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Google Chrome pushes ahead with targeted ads based on your browser history
(www.theregister.com)
this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023
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That and your phone's microphone, and other sensors
Not using Google Assistant here
No they don't. Unless you talking to Google assistant.
Nope, google home assistant thingy still listens and saves things you talk about. My wife and I occasionally have conversations, and the next time she uses her android phone, it shows her ads for whatever it ismwenwere talking about. When this happens, her phone isn't in the room, though I'm sure that may also listen.
The smart speakers are a privacy nightmare, but on your phone, random apps cannot access your microphone without your knowledge or control, excluding straight up malware. There's a million anecdotes like yours on social media and none of them have held up to rigorous testing.
The fact is, most people don't realize how much of their thoughts one way or another are reflected in their digital lives, nor how good google's algorithms are. And there's also things like the frequency illusion etc.
You can buy phones from NitroKey (the company that makes secure, open-source security keys) that have the microphone and sensors physically removed.