We know that our smartphones are really, really smart. No sooner have you Googled something, you start seeing ads related to it – a product, travel destination, etc. As soon as you exhibit some interest in a topic – by making a comment or clicking on a link, Facebook promptly modifies its suggested content and sidebar ads to dovetail with this. However, sometimes it seems as though our phones are actually ‘listening’ to us as well! This is both strange and disturbing; creating serious implications for our privacy and the safety of our personal information.
Some of us have experienced it ourselves; others may have heard others speak about such experiences: speaking aloud about something – a brand, a particular place is followed by matching ads displayed on social media. A woman spoke to her boyfriend about a migraine only to find that she was followed by a migraine support group on Twitter, the very next day. Someone else was discussing taxes with their sister; the next day Facebook started to show adverts about tax experts! There is no Google search, no email written or matching page visited; in other words, no way for one’s interest to be known except if someone was actually listening to words uttered. Is it an eerie intrusion or just coincidence?
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