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Facebook snooping?

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  • 19-10-2015 9:28pm
    #1
    ITDept
    Registered Users Posts: 281 ✭✭


    Maybe this belongs in conspiracy theories...

    I'm becoming increasingly suspicious that the FB app on my phone, and possibly on my laptop is listening to my conversations for the purpose of targeting ads. I'm fully aware that things I search for or send messages about are used in this way, and not just by FB.

    Recently though I heard rumours about a listening feature supposedly trialled in other countries to 'enhance' posts with what songs you were listening to / film you were watching at the time of posting. The only things I could find on the internet suggest that the feature was dropped after understandably hostile consumer reaction.

    I'm not sure they dropped it after all. I've been trying to test it along with some friends and colleagues by having voice conversations about topics I have definitely not typed-in a search for or typed a message about. Quite frequently my ads have indeed changed to target the thing I was talking (but not typing about).

    Has anyone else had any similar experiences? Is this a thing that is known about by others (obviously not me ;))? Am I just imagining it? And, if it is real, is this a step too far in terms of privacy infringement?


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    #2
    Captain Flaps
    Registered Users Posts: 1,834 ✭✭✭Captain Flaps


    Are you using the call feature in FB or your actual dialler app? I'm fairly certain that if this was really happening someone would have caught it by now but hey, everyone could be 'someone'.


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    #3
    ITDept
    Registered Users Posts: 281 ✭✭ITDept


    Reviving an old thread, but anyway - I found this on the Beeb today:
    http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35639549

    They basically point out that it can be done reasonably easily, all the big tech companies say they aren't doing it, and that it could well be a coincidence. I'm still a bit dubious. Once or twice could easily be coincidental, but the number of times I've noticed it would seem to lengthen the odds of that.


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