I Phone Listening?

[dcali]

No, apparently it isn't. Did you see the Zuckerberg article? They are doing it.

The "public private partnership" has changed everything.

See my edit above. They are doing it in a specific way. They're just not doing it in this secret squirrel nefarious way.

 

[urbanrifleman]

One more thing - try it. I've sat there and talked about all manner of stuff that could be sold to me on purpose. "I've been looking for a blue shirt to buy". Stuff like that - stuff that has nothing to do with anything I'd actually buy, and would have no connection to anyone I know. Nothing happened. No ads.

Soooo.... millions of people have reported apps spying on them. Zuckerberg admitted they are doing it, but since YOUR phone won't do it in a few minutes, its not happening...

NOOOICCEEE!!!

 

[dcali]

Soooo.... millions of people have reported apps spying on them. Zuckerberg admitted they are doing it, but since YOUR phone won't do it in a few minutes, its not happening...

NOOOICCEEE!!!

Nothing in that article says anything about audio. Facebook used to be the wild west - I knew a guy who downloaded 2 million profiles based on the fact that the people who used his game allowed him to access their *friends'* profiles. That was about 15 years ago, and you can no longer do that. Facebook has tightened up significantly and gradually since those days. But yes, their entire business model (and Google's) is in processing and monetizing that data, and in some ways making it accessible to other parties. This is not even a little bit secret. It's in their financial statements, their products, everywhere.

What I maintain is *not* happening is them listening to your dinner conversations to sell you a new pair of jeans. They don't need to. They already know you need jeans.

 

[Straightshooter1]

Dumb down your phone by turning off Siri, wifi, and location services. Some of the features like maps, navigation, etc. will no longer work. Or set it on the anvil and smack it with a sledge hammer.

That's exactly what I do with my phone, only activating those services for the short time I'm using an app the needs them. My millennial son's think I'm paranoid and don't share my concerns over being tracked, watched and heard.

A few years ago when Amazon came out with Alexa I bought one because it sounded convenient. After a few days having it up and running, it became very obvious it was listening to everyone within range, often picking up on something said and offering suggestions. I unplugged it and haven't used it since.

These days, so much is being required to use some phone app to conduct any kind of business. Just tap your phone or scan a bar code to get what you want done. I don't mind the convenience, but I'm fully aware that is being use to track where I am and what I'm doing. . . often without my consent. I strongly object to that.

Along this line, a few year back I found out my smart TV had a feature that tracks what you watch, which allows for targeted ads to be sent your way. TV's come with it activated and you have to make your way through a list of hard to get to menu items to turn it off, and so I did that.

Rather the use my phone map and GPS, because I don't like being tracked, I use a Garmin GPS for making my way to unfamiliar locations. And the only time my GPS are connected to the internet is when I connect them to my computer for an update.

Oh, and don't forget about all these new cars, especially the electric ones that are designed to be connected to the internet, all to keep you safe and your car running efficiently . . . like they're not data mining.

I like these video door bells and security cameras, but I refuse to have any that are connected to the internet. All I want are those that operation by way of Bluetooth, and even those have some exposure to be monitored without my knowledge.

The one place I feel really exposed is when I'm on my computer and connected to the internet. Being fully aware of the exposure, I take as many precautions as possible. But with AI making huge advancements, I feel it's all a losing battle and no way to live within this modern culture that to be trapped in 1984. One can completely unplug and if one can life a lifestyle that it takes to do that, then it is what it is.

Unlike the young generations of today, I really cherish privacy, but it's very, very hard to come by these days.

Notice, I tend to keep my identity private here too.

 

[praveen]

My wife asked if I thought the CIA listened in through the Alexa.
I said "no, they don't....".
Then Alexa said "no, we don't".
And my wife said "I've never heard the male voice before".

 

[MGYSGT]

OK. This is off subject but, I gotta tell somebody. While fixing up my garage/loading room I found myself needing some small metal washers. Hollered at my daughter and told her I was going to Lowe's for some washers. At Lowe's, I couldn't find the particular washer I needed. An employee walked by and I asked for help. So, before I went to bed I checked my computer for emails and stuff. Lo and behold my home page was full of ads for washers! Every time I went to a new page the "washer" ads would pop up. I told my daughter what was happening and she just laughed and said, "I'm telling you, Dad, these phones listen to our conversations". Has anybody else had this experience? Weird!

PS
The ads are still here this morning.

Yep!

