You said it in front of your phone - now it comes up in your social/advertising feed

Haven't had one of these threads in a while.

I'll go first with something that happned yesterday:

Was tallking about a potential client on the phone with a referral source - kind of a local celebrity, the potential client we'll call XX.

Told my SO about XX later that day, phone was in the car with us.

Later after that Insta put a picture of the XX in my feed, when XX has never been in my feed before.

a reply to: LanceCorvette

That's been a thing for awhile, I figured everyone knew your phone was listening to you. It happened to me last night when my buddy called out the name of a song that was playing in the background. I went to type it and and two letters into the search it auto-populated the answer.

a reply to: LanceCorvette

That's why I don't use a laptop with a camera and microphone. I use a desktop, no camera and no microphone.

a reply to: LanceCorvette

Oh yeah, it's been like this for many years. My wife and I divorced last year, but there were many times we were talking about how things were proceeding. I watch youtube on my phone at work and after our talks it would advertise christian singles websites to me. Not only is the christian part not my cup o'tea, but I'm trying to save my marriage and it felt like advertising a singles site was a smart move?? Why didn't it maybe advertise something to help me save my marriage?? /facepalm

I've been visiting an acupuncturist for my hands recently and last time I was there she told me that I remind her of Russell Brand. I'm honestly not sure if that's a good thing or not, but she told me it's because I'm very eloquent. Anyway, 3 days later youtube starts recommending Russell Brand videos to me. I've never once looked him up, but there he is, on my feed.

In many ways, Microsoft were one of the first ones to really utilize that method of spy-advertising. They spied on people through their kinect cameras and placed advertisements on their xbox live depending on what they saw. Were you wearing your favorite sports teams shirt?? Cool, here's an ad for their merch.

Yay 1984!!!

So couple of years ago this concept hit me. I had an old flip phone then, the 3 other guys that I was having breakfast with would just laugh about it. We were discussing vacation plans and one guy says he was going to take the ferry to Wisconsin from Ludington MI. Later that day I fired up the iPad and hopped on Facebook. There was an ad for the ferry. It wasn’t my phone they were listening to. How did they know I was there?

a reply to: LanceCorvette

I've heard people claiming this kind of thing before, but it's not a feature of any Android or iPhone sold by a reputable company, but I'm pretty sure that it's just an urban myth caused by coincidence. You probably searched for something that was related to XX, which other people who had searched for XX had also searched for. Causing XX to be brought up.

Like if you search for Gray Aliens on your phone, and talk to somebody about Reptilians, then your phone notices that other people who searched for Gray Aliens also searched for Reptilians and it brings you up a picture of Hilary Clinton.

The only other possibility that makes sense is that you've downloaded an app that's listening to you, maybe a disreputable on or a fake one.

I'd advise that you check your battery usage for something that's using way more power than it should because it's always on in the background, or you check to see if there is an app that has permission use your microphone that shouldn't have it.

I've had a couple of companies contact me and offer me money to have an app installed on my phone that will listen out for jingles or some such thing, and will report back to them what ads I've seen on TV or heard on the radio. So I know that the technology is being used in the wild. But as I said, I was offered money by these people they weren't doing it secretly.

If you've not got an app that's using a lot o battery and has access to your microphone, this is probably just a coincidence or due to "related searches" that you've made.

a reply to: Zrtst


Is the other guy in your Facebook friends list?

a reply to: Zrtst

OK.....now that IS scary!

petrified Rainbows
Jane

a reply to: LanceCorvette

Cut a few big farts in front of your Alexa...and wait for the Beano and Pooppouri ads to start showing up on your computer.

a reply to: AaarghZombies
Coincidence eh?
Several years ago, on Christmas morning, my nephew mentioned a specific game for a gaming system.
My phone was lying on the kitchen table in front of me. Within minutes, an advertisement for that particular game came up in my Facebook feed.
I am not a gamer.
Quite the coincidence.
Now I take notice of this kind of thing. It happens a lot.

a reply to: AaarghZombies

No, it's real and it does happen.

Even though I've gone through a divorce, I have never once looked up any dating site or anything related, yet there it was on my phone telling me christian singles want to meet me now. As I mentioned up above, I never once looked up Russell Brand, yet there are his videos, on my feed being recommended.

I'm sure it can easily be tested. Try talking about erectile dysfunction and see if viagra ads start popping up. lol

Even though I've gone through a divorce, I have never once looked up any dating site or anything related, yet there it was on my phone telling me christian singles want to meet me now. Even though it's been over 4 months I still haven't looked up anything singles related, but since I'm no longer having emotional conversations with my ex, those ads aren't showing up.

One of the big things that threw a wrench in our 10 year marriage was my wife converted to mormonism. If you knew who she was before their influence, your mind would be blown at that concept. Anyway, many times I'd see Latter Day Saints ads on my feed as well. That kind of felt like rubbing salt in an open wound, screw you youtube.

a reply to: AaarghZombies

I get that all the time. My Microsoft Windows Edge Browser Start Page (The New Tab page) will always show me products I have viewed at Best Buy, Amazon, etc.. but it's usually not until a day or two after I've already purchased the item. MS is slow, lol.

a reply to: LanceCorvette

I told an agent while driving I'm just driving my life away.
I hang up and turn on pandora. The song driving my life away comes on. I have never rated the song and it didn't even match the station. Was very odd but I jammed out cause it hit the spot.

originally posted by: AaarghZombies
I've heard people claiming this kind of thing before, but it's not a feature of any Android or iPhone sold by a reputable company, but I'm pretty sure that it's just an urban myth caused by coincidence. You probably searched for something that was related to XX, which other people who had searched for XX had also searched for. Causing XX to be brought up.

I'll give you my specific example from last night. We were doing a 'Tiki Night' at my bar and my buddy loaded up a Spotify soundtrack with all tiki-themed songs. Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole came on. I said, "I heard this version in a film', but I couldn't remember what it was from so I asked who it was. My buddy yells the guys name from across the room and I start typing into my phone. I get the 'S' and the 'O' in and it auto-populated "Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole 1993".

Tell me it wasn't listening...

originally posted by: CharlesT
a reply to: LanceCorvette

That's why I don't use a laptop with a camera and microphone. I use a desktop, no camera and no microphone.

my wife and I were talking about that last night. I mentioned Siri, possibly my TV's, firestick, and who knows what else exists around here with "smart" technologies.

Best advice I can give, assume they are listening to everything unless you are divested of ALL electronic devices. (and minerals and metals)- one for the small room.

originally posted by: AaarghZombies
but I'm pretty sure that it's just an urban myth caused by coincidence.

and you are free to believe that if you wish.

This is why I see hot chicks on my screen trying to sell me men's stuff. Keep it coming even if I don't buy anything.

I did research on events and venues in different cities for my job when I was in the office. I was working on a separate computer at a different site.

I used to come home and have my computer ads populated with all kinds of obscure festivals, concerts, and art exhibits in museums all over the country ... everything I researched at work. So, yeah, the phone tracks you and links things. Conversely, when we were looking to buy a car, I was researching cars pretty intensively at home trying to angle for the best deal for our money, and my ads at work would be all cars.

I've also had an instance recently like you all are describing. I wish I remembered exactly what it was, but I do know it was creepy enough I remarked in it to my husband.

One of the worst was right here on ATS a year or so back.
There was a thread on Epsteeen...with something about him having a deentist chair in his house.
I did a search on JE's full name with deentist chair.

I immediately had three banners show up on ATS for a Deentist with JE's name...that was constantly displayed for weeks.

a reply to: network dudethere are many memes of a pic of Zuckerburgs laptop with the camera taped over