The wall didn't know, the mobile has ears!
We often listen, the wall also has ears. This saying is often used as a warning to be careful when having sensitive or confidential conversations. But in the current digital age, this has started to be experienced as a reality. It is not clear that the wall has ears, but many are now curious about whether the mobile is listening to us.
Many of us have experienced that after we talk to friends or family about a product or service, the related advertisement appears on the mobile. Therefore, many people now have the question, "Do our phones or apps really listen to our conversations?"
What is the fact that the mobile listens?
According to studies and experts, under normal circumstances, your phone does not listen to you constantly. However, some apps or voice assistants (such as Google Assistant, Siri) only activate and listen to audio after hearing a 'wake word' such as "Hey Siri" or "OK Google".
Why do we see advertisements for the same product or service that we are talking about?
Rather than our phones constantly listening and showing us ads as we might expect, ads are targeted based on our internet usage, search history, location, and social media activity. That’s why sometimes ‘what we’re talking about’ and ‘ads in our feed’ coincidentally match.
How to check if your phone is listening to you
You can easily check if your phone is listening to you.
1. Think of a topic that you’re not normally interested in. No matter why you’re not interested, there’s no record of any previous searches, website visits, or conversations related to the topic.
2. After choosing a topic, sit close to your phone and talk about it. Use keywords related to the topic as much as possible. For example, if you think of the topic “boat engine,” say things like “where can I buy a boat engine?”, “which boat engine is reliable?”, “how much does a new boat engine cost?” Your words should clearly indicate a desire to buy an engine. Talk like this for a few days.
3. Then evaluate the ads that appear in your feed. This includes ads from platforms like YouTube videos, Google search, and social media feeds. If you start seeing ads related to boat engines or boats, your phone is listening to you.
What can we do?
Permission control: Go to your phone's settings and remove access from apps that don't require the microphone.
Turn off voice assistants: Disable services like Google Assistant or Siri when not in use.
Be aware: Don't install unnecessary apps, and read privacy policies when installing apps.
According to studies and experts, your phone or apps are not constantly listening to you. However, apps or voice assistants that have received microphone permission can listen to your commands. For this reason, we need to make it a habit to manage permissions consciously, turn off unnecessary services, and read privacy information.
