I used to laugh at the idea of big tech listening through phones until my own phone proved me wrong

For years I thought people who said their phones listened to them were just being paranoid. Then last Tuesday I was talking with my brother about a specific brand of hiking boots, Merrell Moab 3, that I had never searched for online. The next morning, my Instagram feed had an ad for those exact boots. The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. I had not typed those words anywhere or looked them up on any device. It happened again a week later when I mentioned needing a new pressure washer near my phone. Has anyone else had this happen with such clear proof? I'm trying to figure out if it's always listening or just really good at guessing.

2 comments

2 Comments

schmidt.karen18d ago

Did you have any other apps open at the time, like a maps app or a shopping list? Sometimes it feels like they connect dots from other things you do, not just the mic.

ben87717d ago

Check your location history and what you looked up on your brother's phone. The tracking is creepy but it's usually just normal data sharing, not a live mic.