Is your cell phone really listening to your conversations? Discover the opinion of experts on the subject
It is not difficult to find someone who is sure that his cell phone is listening to his conversations without authorization, but is there any basis for this suspicion? Since it often feels like social networks offer advertisements and tips that you told someone about, as well as virtual assistants who have continuous access to your phone’s microphone, the Canaltech I spoke with security and privacy experts to better understand the topic.
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Speculations and accusations
It is proven that mobile phone applications always have the microphone on to capture all surrounding sounds, especially people’s voices. To the CanaltechIskander Sanchez-Rola, director of Norton Privacy Innovation, cites an example that happened in 2019.
“Most of us have smartphones, which often means having a device that can listen to us. We’re talking about personalized ads that follow conversations near these devices,” explains Sanchez-Rola. “For example, the official app of Spain’s top football league was fined for recording audio [em 2019] without users’ knowledge, raising serious privacy concerns,” he continues.
This type of situation has caused alarm, since mobile phones are an almost obligatory object in the daily lives of many people. It is worth mentioning that, in 2023, Companies in the US have admitted to listening to cell phone conversations to sell morebut it is worth underlining that the device does not have the microphone turned on for 24 hours waiting for user information, as many imagine.
Does the cell phone really listen to our conversations?
Despite evidence and corporate condemnations, the idea that cell phones actually listen to conversations is a myth, at least according to the director of the Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky for Latin America Fabio Assolini. The expert points out that companies use other means to collect user data.
“Although it is technically possible, it is a myth that smartphones actively and constantly listen to us to send this information to third parties and, in particular, to data analysis companies,” Assolini points out.
What explains this impression?
The professional points out that people have started to believe it because they have noticed that there are always advertisements targeted to their preferences, as if the phone read greetings and listened to chats. However, this is not quite the case.
“Most of the time, this can be explained by more conventional data collection methods and tools, such as tracking our online activity Cookiesour search preferences, our location data provided by GPS or the analytical behavior of how we interact with an application or website”, underlines the expert.
In this way, Assolini reminds us that practically any movement on the internet is enough to produce data that will be transformed into product recommendations and the like. A like on Instagram or a search on Googlefor example, they are sufficient to create a user profile to receive advertising messages.
“What happens is that on smartphones there is a function that allows you to share these consumption preferences with other nearby devices”, highlights Fabio Assolini.
“When there is no specific conversation and we see a different advertisement, we believe that the algorithm is presenting random topics. But when we have a conversation between friends and, shortly after, we see an advertisement on the same topic, it creates the perception that the cell phone heard the conversation”, he concludes.
Beware of spyware
Finally, since normally what can spy on the owner of the cell phone is a malicious application – the famous spyware – and not the cell phone itself, both experts underline the importance of having a good antivirus constantly updated on your device.
Make sure you take steps to take care of yours Your mobile phonetherefore, it is worth taking a look at the tips for increasing Android phone security AND with iOS.
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Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
