Post B06Sho7dxysk3P3yAC by Flyingmana@phpc.social
(DIR) More posts by Flyingmana@phpc.social
(DIR) Post #B06N4nuiJBcOLIb6u0 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-11-10T11:59:49Z
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Sometimes my friends notice when, after they have been talking about something they will see an ad for it. "my phone is spying on me!"I used to think this was unlikely. I'd go into "while that is possible it's not reasonable..." mode.Not so much anymore. It does seem feasible now. And I think it might be a fruitful area for privacy advocates to focus on since this *really* creeps people out.
(DIR) Post #B06OZHuzPusi2cpIPY by rgo@masto.pt
2025-11-10T12:16:29Z
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@futurebird It's probably search history, not mic. Firefox with uBlock cuts most tracking.
(DIR) Post #B06OwU8s8QQ8c6Ngh6 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-11-10T12:20:44Z
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@rgo They swear up and down they didn't type anything into search, or view any webpages that would drop the hint. To me spying on search and other sources is almost as bad, but the "my phone is listening to my conversation and showing me ads" thing keeps coming up. If it's not happening it seems like it is.
(DIR) Post #B06PDrJ3GRUvNYQWaO by alexhaist@wandering.shop
2025-11-10T12:23:49Z
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@futurebird I've definitely had a direct slack-to-advertisement pipeline several times. I do not love it.
(DIR) Post #B06PS0MaO4QHWTpELw by ale_antpower@muenchen.social
2025-11-10T12:26:21Z
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@futurebird @rgo There was an interesting report a couple of years ago on how not only what we type, but also what people geographically close to us (in the same house) type, search for or buy, are used to populate the ads we are going to see 👀
(DIR) Post #B06Plgi3AYUkMLFbBg by johnefrancis@cosocial.ca
2025-11-10T12:29:56Z
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@futurebird sometimes I think about something and then notice an ad for it shortly after 🤔
(DIR) Post #B06Q97nccFIb2O246C by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-11-10T12:34:13Z
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@johnefrancis This may play a big role in why people *feel* like this is happening.
(DIR) Post #B06Qp2s5KQ9Jur6pO4 by WTL@mastodon.social
2025-11-10T12:41:45Z
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@futurebird @johnefrancis I think it stems from how the general public *doesn't* understand how modern online tracking and advertising works. When your attention is weaponized against you, it's very easy to influence you. Slowed down scrolling just *a bit* over a table saw ad? Guess what, you'll be seeing that more. "Private" DM about car shopping … guess what, more car ads. The ability for advertisers to micro-target tiny groups of people feels so disgustingly creepy. 🤮👿
(DIR) Post #B06Sho7dxysk3P3yAC by Flyingmana@phpc.social
2025-11-10T13:02:50Z
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@futurebird its complicated to blame anything specific here. While its already possible for many years even with disabled microphone(using the speaker, or even the gyroscope of a phone) to record words. Its often other factors hinting to it.But what the last year changed is, that big players now in theory could do it violating any rules or laws, without having to expect serious consequences.In parts might even be forced to on order of the gouvernment
(DIR) Post #B06SsbuLigLlMBzoSe by draken@masto.nyc
2025-11-10T13:04:48Z
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@futurebird Privacy advocates like @techlore and The Hated One have been talking about this for years.When crApple first rolled out their giant notch with the LED notification letting people know the selfie camera was active, it was discovered that -well, lookie here! - Fakebook and Instagram kept activating it. If those two apps use the mic frequently it wouldn't surprise me.A previous commenter mentioned uBlock Origin. That's a great way to get rid of ads.
(DIR) Post #B06TnsvB8XxId4h7Fw by pr_ret_lutz@jasette.facil.services
2025-11-10T13:15:10Z
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@futurebird a few years ago a female colleague of mine told this story: with a group a friends they talked about dildos ... aand BAM: dildo ads. She swears that she never searched for similar products on either her mobile phone or her desktop computer...
(DIR) Post #B06V4KAvft41kASrSa by Frantasaur@mastodon.ie
2025-11-10T13:29:20Z
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@futurebird @rgo My bf gives me examples of this all the time! Like stuff we were discussing sitting at dinner, then he gets ads for it. Definitely not something we googled. I have Siri switched off, he doesn’t.
(DIR) Post #B06W0nChu9OiZQAy0W by HeatherRojo@toot.community
2025-11-10T13:39:54Z
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@futurebird The only safe phone is a phone with its battery removed. Even turned off, it is still listening.
(DIR) Post #B06cEAt1lR3JVgjdeS by EriogonumDarwin@mastodon.social
2025-11-10T14:49:27Z
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@futurebird No matter how it happens, my rebellious streak and privilege moves me to shop somewhere else than the ad owners, usually small businesses, even if inconvenient r a bit more expensive.
(DIR) Post #B06egm5DGHMOtECSf2 by osma@mas.to
2025-11-10T15:17:08Z
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It's still the case that while in theory a BigTech LLM could be listening, the other signals like shared time on the same Wifi or cell tower with other persons are a far easier signal to drive ad selection. Plus, confirmation bias remains A Thing. @futurebird
(DIR) Post #B06gZEpyfalVf3bkwK by poweredbylemonx@beige.party
2025-11-10T15:38:09Z
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@futurebird even if they’re not technically using the microphone in a device, the scary thing is that they have so much data on folks that they can predictively target you with ads like this without needing to listen
(DIR) Post #B06hq7O5ilbbQvB30y by DavyJones@c.im
2025-11-10T15:52:26Z
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@futurebird This came out last year:404 Media previously reported Cox Media Group (CMG) was advertising a service that claimed to target ads based on what potential customers said near device microphones. Now, here is the pitch deck CMG sent to prospective companies. Google has kicked CMG off its Partner Program in response.https://www.404media.co/heres-the-pitch-deck-for-active-listening-ad-targeting/
(DIR) Post #B06lOuqmcrJwY0skkK by Kierkegaanks@beige.party
2025-11-10T16:32:19Z
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@futurebird do you have any voice activated apps?
(DIR) Post #B06nWmdLG8bZHxTSuO by arisummerland@beige.party
2025-11-10T16:56:11Z
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@futurebird I've actually done an informal experiment re this with other people before. I don't have my phone in my room when I'm working with clients, but they usually do, because it's in their bag or pocket or whatever. When this topic comes up ("are we being spied on" -- which really is "are we being hyper-targeted with ads") which it sometimes does, we'll pick a subject that we wouldn't normally talk about when we are in session and then chat about it for a few minutes. Lo and behold, everybody that I've ever tried this with reports back that at the minute they pick their phone up, guess what shows up? Ads etc. for whatever we were talking about. 😖
(DIR) Post #B07qPp6g9xpBx7WrvE by troed@masto.sangberg.se
2025-11-11T05:03:13Z
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@futurebird No reverse engineer has ever found any code doing this. Not for the lack of trying.