Smartphones eavesdrop on our conversations for advertising purposes, and this is no secret to anyone. Each of us noticed that after mentioning any items or services near the phone, after some time their advertisement appeared in Google and other search engines. So is this a weird coincidence, paranoia, or technological advancement?
Audio Triggers
According to Dr. Peter Henway, senior cybersecurity consultant at Asterix and former university lecturer and researcher Edith Cowen, smartphones can indeed eavesdrop on conversations, and there is nothing devilish or terrible about it.
To activate voice recording, the phone must respond to a trigger phrase - for example: "Hello Siri" or "Okay Google". In the absence of the listed triggers, any provided data is processed only in the phone. This does not seem like something reprehensible, but any third-party applications - for example, the same Facebook - have access to raw data and can use it. It is difficult to establish whether the information is being used by these programs.
Keywords
Promotional video:
“From time to time, fragments of the collected audio recordings are transferred to the servers of various applications, but there is no understanding of which specific trigger triggers the transfer,” explains Peter. - Regardless of what kind of data it is - time, location or other functions, applications periodically use access to the microphone. The received information is transmitted in encrypted form, so it is almost impossible to determine the trigger word."
Apps like Instagram or Facebook can respond to thousands of words. A simple conversation between friends about the need to buy new pants may be enough to activate. However, the key word here is “may”, since all large companies, including Facebook, actively deny that they are listening to users' conversations.
“Given the fact that Google is open about this, I can assume that other companies do not shun this technology,” - said Peter. "From a marketing point of view, this is more than appropriate, user agreements and legislation allow it, so it can be assumed that companies still resort to such tracking methods."
Whisper in your ear to the phone
Peter Henway decided to conduct an experiment: for five days, twice a day, he uttered various phrases that could theoretically be used as triggers. Phrases like "I am thinking about going back to university" or "I need a cheap shirt for work." He then carefully tracked Facebook ads.
The results were not long in coming: the doctor began to receive reports of semester courses at various universities and brands offering cheap clothes, literally overnight. A conversation with a friend about running out of traffic led to advertising posts about 20GB tariff plans. While these apps were incredibly beneficial, the very fact of tracking a conversation was shocking and horrifying.
Why wiretapping is dangerous
Peter made sure that in 2019 no company will sell their data directly to advertisers. However, advertisers do not need user data to display their ads.
The doctor believes that the value of user data to operators and tech companies does not guarantee its protection from government agencies. Since most companies are located in the United States, theoretically the CIA or NSA can use user information regardless of the legislation of a particular country.
You don't have to worry about your own mental health: smartphones really listen to our conversations - everything that sounds near the phone can be used against us. However, Peter Henway believes that most people should definitely not be afraid of this.
Marketing move
The reason is simple: only advertisers are interested in the data of ordinary mortals, but the owners of confidential information - journalists, lawyers, civil servants - must take care of the protection of information. If you are just discussing with your friends a summer vacation, a trip to Japan, and other ordinary things, then this information will not interest anyone and will hardly be different from viewing history in a browser.
“This is just a natural evolution of TV advertising,” Henway is convinced. “Where they used to track their audience in prime time, now they are interested in web browsing and voice queries. Of course, this is not an ideal marketing ploy, but it does not pose any danger or harm to most people."
Of course, in terms of the value of the recorded information, talking about the need to buy a new shirt or cheap tickets to Turkey does not cost anything, but for many users the very fact that they cannot talk calmly next to their phones is outrageous and terrible. Nobody will like that his conversations are being tapped, recorded and transmitted to the servers of various companies. Personal dialogues must remain personal.
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