Now I'm Convinced My Phone Listens

its probably google. they're everywhere now. any app that asks you to use your phone mic WILL use them make no mistake about it.

but if that freaks you out... do a bit of research on NSA (if you're in the US)

I get the same. Some time ago, I was doing research on a comment for an article (related to hunting). Now, since I'm in the city, there isn't much need for bear traps, repellant, rifles or bows. But I get some junk mail advertising just that.

Recently bought a VAX vacuum cleaner, and talked to a recruitment agent about a satellite modem driver I once modified. Started getting job adverts for VAX/VMS programmers with knowledge of satellite communcations technology.

Weirdest thing was getting adverts for cancer treatment, counseling services. Turns out my parents cat was terminal and being treated.

Strange how information can "leak", but given the way information is being linked behind the scenes, that explains a lot.

a reply to: CannibalCorpse1982

That's funny, an example of synchronicity while talking about synchronicity... I totally left this out of my post and it it why I replied in the first place. I often go to sleep with my roku playing YouTube videos of many sorts Collier was last night.. Anyway, the Roku does not have a sleep timer set and normally continues to play videos all night unless I turn it off. Granted it does not have a camera sometimes I leave it playing and will wake up with it paused but not by my input. When I sit up or move it will start playing again, startles me when I go to the bathroom and it wants until I walk back into the room to spontaneously start playing a random video unusually loud. I guess it could have an infra red sensor for the remote but I use a Smart phone as a controller through the WiFi not directly to the unit as I can change the channel from another room. And no one has access to the device but me.

You know Facebook is listening, at least...

I always shrugged off the policy where it can record things without you knowing. Anyway, I switched jobs, and within a week, all of my coworkers were in my "you may know" list, other companies like mine were popping up in the sponsored ads, etc.

You know if an app can do that, just about anything on an android or apple with mic access can, and will, be doing the same.

a reply to: CannibalCorpse1982

My Android phone has evesdropped on me, too. It was on my desk at work when I took a call from a client's caregiver. During the course of the conversation, the Older Americans Act was mentioned along with the county's agency for assistance. When I picked it up later, the were some articles about the OAA and an ad for the ADRC. I shut off Google talk real fast and it hasn't happened since.

a reply to: CannibalCorpse1982

Absolutely. This has happened to me many times. I have a conversation with someone( not on the phone) and within the hour, I'm getting ads and even email ads regarding whatever was discussed. I joked about it to my coworkers and we started having random conversations just to test it. It's totally unacceptable, but yes, it is happening.

Groupon was one of the main sites that kept sending me emails about any subject I decided to test. It was ridiculous.

a reply to: CannibalCorpse1982

Your phone is absolutely listening.

www.cnet.com...

The title of the patent application is "Advertising Based on Environmental Conditions," and it was first reported today by tech-news site The Next Web. Apparently, the technology will be able to listen in on background noise, like rain, music, or a baseball game, and then serve related ads, such as a spot for an umbrella, a new album, or a sporting event.

Turn off that feature in your settings.

use a Andriod phone,unlock and root it, install a custom rom with all ad ware and blot ware removed

I get 0 ads on my phone,but then again I have no social media apps
and use a app like APP Opps that can set,and remove app permissions.
App Opps has been removed by Google from the Play store because it can block app permissions

a reply to: CannibalCorpse1982

Did you guys miss that it came out phones are always listening?
Anything that uses voice recognition.. Think about it, how is it ready to hear you when you talk to it? It's already listening.
Same goes for things like on star in your car, or like the xbox thing..

I would go ahead and make sure google voice recognition is turned off as well.. But that's only one company doing it. They are the main one who do the ads everywhere.

The voice recognition is good enough to separate voices, and I imagine people like the NSA have samples from phone calls, that get turned into a voice profile that matches your voice at different levels of confident matches. It's 90% likely that guy standing near the girl with the Iphone is Reverbs..

Anyway..

if you don't want to be heard these days you have to be like spies in old movies.. making sure nothing electronic is anywhere near you.

No worries.

