I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
simonwillison.net
I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
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Re: I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
#2> ...they would need to be feeding those snippets in almost real time into a system which forwards them onto advertising partners who then feed that information into targeting networks...
I think this is totally mistaken. An ad seller which also wants to respect privacy keeps this data in-house and does the ad targeting themselves. The advertiser never needs to see personal information for this kind of market to give people ads related to overheard conversations.
Re: I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
#3I think the article would be improved if he added a bit about what evidence he would accept.
Re: I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
#4I think the article would be improved if he added a bit about what evidence he would accept.
Show me some sniffed network traffic demonstrating an app sending that data back to a server.
Discovery in a lawsuit.
Credible insider leaks confirming this happens and how.
Re: I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
#5I think the article would be improved if he added a bit about what evidence he would accept.
Show me some sniffed network traffic demonstrating an app sending that data back to a server. Discovery in a lawsuit. Credible insider leaks confirming this happens and how.
How about Apple paying 95 million dollars in fines for it? https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/02/business/apple-siri-priva...
Re: I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
Show me some sniffed network traffic demonstrating an app sending that data back to a server. Discovery in a lawsuit. Credible insider leaks confirming this happens and how.
How about Apple paying 95 million dollars in fines for it? https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/02/business/apple-siri-priva...
Most of the post is disputing the point you're making. Did you read it?
Re: I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
#7I set my iPhone language to Italian and now I’m getting non-stop ads for Olive Garden.
Re: I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
#8I think the article would be improved if he added a bit about what evidence he would accept.
Show me some sniffed network traffic demonstrating an app sending that data back to a server. Discovery in a lawsuit. Credible insider leaks confirming this happens and how.
Cox Media Group selling a product that uses captured audio to target ads https://www.404media.co/heres-the-pitch-deck-for-active-list...
Re: I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
#9I have successfully argued this for at least a certain class of devices. Namely, it practically can't happen _for small devices_. e.g., a TV remote with a voice feature activated by a button simply won't have enough _power_ to constantly be listening, uploading, or processing.
Harder to convince folks that _nothing_ does this, but takes an edge off their more paranoid tendencies.
Re: I still don't think companies serve you ads based on your microphone
#10My experience working at one of the companies that gets accused of this a lot is that many colleagues wish we were as evil as claimed because it would be so much easier do their jobs that way than struggling through the reality of it which is endless red tape over the tiniest issues that have even the slightest proximity to privacy. So I've been a bit skeptical too.