So I had a verbal conversation with a coworker yesterday and now I’m getting fed very specific ads. No possible way it’s accidental. I have most of the microphone access to apps limited, I have Google assistant turned off and no VPA setup in my home. I use a Oneplus 9 pro, does anyone have recommendations on how to further root cause this or just par for the course for using any standard android OS? Have other folks had similar experience after locking down their stock phones?
Most of these apps are communication apps that need the mic lol, you 100% could have picked better, way more egregious examples.
pinephone has hardware killswitch. but that cant protect you from other devices like other ppl phones.
When my sister lived with me, my YouTube algorithm served me up videos on her hobby which I had no interest in. But I assume because Google can tell we’re living in the same place, on the same internet, with similar demographics, it would target me with what interested her.
It would be a lot easier for them to just make connections between people using data they already have compared to recording everyone’s audio and processing it.
It makes me chuckle (in a nihilistic way) to think of a hypothetical future google-owned porn viewer that would serve up suggestions based on what others in your house are into. Was this video recommendation random or did I just learn unnecessary information about my parent?
I am using a deGoogled phone and also doing browser separation, I only use google in chromium, never for searching stuff. I was talking about getting an electric toothbrush and my wife googled a big brand to check the price (she does not care about privacy). About 10 minutes later ad blocking was not working for some reason and I starter getting toothbrush ads. I would say it knew somehow that we were in the same household and targeted us both.
well you have the exact same public ipv4 address or ipv6 prefix
your coworker might’ve looked up things related to the conversation, and the ad provider figured out that you two are in the same social circle. so far I haven’t seen any actual research that would prove that ads are tailored based on microphone recordings, just a bunch of anecdotal stories.
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Exactly, This is just how our brains work. It is surprisingly how much stuff we miss because it isn’t relivent to our lives. It is like those videos of the man in the gorilla suit in the background. You’re so focused on the subject of the video your missing a gorilla walking past in the background.
I notice this about words or phrases as well. If I pay attention to what I think is an uncommon word or phrase. Suddenly everyone I know friends, family and coworkers all “start” using that word or phrase. Now maybe they have started using it but I think it is more likely they have always been using that word/phrase but I have just not given it much thought.
That’s actually a great point. He is older and uses a dumb phone but we have been working with each other over 5 years so there are going to be lots of connections to each other. Furthermore this coincidental ad is rare, I haven’t gotten one like this in awhile.
There are people who google stuff while being logged into google?
It’s a very interesting coincidence. And say your co-worker was looking up stuff related to this subject why would it be you who gets served the ad? That doesn’t really make sense. If mics were listening into conversations we’d be hearing a lot more of these “coincidence” stories and it’s pretty rare to come across them. I am not saying it doesn’t happen, I don’t trust these fuckers with anything. I use Linux with NextDNS filters up the ass, and have a rooted, degoogled phone with Adaway on it because my trust is so low and I cannot stand ads - if one ever does get past my setup I immediately am searching for a way to find out how it got through, which is rare.
I love what you are doing with your house set-up. How did an ad get to you, I guess it was is on your phone.
Friend googles topic from his home wifi. You visit friend’s home for a couple of hours with your phone’s wifi enabled. Even without signing in to his wifi your phone still logs that you were in range of his wifi for 2 hours. Now you’ll get served ads for the topic that he googled about, because people who spend time together often have similar interests, or you may mention the advertised product to him if he ever talks to you about the topic.
Androids statistically are higher in exploits, if you’re worried about privacy like I was, moving away from google entirely and all their code is probably best
Before caller ID people were SURE they were psychic because ‘I was just thinking about them and they phoned’
The reality is the odds of things like that never happening are far more unlikely than it happening occasionally
Just disble their acess then . I do not have most of these apps and the ones i have is only allowed very much needed and nonrevocable acess.
Every single example of this happening is anecdotal. The people who tried to properly investigate this have not found it to be true. If you find a video of an actual serious research who proves this is true then I’ll admit that I’m wrong. Otherwise these types of posts are useless
404 Media has been investigating it. They have evidence of companies offering this service, both on their websites and through sources who say they’ve been pitched the product by company representatives. Many questions still remain but I’m not sure this issue can be dismissed as easily as it once was.
@czardestructo@lemmy.world you should have a listen to this as well (or read the articles it’s based on). What you are describing may not be as tinfoil as some people believe.
Can you summarize their findings? Did they find evidence that this is being done in the wild without opt in or disclosure?
Just because one single company
It was more than one company. Please read the article or listen to the podcast. And no, I will not summarise them for you. Stop being lazy.
I can’t read the damn articles because the site is paywalled…I much rather read an article than listen to a 45 minute podcast. That is why I asked you to summarize. Thanks for being unhelpful though!
Also, the podcast stream itself has like 2 minute ads interrupting me every time i skip forwards or backwards. For a source so dedicated to anti-intrusive advertising, it sure as hell is riddled to fuck with intrusive advertisements. Thanks for the amazing source ;-).
The podcast doesn’t have 2 minute ads every time you skip. Get a better podcast app.
A few years ago, I’ve read an article where the journalists investigated this. They asked to Facebook it they actually do it and Facebook confirmed.
Gonna need to see a source on that one, please.
I saw at least one serious video about it. It was in Russian though and it’s quite old. And maybe I saw one in English too. I don’t remember. But I do believe that the microphone usage for targeted ads is true (or at least used to be true) on phones with Google apps installed
It’s scary how accurate they can predict you with what data they have; they don’t need to tap your microphone.
You’re on a OnePlus; there’s always a status bar icon if the microphone is active.
Think of what led to your conversation? Everything related to it you saw or searched online that could’ve later triggered you to talk about the subject, could also trigger them to serve you ads about it later. Perhaps your friend was the one, and the ad companies have linked you together, ie. by tracking your location and contacts.
And now you’ve noticed the adverts, you’ll notice them much more, where you’d normally ignore them completely. Furthermore, if you noticed these ads, you might’ve clicked them or stopped scrolling and stared at them too long in a wtf moment and now the ad companies know, so they’ll serve you a whole lot more of the same.
I’ve seen ads for things I’ve only thought about but haven’t actually done any searches or even talked about yet. Innocuous stuff too, like a movie I wanted to buy on DVD. An older movie at that.
It’s very eerie.
They are probably just predictions based on the data the advertising companies gathered on you and you just happened to notice the ones that you only thought about.
Even if it’s entirely random you’re bound to run into some spooky occurrences.
You’re on a OnePlus; there’s always a status bar icon if the microphone is active.
This is a feature I think for all new Androids (at least pixel). BUT it does not cover all apps. System apps can hide it. Quick example, activate Google assistant voice activation. You should be seen the icon all the time, but likely you don’t.
I don’t see on the provided screenshot any apps that shouldn’t have the mic access. You can certainly deny it and break some apps functionality but you’ll be “safe from ads”
I didn’t know there was a such thing as FUTO Voice Input. It’s really good. Shame the “Open” nature of Google Android was rejected by Google Keyboard and other Google things…
I had a friend that was convinced that facebook was listening because she was talking about some ice cream and later got an ad for said ice cream.
Well, of fucking course you got an ad for ice cream. It’s fucking summer, you will get ads for ice cream in the summer.
I’ve noticed that too. Intentionally veered a conversation into a different topic and, lo and behold, I get “relevant recommendation” short time later. That was, not entirely coincidentally, the same day I unlocked the bootloader and flashed a de-googled ROM.
I’ve never had this happen to me but I am always on a a Degoogled version of Android such as GrapheneOS, DivestOS or /e/ OS.
