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?

That's exactly the point, gladallover, stealth is being sarcastic in response to patriach as I read it

You can turn it off on your iPhone. Settings/microphone/

You wait until you have a relative die and have to talk about funerals, we have had nothing but funeral plans and life insurance on our tv for months it's driving us nuts. I google one thing and it's everywhere, tv, phones, computer if they could fly a plane with a banner past us they most likely would lol

I'm amazed at how many people here are convinced by the conspiracy theory.

Please, listen sensibly to PatriarchyPersonified. There are a few things going on here:

1. Coincidences happen. That's normal. It's just part of the way that probability works.

1. We are bombarded by adverts constantly. We are very used to it and so generally our brain filters most out- unless they are something that interests us or that we have been thinking about recently, in which case we perk up and pay attention, becoming 'conscious' to it.

1. We almost all live a lot of our lives online. We have MN accounts, FB accounts, Google accounts, Amazon accounts... they all become effectively linked due to the cookies downloaded each time we use the internet, even if using a different device. Google something on your phone, your amazon account (may) have a little more info about what you're interested in.

1. Ads are often targeted to certain demographics. For example, facebook can look at you (e.g. age, city, gender) and also at your friends (who may give it more info than you- job, engagement, holidays, check in, page likes) and make a pretty good guess at what you're interested in (and therefore what you're likely to be discussing).

1. Confirmation bias, people!

1. Has anyone really considered just how impossible this would be to cover up?! The technology available at the moment just isn't good enough at the scale required to listen in to everyone's conversations and filter out the relevant products to sell, realistically, but even if it were, the number of people involved over multiple organisations would be huge. Each individual could make an absolute fortune taking their evidence to the media and it would be a huge deal. That hasn't happened. The odds of hundreds/thousands of employees across multiple corporations all being loyal enough to hold the secret to the grave (passing up fame and fortune) is minute compared to the odds of all these so-called 'proofs' on this thread being explained by something else.

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'. Yeah, it's the top search if you put in 'do you g'. Just tried on an unconnected device (and no, I didn't read your post out loud!). I suspect lots of people have searched it after watching the same programme.

Mil went for an overnight stay in a city I've never visited or researched before. She stayed in a hotel I'd never heard of. She came to see us after she returned and just as she was leaving she happened to mention the hotels name. After she'd gone I went onto Facebook and that hotel was first in my list of adverts. Absolutely huge coincidence? Well, possibly, yes. Or she has facebook, has searched the hotel on google (or maybe even liked it on facebook or 'checked in' on fb, and you are friends or have mutual friends. No biggie.

I haven't rtft yet but I was talking to my mum earlier about a new camcorder she just bought and I was curious if that would have had any influence. I checked the Amazon app and no camcorder but it is now recommending fly paper and plastic sapphire necklaces to me. I haven't searched for these so it must have come from reading this thread so it's not just things you have searched for that get picked up on. I expect now I've mentioned camcorders here a few times I'll probably start seeing ads for them

I used to believe all the coincidence theories and targeted marketing based on digital footprint etc, but there have been far too many occasions where I haven't searched and have merely mentioned it. Devices are definitely listening. I'm inclined now to think all the coincidence stuff is put out there by the big companies to throw people off the scent. Not a tinfoil hat type usually, I swear!

To add to @JustBeReasonable's eminently sensible and accurate post, just think about the hundreds of things you talk about that you DON'T get served ads for.

9 times out of 10 there's a logical conclusion (e.g. the hotel thing - your MIL searched for it / checked in to it etc and the hotel placed online ads to be displayed to FB / email contacts of people who've searched for / checked into the hotel). The other time is coincidence.

I just turned them all off. Thanks for that tip!

" of adverts. Absolutely huge coincidence? Well, possibly, yes. Or she has facebook, has searched the hotel on google (or maybe even liked it on facebook or 'checked in' on fb, and you are friends or have mutual friends. No biggie."
I do realise this was just an example solution you offered but mil doesn't have and has never had Facebook. She emails (bit hadn't about this).
I realise I'm being awkward and assuming devices don't listen then I am going to put it down to huge coincidence. Tbh it was the time gap that struck me, less than ten min between her mentioning it and it popping up for me

We do have an Alexa though

Tbh it was the time gap that struck me, less than ten min between her mentioning it and it popping up for me

This, for me, is what highlights it coincidence / confirmation bias after any digital footprint your MIL left about it. It just seems outrageously quick if it was some sort of listening software. What sort of £€$ would the hotel have to pay for such speed?!

Not if its just routine automated keyword logging stuff.
But I take your point.

I’ve noticed this but I have mic turned off on WhatsApp, MSN, Facebook, the lot and always have had. Therefore I tend to think it isn’t listening. I probably shop too much online and waste too much time googling stuff.

If you go to your settings>apps> app permissions (or along those lines) you'll be surprised how many apps have access to your microphone

OP, I just checked my recommendations on amazon and at least 3 of the ones you listed are on mine too, and I haven't spoken about any of those today!

I tried again. Still nothing beyond what I'd expect given my buying history. The only slightly surprising thing would be items I know I didn't buy from Amazon, but that could have any number of non-sinister explanations.

I don’t understand why some posters are saying this doesn’t happen. It definitely does and has happened to me many times too. It is silly to dismiss it as coincidence or confirmation bias etc when presented with hundreds of specific examples where it has happened. It has happened to literally everyone I know including myself so clearly it does access a heating device and react to clearly spoken key words from time to time.

*hearing device - not heating device!

I don't like it. I find it intrusive.

Last year I managed to screenshot my phone making a quick update...

but mil doesn't have and has never had Facebook. She emails (bit hadn't about this)
I realise I'm being awkward and assuming devices don't listen then I am going to put it down to huge coincidence. Tbh it was the time gap that struck me, less than ten min between her mentioning it and it popping up for me
Because she mentioned it in front of you and your phone, which had Facebook running.
It's as simple as that, no need to search for obscure explanations.

I have a Apple HomePod and I doubt that listens to me. It barely understands my Hey Siri which I’m now thinking is a good thing...

Glad all over people on this th read are saying categorically that doesn't happen.

People have already told you that further down

glad it isn't just Facebook that tracks you for advertising! Unless someone has no digital use at all and is entirely 'off grid' then a tracker cookie / algorithm is working away somewhere.