 

[338 Mollett]

The Trail Blazer program was exposed by Edward Snowden on just such issues . This program though is reportedly cancelled, replaced the program Thin Thread in which William Biney had a large hand in . Thin Thread had a certain amount of safeties in it to give the general public more protections . In a nut shell Thin Thread was shot down because the program was not expensive enough for the then director Hayden who was wanting to compete with the CIA especially on budget . And ironically Hayden goes on to become Head of the CIA. But I'm quite sure if Trail Blazer has been cancelled there is one that exists with more capabilities . And I know I'm making a mistake by typing this !! LOVE MY FREEDOM

 

[Dave M.]

Dumb down your phone by turning off Siri, wifi, and location services. Some of the features like maps, navigation, etc. will no longer work. Or set it on the anvil and smack it with a sledge hammer.

I agree. I have Siri turned off on my phone and car.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Yes they are listening. How do they scale to a level required to process all that data? research Hadoop. It is one method used to achieve scalability. Used extensively in search engines. Now that scalability is moving to hardware. One reason GPU stocks are so hot. It's no longer about graphics. Another method is via FPGA's. Dynamically programmable hardware to achieve massive parallelism. As far as AI being just programming, time was that that would have been true. These days neural networks effectively modify their own behavior (programming) based on training of the particular models using the data provided and there is really no way to see inside them.

My solution, park your phone in your back pocket and fart on it regularly then say f^*k it and go fishing or shooting.

 

[jdh47]

Search engines do the same thing. If you look up something you would like to buy you'll receive advertisements about it for some time. Siri breaks in on conversations all the time if you have it turned on. This instant availability in the information age goes both ways I suppose. I suspect if you plan a mutiny, you had better use passenger pigeons instead of the cell phone or computer. LOL

 

[jghoghunter]

Search engines do the same thing. If you look up something you would like to buy you'll receive advertisements about it for some time. Siri breaks in on conversations all the time if you have it turned on. This instant availability in the information age goes both ways I suppose. I suspect if you plan a mutiny, you had better use passenger pigeons instead of the cell phone or computer. LOL

To me mutiny, revolt, tired of their shit, time to take a stand, what ever you choose to call it. Passenger pigeons are just a given!

 

[c3d4b2]

Of course it's listening.

I was at work one day and I told the guys I worked with that their iPhones were listening to them all the time. They of course laughed and said I didn't know what I was talking about. And I said to them how do you think Siri hears you idiot? It's listening to you.

Just do an experiment anytime you want. Especially if you have Facebook app on your phone. Just pick an obscure subject or product and start talking about it. Say, I sure would like some peanut butter cookies! Boy I sure do love peanut butter cookies. Peanut butter cookies are my favorite.

Just watch your Facebook feed fill up with ads for peanut butter cookies.

Of course your phone is listening to you and that data is being mined and sold. Those companies are not only listening to you they are taking that information and putting it in huge server farms to create files on each one of us.

I'll tell you another thing about data mining from these phones. Here in Tulsa there's a new project that's going on with the Israeli defense Force, and one of the billionaire oligarchs from the area, they are specifically working on data mining as a product. The intention being in the future that this will be a huge commodity. Selling information. Not only consumer information but personal information. Everyone will want to buy this information. Everyone will use it. That includes governments, law enforcement, the military, corporations, social media, etc

All perfectly legal. I guess George Orwell knew what he was talking

People are saying that data is the new oil.

How Google (Alphabet) Makes Money: Advertising and Cloud

Google (Alphabet) makes most of its money selling ad space to advertisers on its various platforms. But its cloud computing services are growing fast.

www.investopedia.com

 

[AccelR8]

I experience the opposite.

I use a cell phone for just that, a cell phone and nothing else. I do internet on my computer at home.

I go to great lengths to stay anonymous on the web. I know it’s not entirely possible but I try. Things like a browser that (says it doesn’t) track me, a search engine that claims likewise, a VPN, a secure email. I take steps to prevent browser fingerprinting. I have my browser set to clear cookies when I close it, which I do frequently. I manually clear cookies and search history on my machine frequently as well. Not because I’m hiding anything, but just because. We should all do this.

The only social media I use at all is FaceBook so there’s a big vulnerability but my usage there is highly limited. I use a secure encrypted messaging platform, which of course is not truly secure after all but at least it provides a first layer of anonymity.

