If there was any evidence I’m sure the EFF would be talking about this. https://mobile.twitter.com/eff/status/1164331076375814144?la...
EFF cannot monitor everything, it just protects your rights.
Sure, but if someone was monitoring and they did have evidence then the EFF would most likely publicize the findings. You can answer the question “has anyone found evidence of popular apps monitoring audio data” by searching EFF archives. It’s not exactly the same thing, but it is something of interest.
If they are not actually listening, has someone mapped out how I get an ad related to a verbal conversation? What did they do to put the pieces together? I would imagine several different scenarios to get an actual match - but Ive wondered this at least a couple of times (too close a coincidence that is).
They don’t need to listen to audio, which is very cumbersome and error prone, if they have your location. If your location is available, so are all of your friends’ locations. The apps can easily see who’s in the same place at the same time and generate a “friend” network. Presumably you talk to your friends about your thoughts, and they talk to their friends. All it takes is a few people to start googling something new (or looking up products in Amazon, or searching for the same tags on Instagram, etc etc) in this network for the algorithm to realize this might be something you’re ALL talking to each about, and thus advertise straight to you, giving the perfect illusion that whatever you’re talking about is advertised back to you.
How do Android and iOS known when you say "OK Google" or "Hey Siri" if they are not listening all the time? Or, is it accepted that they are?
They are listening all the time. Presumably 'just' for the wakeword. Better yet, Alexa listens to everything you do inside your house, and the Ring Network listens to everything you do outside your house. And both of them are connected to the power outlet, so the 'but battery depletion' excuse doesn't apply.
How do Android and iOS known when you say "OK Google" or "Hey Siri" if they are not listening all the time? Or, is it accepted that they are?
The listening for the initial keyword (e.g. “Hey Siri”) is done on hardware designed specifically for that purpose. That’s why you can’t change the keyword to whatever you want. Only when that keyword is heard does it actively listen to and process whatever follows.
“Actively” listening all the time would simply consume too much CPU/bandwidth/battery.
> Is there any evidence of this? No, because this is a conspiracy. Whoever claims something like that should prove it and not the other way around.
I think you mean a "false conspiracy theory", because if there actually were a conspiracy to monitor conversation through common apps, as other comments mentioned, it would have been found already.
How do Android and iOS known when you say "OK Google" or "Hey Siri" if they are not listening all the time? Or, is it accepted that they are?
In this case, the microphones are in fact on and processed by some relatively cheap (in terms of power consumption) algorithm whose sole purpose is detecting that phrase. Only after it detects that phrase does it start processing speech in any significant way
How do Android and iOS known when you say "OK Google" or "Hey Siri" if they are not listening all the time? Or, is it accepted that they are?
It’s less CPU intensive to monitor for a single trigger phrase (“OK Google”) after which the more general, CPU-intensive speech to text is performed (either on device or in the cloud).
The devices aren’t translating all speech to text all of the time and then checking it against the phrase “OK Google”. They’re looking for the trigger phrase.