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Facebook, Google, Amazon Etc Are Probably Listening To You

kamalktk

kamalktk

Antediluvian
Joined
Feb 5, 2011
Messages
7,554
In Leak, Facebook Partner Brags About Listening to Your Phone’s Microphone to Serve Ads for Stuff You Mention

/now we know why people think they can read your mind...

https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-partner-phones-listening-microphone
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In a pitch deck to prospective customers, one of Facebook's alleged marketing partners explained how it listens to users' smartphone microphones and advertises to them accordingly.

As 404 Media reports based on documents leaked to its reporters, the TV and radio news giant Cox Media Group (CMG) claims that its so-called "Active Listening" software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to "capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations."

"Advertisers can pair this voice-data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers," the deck continues.

In the same slideshow, CMG counted Facebook, Google, and Amazon as clients of its "Active Listening" service. After 404 reached out to Google about its partnership, the tech giant removed the media group from the site for its "Partners Program," which prompted Meta, the owner of Facebook, to admit that it is reviewing CMG to see if it violates any of its terms of service.

An Amazon spokesperson, meanwhile, told 404 that its Ads arm "has never worked with CMG on this program and has no plans to do so. The spox added, confusingly, that if one of its marketing partners violates its rules, the company will take action.
 
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That depends on the backroom deals they can reach with the lawmakers. Don`t underestimate them.
 
I can't read that 404 Media post because it's only for subscribers. I'm highly skeptical of phone apps using your microphone. There are several hurdles to overcome. And it doesn't make any sense.
https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4851

There are far easier ways for corporations to serve you ads without resorting to serious rule breaking and privacy violations. We share our data every time we use the app. They don't have to go through the incredible effort of speech to text and AI for millions of people, we click and direct them all on our own, with permission. It's quite easy. No phone tapping required.
 
I actually feel quite sorry for my Alexa. Because I live alone with just the dog, even a machine is going to get sick of monitoring my chuntering meaninglessly about having to make the bed and 'oooo's a goo' girl then, yes you are..' on repeat all day.
 
According to Motor1, the car company Ford now also want to listen in. They have filed a patent for an "In-Vehicle Advertisement Presentation System."
Apart from monitoring where you are going, how fast and such things, it will also be "determining user preference for advertisements from any one or more of audio signals within the within the vehicle".

Patent application at: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25108000-us-20240289844-a1_i
 
kamalktk said:
In Leak, Facebook Partner Brags About Listening to Your Phone’s Microphone to Serve Ads for Stuff You Mention

/now we know why people think they can read your mind...

https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-partner-phones-listening-microphone
-----------------------------------------
In a pitch deck to prospective customers, one of Facebook's alleged marketing partners explained how it listens to users' smartphone microphones and advertises to them accordingly.

As 404 Media reports based on documents leaked to its reporters, the TV and radio news giant Cox Media Group (CMG) claims that its so-called "Active Listening" software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to "capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations."

"Advertisers can pair this voice-data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers," the deck continues.

In the same slideshow, CMG counted Facebook, Google, and Amazon as clients of its "Active Listening" service. After 404 reached out to Google about its partnership, the tech giant removed the media group from the site for its "Partners Program," which prompted Meta, the owner of Facebook, to admit that it is reviewing CMG to see if it violates any of its terms of service.

An Amazon spokesperson, meanwhile, told 404 that its Ads arm "has never worked with CMG on this program and has no plans to do so. The spox added, confusingly, that if one of its marketing partners violates its rules, the company will take action.
Click to expand...
It's quite easily testable keep saying washing powder, burghers whatever takes your fancy and see what comes up

There are easier ways of tracking you, and it's those little cookies the site has to ask your permission to use, Facebook makes great use of them, I would advise people not to accept them when given an option as it deprives the site from making money from you by selling your browsing history, you will find you are targeted by random ads for bizarre products because they don't know what you have been interested in the Facebook is the worst, click on any add and you will be bombarded by adds from different companies selling the same product (many of them are drop shippers by the way) I once clicked on a add for a weighted blanket (Facebook had read my cookie form a google search) there must have been 50 different companies trying to sell me a weighted blanket, and they were all the bloody same blanket!

