bill, Google, Facebook and other big technologies scrutinize data from their users for digital advertising, Thus, each person receives advertisements targeted to their interest.
But, contrary to what many people think, these companies do not use unauthorized strategies to gain information, such as listening to conversations offline without consent. It’s the opposite: Users themselves often allow apps and other connected services to access the camera, microphone, contact list, or GPS. smart fone,
In some cases, authorization is required for certain application functionality to run correctly. For example, if you do not authorize Instagram to use the microphone, videos captured by Instagram Application Come out without audio. That’s all: he gained access to your microphone in other situations as well.
There are occasions when, in fact, data is collected illegally. For example, when it is hacked. Many devices have already been discovered, without the owner room Learn, take pictures, track device location and even trigger audio recordings. They are not only used by cybercriminals, but also by government officials.
The question was whether the applications actually used the cell phone’s microphones to listen to users without them knowing. Northeast University and Boston University.
For a year, a group of computer science experts tested 17,000 of the most popular Android apps, including those from meta groups, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook. WhatsApp, They also analyzed whether these services sent information to social networks.
conclusion? There is no evidence that these apps use the microphone to record or send audio without the user’s authorization.
To investigate the question, the researchers used ten cell phones equipped with a program that automates automated human interactions. They reproduced conversations about consumer preferences so that the devices’ microphones could pick them up. At the end of the study, they found no evidence that the recording had been made.
retargeting
There’s only one certainty when you’re online: Some company will try to figure out what you’re doing. Data scientist Leticia A. Pozza explains that when you like a product or service on the Internet, ads about it will start following you on various platforms.
“Retargeting” is a tool widely used by advertising to generate sales for a product in which you have already shown interest.
When you click on something related to this technology, you leave behind your digital identity associated with that product.
This tracking happens with great frequency. Poza gives the example:
When accessing a website, shopping, registering, liking a picture of a kitten, driving a car using GPS, commenting on a picture of its mother, entering a location and using Wi-Fi Using, Paying Bill, Paying Bill… This is all the information you are transmitting.
Scientists from Northeastern University and Boston University wanted to point out that their research is not a definitive answer on the matter. He has just denied that cellphone microphones actively listen to what is said for targeted advertising.
