let's start from the basics, Android or iOS have a feature to check when was the last time your microphone or camera was used and what is the application requesting it. Go look for it, if those things are always readily activated, then it is a bad sign. You should never automatically accept those two things to run in the background. Furthermore, if you don't excessively use Siri or other personal assistants, you should deactivate its features.

After that, if you still do not believe that feature to tell you the truth, well you should throw away the phone all along. The phone is a noisy data and metadata producer about its owner.

The safe assumption is that "they are always listening" whatever the situation is whether you are in an event, a car, or sleeping, as long as it has battery, they would always be in that aspect.

I think it's pretty much automated with the keywords and once they have detected the tone and word that you are saying, the ads would be able to be tailor-fit to you and that's probably why it was offered to you exactly as it is. Usually, that's the activity tracking you that you might have accepted or something. In iPhones, usually, you accept or decline an app to track. It's probably similar to that.

What I'm not sure of is whether or not it's really "recording" or just waiting for keywords.

I also have a somewhat similar experience. But mine is about search suggestions. My curiosity was piqued a few times because after mentioning something and decided to search for it right after, after typing just a letter or two, the exact word that you pronounced is suggested.

I've even shared it with others to also know their reactions and hear their opinions. I'm not sure if I'm also being paranoid but many of those to whom I shared my experience brushed it off as simply coincidence, paranoia on my part, too much thinking about being spied on, algorithm thing, and so on.

But I'm not completely convinced. I think our gadgets are listening to us to a certain extent. If the cameras are spying on us, why can't the mic? And this isn't just plain imagination. Those who have known it by being part of it themselves like Snowden confirm it.

Why don't you it test then? Try to see what features are enabled and what apps are installed, then try to mention some brand or whatever you like. After that, you can disable one after another to see if things stay the same or if you're just being paranoid. Who knows, maybe you can find which apps are eavesdropping or if your phone is just recording everything even though you turned off the mic. I honestly doubt the latter though, since if that's the case the company can smell a lawsuit incoming.

As far as I can tell, search results or your activity is likely the culprit for targeted ads like this. Most company is not that shameless as of now. I can't replicate your issue either. But yeah, it is best to be aware that your privacy is always at risk and just turn off any feature that you don't need.

Your doubts are valid, and I am almost certain that we all have doubts about the ability of these applications to obtain these powers. The serious matter is the continued denial of those companies that develop social applications, along with the manufacturers of phone devices.
Honestly, I am not surprised that they dare to continue violating more user privacy, especially with the complicity of the competent state agencies in monitoring these companies. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done about these serious violations if users want to continue using applications produced by these companies.