People are waiting for tracking chips in our hands, but it's funny, even without a phone yourself you can be tracked through other people's phones. Those phones with GPS and Tower triangulation, they even have gyroscopic motion sensing.. as in the phone can tell when it's moving... And it saves the history of where you have gone and for how long.. Mix it with a file on you that recognizes your patterns and behaviors..
Some drone strikes are targeted in this way.

originally posted by: CannibalCorpse1982
Today I was in a Business Law class for University and we were reviewing the topic of illegal law practices as it relates to stocks and trading etc. We covered the topic of Enron and how it became a big catastrophe. Great class but I have absolutely no interest in stocks, bonds or any of that stuff. I don't go researching this stuff at all. Ever. We watched the video "The Smartest Guys in the Room", I believe it was called, for an hour or so.

I had my cell phone in class as most people do, on the table. I didn't even pick the thing up. I get home, make a few burgers and do some web surfing on my phone. On one of my favorite metal sites is an ad called The Market Whisperer, A New Approach to Stock Trading. What in the heck. This is ridiculous. I was wondering if anyone has experienced the same thing. I have an Android phone.

My wife and I had just moved into an apartment that her new job provided. We had bought new cell phones with a data plan.

The apartment had "free" wifi. We were talking over dinner and I stated. "Hmm, ATT should not be charging our data plan when we are using the wifi provided by the apartment complex. Ten minutes later I get a message on my phone from ATT. It simply stated. "We do not charge you when you are using your phone on wifi" something to that effect. We were both blown away. It is the only time I ever received that message..we were not discussing it while on the phone either.

originally posted by: CannibalCorpse1982
Today I was in a Business Law class for University and we were reviewing the topic of illegal law practices as it relates to stocks and trading etc. We covered the topic of Enron and how it became a big catastrophe. Great class but I have absolutely no interest in stocks, bonds or any of that stuff. I don't go researching this stuff at all. Ever. We watched the video "The Smartest Guys in the Room", I believe it was called, for an hour or so.

I had my cell phone in class as most people do, on the table. I didn't even pick the thing up. I get home, make a few burgers and do some web surfing on my phone. On one of my favorite metal sites is an ad called The Market Whisperer, A New Approach to Stock Trading. What in the heck. This is ridiculous. I was wondering if anyone has experienced the same thing. I have an Android phone.

I know , right.Every single time I get in my vehicle , the vehicle tells me "link system activated" the the digital screen says "LISTENING".

Maybe this is why maybe not!

www.forbes.com...

Funny how apps you give permission to have access get it and then share all your info if true!

I first noticed this phenomenon about a year ago through my laptop.

Right around the time I installed Google chrome. ("OK Google")

I get ads specifically based on conversations I've had in the same room with my laptop.

Every house is bugged and we paid for it ourselves.

George Orwell.

I'm sure our devices are listening. If it's got voice activation, it has to be, right?

I'm actually convinced that I'm being watched. My tablet snapped an image of me the other day, totally out of the blue. I've never used my camera, I thought it was broken. I heard the shutter go, clear as day. But I have no images saved to my device. I've never been jumpy or suspicious of that sort of thing before, but now I tape the cam on my tablet. The missus thinks I'm going crazy, but the shutter definitely activated.

While on topic of being monitored, I'm sure I'm also being censored. Weird happenings take place when I engage in certain topics. Most notably, the bombing of the Boston Marathon.

Maybe its one of the 3rd party programs that you have installed on your android device. A lot of them ask if they can access your video camera and audio (recorder), on the device. Wonder why they would need this type of access?

I was engaged with a lengthy call to an electronic mfg about a defective item, and their problematic inventory / refund practices. After, I called my bank to dispute the charge, since it had not been refunded.... the CSA at the bank knew which of many transactions, 5-6 weeks after the fact, was the one I called to dispute.

I thought it was weird, and still dnk how that transaction would appear flagged in the midst of many other electronics, EBay transactions, etc.

Would someone please help me understand by what fluke of metrics this product of abject paranoia is sandwiched on the front page between, hold on...a 71 page thread and a 42 page thread?

I just gotta know.

If this is true it's obscene and we need to ditch the technology.

Can we try an experiment?

Happened to me a couple of days ago. I don't know how. But I was talking with my wife and telling her how I missed my mom's chicken and dumpling soup, emphasis n the dumplings, as I have never made any.

I got on the computer a couple hours later, and the first add I see is a recipe for chicken and dumpling soup.

May be/maybe coincidence. But I've never noticed an add or even a mention of dumplings before anywhere for anything.