To be freaked out a little by Amazon?

[GinNeeded]

I'd heard that smart phones listened in to conversations to target advertising but dismissed it as tinfoil hat territory. People must have googled stuff, browsed etc

I popped on Amazon last night and random stuff I had chatted to the kids about in the day was in the 'recommended for you' section.

Including but not limited to:
*Old fashioned fly sticky strip, liked I'd hung in the kitchen (whats that?
isn't that cruel mummy?)

*Bug zapper ( can we get an electronic fly trap, like a tennis bat)

*Chlorine filter (could we put our pet fish in the swimming pool on holiday?)

*Muffin cases (What can I use to make a rosette?)

*Plastic Sapphires (What are those blue jewels on the real plastic gold pirate treasure?)

None of the above was searched for at all.

I understand targeted adverts, I realise that when I actively go online I am leaving a foot print, but chatting crap with the kids?

Now I am concerned about what else it hears and where that information goes!

We don't have an Echo or voice activated thing-a-me bobs either.

AIBU to not have realised this?

[RedneckStumpy]

Yes it is creepy that phones and devices do this. It’s unnecessary intrusive.

[GinNeeded]

I am a rational level headed person.

Until I saw the evidence with my own eyes I thought it was just a creepy conspiracy theory.

[MayFayner]

I think it’s Facebook messenger that listens in. I used to get this all the time but haven’t since I stopped using messenger.

[didyouseetheflaresinthesky]

Facebook does it too. And apparently WhatsApp.

Talk about someone and use their full name and they'll show up on your recommended Facebook friends.

[Bobbiepin]

I dropped my phone and now the microphone doesn't work. I have to use headphones to talk on the phone but amazon can't hear me

Not something I would advocate to others though.

[areyouactuallykidding]

I just looked up plastic sapphires on Amazon and they don’t exist

[chemenger]

I don’t get this but I have the microphone disabled on Facebook and don’t use the amazon app.

[GinNeeded]

@areyouactuallykidding

I assume at 32p they aren't real...

[GladAllOver]

Facebook Messenger. You have the microphone on don't you?

[cobwebsinthebelfry]

I know that people who work in security sensitive fields are advised not to have these devices in their homes. I don't have one for the same reason.

[GinNeeded]

Actually I do have the microphone on Facebook messenger as it's cheaper to call family abroad.

Thank you!

I am going to find out how to switch it off until I need it.

[PatriarchyPersonified]

{sigh}

This comes up all the time, it can seem a bit creepy but your devices aren't listening in on you.

You leave all sorts of online evidence that is targeted for adverts. Even if you are typing this on your phone, I wouldn't be surprised if the Mumsnet app has data sharing caveats.

If you really want to check, you can download a program like 'wireshark' for free and look at all the packets of info going across your WiFi network.

The amount of data that would have to be sent from your phone to make this even technically possible would be immense. Literally hundreds of Mbs. It would be obvious to see.

Your devices are not listening in on you and sending your info to 'big brother'.

Remove tinfoil hat and relax.

[ThanosSavedMe]

Being very dim but can someone tell me how to disable the mic

[SlowlyShrinking]

Yy change settings so the apps can’t access your microphone. It’s sinister af

[Nousernameforme]

I have just gone through and stopped mic access to all apps that had it.
@ThanosSavedMe you go to settings, apps and then check each apps permissions

[DoYouLikeHueyLewisandTheNews]

I had this. Friend got a new job and was talking about drug testing. I went on to Amazon and it recommended home testing kits for cocaine.

[GinNeeded]

@Patriarchy that's exactly been my stance but today there are 8 unconnected things that I have spoken about and 100% hadn't searched, chatted about or referenced online in any shape or form until I put a few in my post.

[HappilyHarridan]

I had a conversation about milky bars recently, and then got inundated with adverts for milky bars! Have never googled them or searched online for them, or bought any in the last 20 years, so it is a striking coincidence that the day after talking about them I get hit with lots of adverts for them.

[RedneckStumpy]

I think it was very telling with the picture of Mark Zuckerburg at his desk with a sticker over the laptop camera.

[areyouactuallykidding]

That’s a plastic necklace? I think you’re reading too much into this

[PatriarchyPersonified]

Gin there is a great book about this kind of thing called 'the improbability principle' that mathematically demonstrates that improbable things actually happen all the time (to someone)

It's like the odds of any one person winning the lottery are astronomical, however the odds that someone will win it are virtually certain.

Also don't underestimate how predictable humans are and how complex the algorithms that predict behaviour based on your online activity are.

All the big companies categorically state that they do not take any information from 'utterances' or any verbal data when not preceding by 'OK Google' or whatever their keyword is.

I'm inclined to believe them as it's trivially easy for anyone with even basic computer knowledge to check up on this by monitoring their own WiFi and deconstructing the Google and Apple app kits they give to app developers.

[ItsNiceItsDifferentItsUnusual]

Dh and I had literally just been discussing this last night.

Watching a programme and he said to me 'do you get bail money back?'. Went to google, types in 'do you...' and the first predicted result was 'do you get bail money back'.

I'd been thinking about it anyway because a friend had mentioned being served with loads of ads for a particular brand of sandals after she'd complimented me on mine. She hadn't googled them etc.

[MrsMozart]

It definitely happens.

I had a conversation with someone about a camera.

I wasn't looking for a camera - it was the other person, so no searches. etc.

That camera came up on the adverts on my phone and laptop.

Now everything is disabled and I no longer use FB (not a Twitter, etc., user anyway).

[cobwebsinthebelfry]

Remove tinfoil hat and relax

Ok Patriarchy but can you offer me a new job?

Seriously though, there is a reason these devices (including PC cameras) could be compromising because they can be used nefariously by agencies who are not going to ask your permission.

How much personal information are people going to give away? It's not paranoia when others who have the means to do it to gather this information for commercial or political gain. I'm not alone in believing it's naive to think otherwise.

Mark Zucker Berg tapes over his laptop webcam.