Are Google earwigging?

What's Hot
spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
so I heard loads about Google, Apple etc listening in via your phone and so on,,...but never really gave it much credence...however...

Yesterday driving to work I heard a piece on the radio about a new crazy App called Tick Tock....you may know it.

on arriving at work I had a quick chat about this with a colleague....my iPhone simply sat on the desk.

This morning I go on Twitter....first big Ad....Tick Tock..

a bit odd do t you think,



Mac Mini M1
Presonus Studio One V5
 https://www.studiowear.co.uk/ -
 https://twitter.com/spark240
 Facebook - m.me/studiowear.co.uk
Reddit r/newmusicreview 
0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
«1345

Comments

  • SeshSesh Frets: 1839
    There's been a few times for me where I've been talking to the wfe about something and next time one of us goes on facebook, Twitter or whatever and we'll see an advert. It seems a bit to much of a coincidence. Occasionally, I have tried to test it by talking about something I've never been interested in but never had a positive that way. 
    Can't sing, can't dance, can handle a guitar a little.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • roundthebendroundthebend Frets: 1129
    It's feasible I suppose. But there is a thing, might be some kind of Cognitive Bias, which suggests that these things were always there and happening but you weren't tuned into them until you heard the radio show or had the chat with a colleague, and then when you see it again you think it's a crazy coincidence but it really isn't.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 4reaction image Wisdom
  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    It's feasible I suppose. But there is a thing, might be some kind of Cognitive Bias, which suggests that these things were always there and happening but you weren't tuned into them until you heard the radio show or had the chat with a colleague, and then when you see it again you think it's a crazy coincidence but it really isn't.
    Cognitive bias plus it’s something in the media/ current advertising. These things will be everywhere you look for a week. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    Yes they are.

    Both Facebook and Google refuse to deny it, and their ts and cs both implicitly allow it.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    I'm fairly sure they aren't

    1 The backlash when they got caught (and they would) would put them out of business

    2 if you have the audio subsystem on a phone running constantly it kills the battery.

    You probably saw the adverts every day before then but didn't register them.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26748
    I'm fairly sure they aren't

    1 The backlash when they got caught (and they would) would put them out of business

    2 if you have the audio subsystem on a phone running constantly it kills the battery.

    You probably saw the adverts every day before then but didn't register them.
    I don't buy any of that logic. Every talks like they care about privacy but every fucker has a google phone and Alexa in their house and nobody does *anything* when there's another one of the endless stories about privacy breaches in the media. 

    And the facebook app is known for eating battery even when not in use, and I've had the same thing happen multiple times. I run adblock wherever possible so I tend to notice all ads when I do see them. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
    2reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • thecolourboxthecolourbox Frets: 9654
    They must be. I also don't believe there'd be that much of a backlash if they just admitted it, it's actually hilarious how easily they can get people to sign Ts&Cs allowing all kinds of stuff without even reading it through. As long as people can get their stuff next day delivery or find something out within 30 seconds of Google searching they are fine with it
    Please note my communication is not very good, so please be patient with me
    soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
    youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15475
    big brother wants you to go shopping. 

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

    2reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • BigMonkaBigMonka Frets: 1763
    I'm fairly sure they aren't

    1 The backlash when they got caught (and they would) would put them out of business

    2 if you have the audio subsystem on a phone running constantly it kills the battery.

    You probably saw the adverts every day before then but didn't register them.
    Doesn't Siri/Alexa/HeyGoogle type service need the mic to be permanently listening and processing to hear those key words anyway?
    Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman, in which case always be Batman.
    My boss told me "dress for the job you want, not the job you have"... now I'm sat in a disciplinary meeting dressed as Batman.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26748
    BigMonka said:
    I'm fairly sure they aren't

    1 The backlash when they got caught (and they would) would put them out of business

    2 if you have the audio subsystem on a phone running constantly it kills the battery.

    You probably saw the adverts every day before then but didn't register them.
    Doesn't Siri/Alexa/HeyGoogle type service need the mic to be permanently listening and processing to hear those key words anyway?
    They say that's all processed locally and nothing beyond the last few seconds is ever stored. But it wouldn't surprise me at all if they're also listening for other key words, potentially even based on whatever your advertisers want to sell you. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    I have had ads for things I've been discussing, or strangely similar to lookups.

    One way to test it is to do a search for (or mention) a medical condition and see what ads/spam you start getting.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • OctafishOctafish Frets: 1937
    I'm fairly sure they aren't

    1 The backlash when they got caught (and they would) would put them out of business

    2 if you have the audio subsystem on a phone running constantly it kills the battery.

    You probably saw the adverts every day before then but didn't register them.
    I really don't mean this in an abusive way, but that's pretty naive take on it. The backlash would be pretty minimal and most would just shrug their shoulders and utter the complacent "well, I've got nothing to hide" trope. How many times have we heard business' claim "we'd never knowingly rip the customer off, it would put us out business" and yet it happens and more often than not, doesn't put anyone out of business. Witness the car emissions scandal....
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    Also let's bear in mind...

    Even if they aren't listening, they reserve the right to use everything you post, store on google drive, email, search for, ask for, the apps you use and a profile based on combining all these things to create a unique user pattern which after a decade of data processing is basically a virtual avatar of your preferences, beliefs and prejudices and desires.

    So, they know a LOT about you.  At the minute, it's just used to sell you stuff, but in the long run, who knows...
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15475
    well, I for one welcome our new algorithm overlords. 

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

    8reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71954
    Most people don't give a shit. The need to post their entire personal lives online in a way that would make it easy for a criminal to hack them if they were worth bothering with trumps any consideration of data security or even outrage for the vast majority of smartphone owners.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 4reaction image Wisdom
  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    VimFuego said:
    well, I for one welcome our new algorithm overlords. 
    If Terminator movies weren't all shit these days, then they would change the story to be about the AI taking control via steady manipulation of people, putting it's shills (or even terminators) into power, and essentially conquering the world a bit at a time with no need for "judgement day".

    Actually far better to make that an original story than another terminator film, there are more bad ones than good ones now.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    They hardly need to bother listening in.
    People are more than happy to spill their guts all over Facebook and Twitter.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    I doubt they are on all the time as the processing power to recognise the words would eat the battery very quickly.

    I use Duck Duck Go as my default search engine, so Google doesn't know about 95% of my searches.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314
    If the phone/Alexa/Siri whatever responds immediately when you say “hey Alexa” doesn’t that imply that the microphone is on all the time? 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • brooombrooom Frets: 1170
    Well as Snowden showed to the world the NSA was able to tap into data which included voice over IP and chats from all of these companies... I'd be really surprised if they aren't capturing more data than the let you know.

    I've certainly seen companies capture more data than it was implicit to the users who "benefited" from their technology.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.