Your home work is to google something like Farm Machinery actually go on some of the dealers sites and accept the cookies then see what Facebook serves you up it can be quite entertaining, but knowing the system means you can then start to game the system
 
The awful thing is when you look up products you can't believe exist on a website - laugh about them with a friend - only to keep getting related things coming up next time you want to do some shopping.

Or you get them suggested on facebook.

Sometimes the relationship between what you look at and what is suggested is a bit strange though....
 
My partner has a manky old Landrover, allegedly a "classic". Following a somewhat heated discussion about getting rid of it I was plagued with adverts on Facebook and by emails for Landrover related items such as mud flaps, seat covers, spare parts and widgets.

Clearly someone listens to us but doesn't pick up context or "tone" of conversation.
 
Oh my
Xanatic* said:
According to Motor1, the car company Ford now also want to listen in. They have filed a patent for an "In-Vehicle Advertisement Presentation System."
Apart from monitoring where you are going, how fast and such things, it will also be "determining user preference for advertisements from any one or more of audio signals within the within the vehicle".

Patent application at: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25108000-us-20240289844-a1_i
Click to expand...
Oh my god, Blade runner becomes reality!
 

Smart speakers at crime scenes could provide valuable clues to police​


Information on faces recognised, voice commands and internet searches can be extracted from an Amazon Echo smart assistant without help from the user or manufacturer.

Police can access a trove of data from smart speakers found at crime scenes that could be invaluable in solving murders or burglaries, say researchers. Data on recently recognised faces, internet searches and any voice commands received could be extracted even without the owner’s permission or assistance from the manufacturer.

Paywalled (but you get the idea):

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...cenes-could-provide-valuable-clues-to-police/

This obviously cuts both ways, depending on whether you are the victim of a crime or the subject of an investigation…

“If I wanted the government in my house, I'd buy Alexa.”

~ Rick Sanchez

maximus otter
 
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catseye said:
I actually feel quite sorry for my Alexa. Because I live alone with just the dog, even a machine is going to get sick of monitoring my chuntering meaninglessly about having to make the bed and 'oooo's a goo' girl then, yes you are..' on repeat all day.
Click to expand...
Ah but think of the fun you could have tormenting Alexa . "I can't get rid of this dinasour from my attic". "My tin foil hat keeps falling off" "These bodies keep getting in the way" etc ad nauseam.

All this tech just to aim adverts I find to be ludicrous. Not one person I know pays any heed to them and I do wonder how effective the billions spent actually is or is it simply platforms conning advertisers into lobbing tons of dosh their way?

This laptop tells me that AdBlock has blocked 335000 adverts and I don't feel deprived at all.
 
catseye said:
I actually feel quite sorry for my Alexa. Because I live alone with just the dog, even a machine is going to get sick of monitoring my chuntering meaninglessly about having to make the bed and 'oooo's a goo' girl then, yes you are..' on repeat all day.
Click to expand...
Here it would mainly be me saying No, Alexa play- No Alexa play- No, for the love of God Alexa, play.......................
interspersed with intermittent utterances of FFS, this weather/country/food/tv/ is shite.
 
I was given an unwanted Alexa back in 2022 when it was all the rage and have to say I hated it, not least for the awful sound quality of the music it played. So after about a month it went in the cupboard. Reading the above reminded me that no-one at work talks about the Alexa or Echo anymore and it seems it was yet another tech fad:

Alexa's Silence: the death of Amazon's biggest blunder​

It's mid-2023, and the web is packed with Amazon Echo discounts, and they're significant. Some places sell it for $34, the lowest price in history. One might think this is the best opportunity to buy one, but the world isn't rushing. Nobody is ordering them in such quantities that Amazon must ramp up production. Instead, only a few devices will ship out.

The Amazon Echo smart speaker was set to revolutionize how we lived when it first came out. Fast forward nine years, and these devices have failed to meet expectations. Why? Because of Amazon itself. This is why the Amazon Echo is dying.

https://slidebean.com/story/what-is-amazon-echo-alexa

But then I am still not convinced about air fryers, not least because cooking with plastic just feels wrong and most people seem to use them to heat up chicken nuggets etc.
 
