Do you feel like your phone is listening to you when you speak?
Quelle: VIDEOELEPHANT (Glomex)
Many people believe that their mobile phone is "listening" to them to display ads, but experts say there is no evidence that the microphone records conversations without permission. However, what happens is the sophisticated use of data collected from location, app usage, connections, and digital behavior to feed algorithms that predict your interests with high precision. Studies by Northeastern University and Wandera have found no evidence of eavesdropping on the environment for advertising purposes. Instead, companies use data that users provide themselves (consciously or unconsciously) when they accept terms of use or interact with platforms. Assistants like Siri and Alexa only activate the microphone to capture specific commands and only start recording when triggered. Data collection occurs within legal limits that require consent and specific use of the information. Nevertheless, the collection is intensive and legal. To protect yourself, you can restrict permissions, avoid integrated logins, and use privacy-friendly browsers. However, this may result in less relevant ads being displayed.