So, when I arrive at a web site like utoob which I use primarily for music, they have no idea really what I am going to search for and they have no idea what to offer up. As far as they know I’m just a generic human who could be there for the first time. I am absolutely amazed at the inane, mindless content that is suggested. Videos from utoob personalities who’s entire schtick is to re-play videos others have posted and make comments or act out stupid reactions to said videos. And if you look, they posted it two hours ago and it already has 1.8 million views. Or utoob offers up...well let me go see right now...”Genius Inventions That Should be Implemented Everywhere” “She Got A Sign From Her Husband” “Really Don’t Know How I Survived (Halo MCC)” “Super Shy, New Jeans” “Stung By The Devil’s Toilet Paper” “Idiots In Boats”

This is who youtoob apparently thinks the average American is. They may be right!

 

[CJ6]

If you have Alexa or Siri in the house It's worse

 

[1K6BRA]

If I were ever to have my arse hauled in for things that my phone may have heard me saying, I would just use their excuse “disinformation “ That is not my I phone . You have the wrong guy.

 

[tommeboy]

Faraday cage or fabric over your phone will solve a lot of this. You won't be able to use your phone as it blocks incoming and outgoing signals. Most of your cloths also have rfid tags sewed into them so retailers know where you have been.

 

[LVLAaron]

Almost every mainstream app on your phone requests and has access to camera/audio. It can listen.

 

[Evan]

I experience the opposite.

I use a cell phone for just that, a cell phone and nothing else. I do internet on my computer at home.

I go to great lengths to stay anonymous on the web. I know it’s not entirely possible but I try. Things like a browser that (says it doesn’t) track me, a search engine that claims likewise, a VPN, a secure email. I take steps to prevent browser fingerprinting. I have my browser set to clear cookies when I close it, which I do frequently. I manually clear cookies and search history on my machine frequently as well. Not because I’m hiding anything, but just because. We should all do this.

The only social media I use at all is FaceBook so there’s a big vulnerability but my usage there is highly limited. I use a secure encrypted messaging platform, which of course is not truly secure after all but at least it provides a first layer of anonymity.

So, when I arrive at a web site like utoob which I use primarily for music, they have no idea really what I am going to search for and they have no idea what to offer up. As far as they know I’m just a generic human who could be there for the first time. I am absolutely amazed at the inane, mindless content that is suggested. Videos from utoob personalities who’s entire schtick is to re-play videos others have posted and make comments or act out stupid reactions to said videos. And if you look, they posted it two hours ago and it already has 1.8 million views. Or utoob offers up...well let me go see right now...”Genius Inventions That Should be Implemented Everywhere” “She Got A Sign From Her Husband” “Really Don’t Know How I Survived (Halo MCC)” “Super Shy, New Jeans” “Stung By The Devil’s Toilet Paper” “Idiots In Boats”

This is who youtoob apparently thinks the average American is. They may be right!

Do you use a windows or mac? Both are information highways back to their respective companies.

To the bigger topic:
GPS and usage/interaction data is small and information dense. Audio is probably the least information dense data for anyone to use for any purpose.

 

[cmysix]

Of course it's listening.

I was at work one day and I told the guys I worked with that their iPhones were listening to them all the time. They of course laughed and said I didn't know what I was talking about. And I said to them how do you think Siri hears you idiot? It's listening to you.

Just do an experiment anytime you want. Especially if you have Facebook app on your phone. Just pick an obscure subject or product and start talking about it. Say, I sure would like some peanut butter cookies! Boy I sure do love peanut butter cookies. Peanut butter cookies are my favorite.

Just watch your Facebook feed fill up with ads for peanut butter cookies.

Of course your phone is listening to you and that data is being mined and sold. Those companies are not only listening to you they are taking that information and putting it in huge server farms to create files on each one of us.

I'll tell you another thing about data mining from these phones. Here in Tulsa there's a new project that's going on with the Israeli defense Force, and one of the billionaire oligarchs from the area, they are specifically working on data mining as a product. The intention being in the future that this will be a huge commodity. Selling information. Not only consumer information but personal information. Everyone will want to buy this information. Everyone will use it. That includes governments, law enforcement, the military, corporations, social media, etc

All perfectly legal. I guess George Orwell knew what he was talking about.

how do you think google makes it's money and has been for years, data mining has been going on for over 15 years, your Oligarch is 10 years late to the party.

 

[cmysix]

The Hugh data collection depot the feds built in Utah a few years ago, REMEMBER everyone bitching about it? The only purpose it serves, it to collect everything they what off the internet, AND to make Mitt Romneys family very rich, you all need to wake up, and I'm the one who NEVER believed in the "DEEP STATE" now since D Trump, I BELIEVE! why do you think they are trying to get him/us so badly?