My problem with Alexa et al is that they are always on. I would prefer something more like Star Trek where you press your Starfleet badge for communication. Some tiny transmitter with an on/off button.
 
Eyespy said:
My partner has a manky old Landrover, allegedly a "classic". Following a somewhat heated discussion about getting rid of it I was plagued with adverts on Facebook and by emails for Landrover related items such as mud flaps, seat covers, spare parts and widgets.

Clearly someone listens to us but doesn't pick up context or "tone" of conversation.
Click to expand...
That's because you both have the same IP address.
 
Eyespy said:
My partner has a manky old Landrover, allegedly a "classic". Following a somewhat heated discussion about getting rid of it I was plagued with adverts on Facebook and by emails for Landrover related items such as mud flaps, seat covers, spare parts and widgets.

Clearly someone listens to us but doesn't pick up context or "tone" of conversation.
Click to expand...
Wait- you're asking them to get rid of a classic pride and joy? How very dare you:hahazebs:.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
I was given an unwanted Alexa back in 2022 when it was all the rage and have to say I hated it, not least for the awful sound quality of the music it played. So after about a month it went in the cupboard. Reading the above reminded me that no-one at work talks about the Alexa or Echo anymore and it seems it was yet another tech fad:

Alexa's Silence: the death of Amazon's biggest blunder​

It's mid-2023, and the web is packed with Amazon Echo discounts, and they're significant. Some places sell it for $34, the lowest price in history. One might think this is the best opportunity to buy one, but the world isn't rushing. Nobody is ordering them in such quantities that Amazon must ramp up production. Instead, only a few devices will ship out.

The Amazon Echo smart speaker was set to revolutionize how we lived when it first came out. Fast forward nine years, and these devices have failed to meet expectations. Why? Because of Amazon itself. This is why the Amazon Echo is dying.

https://slidebean.com/story/what-is-amazon-echo-alexa

But then I am still not convinced about air fryers, not least because cooking with plastic just feels wrong and most people seem to use them to heat up chicken nuggets etc.
Click to expand...
I have a few around the house the 3 show versions and one dot, good for playing music good for my smart tech (lights and heating, cameras) good as an alarm clock and occasionally listening to an audio book, but that's about it really I never use them for shopping they are useful for what they do, but as with most tech the developers tend to overhype and then get caught up in their own hype, it's a problem caused by tech companies working in silos surrounded by other tech people divorced from normal human life, to them an internet connected fridge is a great idea to most people it's ridiculous like the amazon buttons they used to do, you ran out of toilet roll for example pressed the button and they would deliver some to you, on paper a very good idea all very space age, in reality no one saw the point
 
Techy gave me an Alexa for xmas and I love it. I find it useful for switching on and off lights and appliances and for telling me the time and weather in the night. It also plays podcasts and BBC programmes for me.

I can even set it to make me a brew on way home form work. :chuckle:
 
Imagine it's 1983 and I make the following offer to you:
You can have a microphone installed in your house that listens to everything you say and do and records it. The recordings are analysed and the data are sold to various data pimps. Oh, and you get to pay for this.

You'd say no wouldn't you?

It's a Stasi officer's wet dream, yet is now considered somehow acceptable and indeed desirable.
 
Herr Cloaca said:
Imagine it's 1983 and I make the following offer to you:
You can have a microphone installed in your house that listens to everything you say and do and records it. The recordings are analysed and the data are sold to various data pimps. Oh, and you get to pay for this.

You'd say no wouldn't you?

It's a Stasi officer's wet dream, yet is now considered somehow acceptable and indeed desirable.
Click to expand...
Imagine it's 1983 and I tell you about the internet and al the tech revolution it will bring, we could not comprehend it back then, it's not all positive I know but whilst it's possible to live without it, it would not be easy especially if you wanted to take part in normal life, it's a different debate I know

The world has changed massively if humanity goes on long enough this era will be taught in history books just as the industrial revolution is taught now
 
Herr Cloaca said:
I deleted my Facebook account yesterday. It felt good. They don't make it easy - must have taken at least ten minutes of clicking around.
Click to expand...

ISTR that if you log back onto it within (30?) days it reactivates automatically, so no backward glances.

maximus otter
 
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