Why It Feels Like Facebook Is Listening Through Your Mic

Conspiracy theorists think Facebook has tapped your phone's microphone to target ads by listening to your conversations. Truth is, it doesn't have to. WSJ's Joanna Stern explains how Facebook really keeps tabs on you.



More from the Wall Street Journal:

[DrumWild]

Since when did Facebook or any other company care about what was legal? They're above the law.

[Differentmedia]

I know they don't listen to you, Duhhh.
It's that they read your thoughts...

[cloviscareca]

I quit Facebook 1 year ago. I don't miss anything

[happyworld]

just delete your facebook problem solved

[leonbuzza]

Someone make an app where we can sell our data, rather than Facebook selling it and giving us none of the profit.

[dawnkrausern]

Facebook doesn’t listen to you, how do we know? Because they said so. Famous last words

[birf]

I dunno here’s my really weird example... I really hate Doritos.. I cannot stand the smell and so I never look for them and I never buy them and my friend was eating some next to me the other day and I was explaining to her how I really just cannot stand Doritos and about an hour later I got an ad on instagram for Doritos??? That was definitely not based on my personal search or purchase history

[Balticdreams]

A few weeks ago after watching this video I decided to do some tests considering the conglomerate of facebook/whats app/instagram- and the results were seriously shocking- I did some whats app calls and whats app messages with my friend mentioning absurd brands we never googled, liked or had any contact with. We went to instagram and got immediately matching ads. Not one time, this occurred in several run throughs. Please check for yourself, I know just me writing about it isn't convincing.

[RyanMonroe]

I don't know if it is Facebook or another app that has access to the mic and then shares the data with Facebook but something is up. I've never mentioned anything about forklifts or had a conversation a day in my life about forklifts until the other day I ran into an old coworker who got a new job as a forklift driver but was not certified yet. Few hours later I'm getting ads on Facebook for getting certified as a forklift driver. They may have great algorithms but no way could they have predicted that.

[Sarelzayeth]

This is total bull. Facebook definitely trialled the use of computer vision and phone microphones to work out consumer habits. They almost certainly used it for a brief period before pulling the plug on it.

[julianhobrough]

If I Gmail something, certain words I use in an email turn up on my YouTube recommended clips. To avoid being tracked by your phone, turning it off is no use, removing the battery is.

[ItsMeRhaine]

I swear I was having a conversation with someone and I can’t remember what it was but not even 5 minutes later I got a Facebook notification about it

[zaccds]

Okay then explain this. One time a friend and I were talking about going to see a perfect circle in concert. Shortly after that conversation I boot up Facebook and what pops up? An add for the exact show we were talking about.
I never followed them online or looked up concert tickets in general but yet get an add for it.

[wegsteryt]

spoke about a very specific 3d printer with a specific configuration, my dad then got a ad for that exact printer.

[adzyfee]

No, they definitely do listen through the microphone. I mentioned a "wifi smart camera" that my dad ordered on his laptop (not connected to my Facebook/phone), and later on an advertisement popped up on Facebook for a WiFi smart camera.

[axelsolhall]

First of all I never gotten ads for underwear.
But one month ago when I was on vacation with my parents, this microphone spying thing happened to me. We had been in Bangkok for a a couple of days when my mother asked me if I needed to buy something, to which I replied I needed more underwear. My phone was in my pocket or in my hand, I didn't think of it at the time so I don't remember. Then, two hours later, I got my first ad for men underwear, in what I think was ever.
I got the ad on Google Chrome for iPhone and I do not have the Facebook app installed.

[TheNeverposts]

"don't worry, just blindly buy into the hype. What's the worst that could happen? They know what they're doing..."
- German bystander, 1933

[IIIxwaveIII]

BS, they do listen. try talking about an EXISTING product you dont need or care about. it will find its way as an advertisement on FB soon enough

[TheModernInvestor]

Watch the video of the guy and his wife saying out loud near their computer that they need cat food....have to buy cat food...and must buy cat food ( they dont own a cat ) guess which ad's start to pop up on their facebook pages.... A friend of mine came over one day and started talking about how nice barcelona was, and how nice the weather must be there now in the winter, that evening i had ad's for cheap flights to barcelona and hotel recommendations

[jaredberry]

Ive seen too many independent actual events that could only been accomplished through audio. Like when my friend and I talked by the grill about my search for a website domain name. He not having looked online for a domain names suddenly gets an ad that night after the grill out. You tell me.