Mobile 2025-02-24 23:15:00

Is Your Smartphone Listening to Your Conversations to Show You Targeted Ads?

If you walk into a store with your smartphone’s Bluetooth turned on, retailers can track your movements.

Recently, a woman named Linda called Fox News to ask about a concern that many people have experienced.

"I went shopping at Walmart yesterday and looked at kitchen knives. I called my friend and told her where I was in the store. I didn’t buy any knives. Today, I received an email ad precisely about the knives I had browsed! Why is this happening? I’ve never searched for knives online," Linda asked.

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation known for its chain of supermarkets, discount department stores, and online retail operations.

Many would assume that “the phone was listening to Linda’s conversation.” However, the explanation is not that simple, and Fox News provides insight into what’s actually happening.

Your Digital Footprint

Even if Linda never searched for knives online, her smartphone is still collecting data. Smartphones track your location, not just through GPS but also via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals.

If your smartphone is connected to Wi-Fi in the store or has Bluetooth enabled, Walmart and other retailers can track your movements. They know where you were in the store. They also know that you didn’t buy a knife.

Retailers sell this data to advertising networks, which work with data brokers to obtain your email address. That’s why Linda received an email from a knife retailer. Fox News predicts that she will start seeing ads for knives and related products across the internet.

Location Tracking

Facebook, Instagram, Google, and even weather apps track your location, even when running in the background. If you have granted them location access, these apps know where you are and use that data to target ads.

Linda will likely start receiving marketing emails and social media ads for knives, kitchen organizers, and cooking classes. This is how AI-powered advertising works—it takes a single interest (e.g., kitchen knives) and expands it to related categories.

How to Protect Your Privacy

There are many things you cannot control in this vast data-tracking network. That makes it even more important to take control of what you can.

Erase Your Digital Footprint

Avoid logging into Google, Facebook, or Amazon when shopping. The easiest way is to use an incognito or private browsing mode separate from your logged-in accounts.

1. Enable Default Incognito Mode on Browsers

Google Chrome on PC: Drag the Google Chrome icon from the Start menu to the desktop to create a shortcut. Right-click the shortcut and select Show more options > Properties. In the Target field, add -incognito at the end of the URL path and click OK.
Safari on Mac: Go to Settings > General > Safari opens with a private window.
Android Smartphones: Long-press the browser icon, then select Open in Private tab.
iPhone: Long-press the browser icon, then select New Private Tab (Safari) or Incognito Search (Google Chrome).

2. Clear Cookies

Fox News also recommends regularly clearing cookies on your smartphone. If you’ve never done this before, here’s how:

For Safari on iPhone:
- Open Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data and select Clear All Website Data.
For Google Chrome:
- On iPhone:
  1. Open Google Chrome and tap the three dots in the bottom-right corner.
  2. Select Settings > Privacy & Security > Clear Browsing Data.
  3. Check Cookies and Site Data, but uncheck other items.
  4. Tap Clear Browsing Data, then tap Done.
- On Android Devices:
  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner.
  3. Go to History > Clear Browsing Data.
  4. Choose a time range—select All Time if you want to delete everything.
  5. Check Cookies and Site Data and Cached Images and Files, then tap Clear Data.

Manage Location Tracking

Turn off location tracking for retail apps in your phone’s settings.
Disable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when not in use.
Avoid using public Wi-Fi, as retailers can use it to track you.

Adjust Your Ad Preferences

Google Ads: Visit Google Ad Settings to turn off personalized ads.
Update ad preferences on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and other platforms.

Control App Permissions

Disable microphone access for apps like Facebook and Google.
Restrict background app activity in your phone’s settings.

By taking these steps, you can minimize how much data advertisers collect about you and regain some control over your digital privacy.

Smartphones Don’t Need to Eavesdrop to Show Accurate Ads

For years, people have suspected that smartphones secretly record conversations to suggest relevant ads, and Apple's Siri lawsuit has reignited these concerns.

