• @drspod@lemmy.ml
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    391 month ago

    To test if your phone is listening to your conversations, start by openly discussing a unique topic that you’ve never searched for or discussed previously

    … then see if it appears in your ads. Saved you a click.

    • @grey_maniac@lemmy.ca
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      201 month ago

      This might sound naive, but what ads? I don’t get ads on my phone, I have functioning adblockers on my browsers, and I use alternate front ends for the occasions I have to access normie social media.

      I don’t watch TV or listen tp the radio, I read books and research papers primarily, and my actual social media use is on the federated options using apps that don’t have ads. I have my phone pretty tightly locked down, so even the apps I use don’t have ads.

      Aside from the occasional product placements in something, I don’t get much exposure to advertising. And before anyone goes there, I work from home and don’t even see billboards. I don’t even get flyers.

      Would I have to change a lot of that to run these tests?

      • @anonymous111@lemmy.world
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        41 month ago

        I’m the same. It is quite jaring to see an add now. They seems very obnoxious.

        The only issue in have is ads in podcasts. This isn’t a huge deal as the provider usually determine add based on IP so i get a 30 second ad in a language I can’t understand.

        Any solutions to this?

        P.S. before I switched from YouTube I disabled all data collection and personalisation a few notable ads I used to receive:

        • Ads for balls soap (this ad was repugnant)
        • Ads for Muslim speed dating, with male chaperone (I’m not a Muslim)
        • A 1hour Chinese party political conference, in Chinese (I don’t speak Chinese)

        ^ Ive got the last one saved out of curiosity.

        I remember a time when YouTube was not owned by google and was ad free.

        The internet was better before all of this tracking.

      • Matt
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        61 month ago

        (I havent seen an Ad in a decade)

        Me too (at least not on my devices)

    • propter_hog [mirror/your pronouns]
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      61 month ago

      Yeah, this was stupid to me. “Hey, have you ever noticed the eerie instance of your phone showing you ads about something you just talked about? To test this, talk about something unique and see if your phone serves you ads about it. 👍”

    • @CosmicJoker@lemm.ee
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      31 month ago

      Yea pretty much a real thing was talking about bikes the other day and now getting ads for bikes in youtube

      Google listening to everything

      Apple, Facebook, Instagram etc all of it are constantly working on the back.

      • J_on_Lemmy
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        41 month ago

        If you share wifi with someone who has done the search on their devices, It will do that.

  • @INeedMana@lemmy.world
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    201 month ago

    Weak article

    But to rescue the topic: yes, technically it could spy you and upload hashes of each 5 seconds of your mic into a datastore for recognition. But why do it in such a long and pricy way when the ads suppliers (one fo them being google) have all your demographics they need? And sometimes even know if a click on an ad banner resulted in a purchase. And that way don’t have to recognize if that was you talking, someone on the street or their own ad

    Read https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12609433-the-power-of-habit

    Even using anonymized discount loyalty cards fuels the recognition which ad to push your way

  • @Ideonek@lemm.ee
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    19 days ago

    It doesn’t. Mostly becouse it doesn’t have to. Your online behavior is easier accessible and a better predictor… (pretty bad over-all, but still better. Digital Marketing Bubble is bursting!)