Some individuals claim they have felt like their smartphones are listening in. For example, if a family discusses buying ice skates, advertisements for ice skates might appear on Facebook shortly after.

In early January, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a five-year lawsuit regarding Siri eavesdropping. A class-action lawsuit was filed in a U.S. court in 2019, accusing Apple of activating Siri to record conversations on iPhones and other devices without user consent.

According to the lawsuit, recordings were allegedly made even when users did not activate the virtual assistant by saying "Hey, Siri" or pressing a button. Some conversations were later shared with third parties for Siri improvement or advertiser data sharing. More importantly, Siri’s alleged eavesdropping contradicted Apple's commitment to protecting customer privacy. While Apple issued an apology, it did not admit to any wrongdoing.

Are Smartphones Actually Listening?

A survey by Compare & Recycle, a platform for buying and selling used electronics, found that one in three people believe their iPhone or Android smartphone is listening to them.

"One way phones listen to us is through built-in voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant. To understand speech accurately, these assistants need to listen for extended periods. This means they may be passively listening to conversations even when you’re unaware," a Compare & Recycle spokesperson explained.

The report also suggests that some apps exploit loopholes in their terms and conditions to secretly access microphones and activate recording when in use. The collected data can then be sold to third parties.

Amid growing user skepticism, Apple publicly addressed the issue on January 8, stating:

"Apple has never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, never provided data for advertising purposes, and never sold data to anyone for any reason."

Experts Say Eavesdropping Isn't Necessary

For years, Professor David Choffnes of Northeastern University (USA) has studied how frequently smartphone apps and voice assistants operate in the background to determine if microphone recordings influence ad targeting.

"While we can't rule out the possibility, only a tiny fraction of strange advertisements appear on screens due to a phone ‘listening’ to conversations," Choffnes told The Washington Post.

He added that it's difficult to prove, but companies already have many ways to collect information without needing to eavesdrop.

"They have so much data that they can deeply understand consumer behavior without listening to any conversations," Choffnes noted.

Jason Kelley, Operations Director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a consumer rights advocacy group, agrees. He suggests that abnormal smartphone behavior could indicate eavesdropping.

"If your phone were constantly eavesdropping, you’d notice the battery draining quickly," Kelley explained.

Jake Moore, a global cybersecurity advisor at ESET, who has over 10 years of experience in combating online threats, holds a similar view.

"Technically, smartphones can listen and respond to users. However, manufacturers are not allowed to actively listen to user conversations. They cannot record conversations to target ads. More importantly, continuous microphone activation would cause overheating and battery drain," Moore stated.

Moore emphasized that Big Tech no longer needs to listen to our conversations to understand our habits, preferences, and life choices.

"Their algorithms can determine many things before you even say a word. They can even predict your next purchase before you consciously think about it," he added.

How Are Ads So Accurate Without Eavesdropping?

Some experts point out that every online action leaves a data trail—clicking on an image, searching a keyword, or chatting with a friend triggers targeted ads.

The scenario of a family discussing ice skates and then seeing an ad could be pure coincidence. In reality, someone in the family may have searched for ice skates on a shared Wi-Fi network, or perhaps they visited an ice rink, allowing their location data to be tracked.

Advertisers might already know details like the child's age, making it easy to deliver an ad for children's ice skates.

Big Tech Doesn't Need to Listen – They Already Know Everything

According to security experts, tech giants like Apple, Meta (Facebook), and Google don’t need to eavesdrop—they already collect plenty of accurate user data through other means.

These companies know your age, gender, and family status. They know where you live, where you travel, who you befriend, and what you care about. They track your searches, watch history, purchase history, and topics of interest.

On their own, these data points may seem insignificant. But when combined, Big Tech connects the dots to create a full picture of an individual. Advertisers then use this profile to deliver personalized ads, ensuring a high probability of user engagement.

However, this remains speculative, as major tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Meta rarely disclose how digital advertising truly works or how they utilize collected user data.