I genuinely think our devices listen to us

[Rroff]

They're not doing it because it would either cause very high cpu usage on the device (obvious by heat and battery life) or would cause a constant stream of network traffic - which would effect battery life and is easily monitored through the gateway - it's not happening.

As there is no network traffic, and no cpu usage - how exactly are they doing it? Phones run on physics, not pixie dust.

I'm gonna assume most people's phones aren't sending a constant stream of audio data as that would be very noticeable though I suspect some more dubious apps (not like google, etc.) possibly do.

Modern phones with a rudimentary speech recognition system could probably be done with very little CPU though especially with the dedicated functionality in the chipsets these days towards those kind of ends - back in the day they used to have speech to text software that ran on like 486s with reasonably minimal CPU use.

EDIT: Interesting first hit on google https://qz.com/170668/intels-voice-...of-the-water-because-it-doesnt-use-the-cloud/ I find that a bit hard to believe it would take that much CPU for rudimentary speech to text that would be completely OK for this kind of use.

The traffic is tiny - and the CPUs are in the data-centres.

Nate

Even at a fairly low, mono, bit rate streaming audio to a data-centre would be fairly noticeable - off the top of my head for voice recognition you'd need around 32kbit/s raw audio data - possibly around 8kbit/s with compression.

 

[Jambo]

I reckon the timing of it is just a coincidence.

I run Facebook ads which have been seen by millions of people and occasionally see comments on the ads from people who think Facebook is listening to them. In reality the targeting options for Facebook Ads is very precise and further uses microdata from websites the user has visited (that have a FB pixel installed). Not just for remarketing from that site but to serve ads related to content on those sites.

There is also the more obvious possibility that your girlfriend has liked FB page(s) related to the game and is being served the ad for that reason.

 

[Chojin]

Artificial intelligence.

The megacorporations have created machine learning models for every single person online. They simulate our habits and constantly adapt, refine, iterate. Our meatspace conversations can be accurately predicted within the next 24 hours.

 

[builder22]

not listening but I love it when I get home and Whatsapp pops up - 'arrived at home' how very ****** helpful

 

[Distracted]

Phones run on physics, not pixie dust.

Feels like a missed opportunity

 

[Pottsey]

Obviously anecdotal but I've got a feeling it's a mix between confirmation bias and coincidence that people believe their phones are listening.

Its not coincidence or confirmation bias as its been 100% confirmed for years now that various apps like Google and Facebook listen for keywords via the microphone and reports back what they hear. Many apps like Facebook ask for permission to use the microphone and most people just blindly accept all permissions on install. Its good practice to go though apps and turn off microphone permission to any app that doesn't need access.

They're not doing it because it would either cause very high cpu usage on the device (obvious by heat and battery life) or would cause a constant stream of network traffic - which would effect battery life and is easily monitored through the gateway - it's not happening."

It is happening and people have found the battery life is effected by a large amount. I have told a number of people at work to disable microphone permission for things like the Facebook app and its stopped both the adverts and improved battery life.

 

[Pottsey]

I reckon the timing of it is just a coincidence.

I run Facebook ads which have been seen by millions of people and occasionally see comments on the ads from people who think Facebook is listening to them. In reality the targeting options for Facebook Ads is very precise and further uses microdata from websites the user has visited (that have a FB pixel installed). Not just for remarketing from that site but to serve ads related to content on those sites.

The problem is that does not explain turning on a German or Spanish TV channel and leaving it running in the background for a few days with the phone nearby and then all the adverts turn Spanish/German. There is no possible way microdata from websites or profiling could switch the adverts to Spanish/German; The only way is if the apps are listing via the microphone and it does listen because Facebook admit it does. The apps both track GPS and listen via the microphone unless you disable it.

 

[FortuitousFluke]

Free russian escorts, Free russian escorts, Free russian escorts

Nope, don't think mine are listening

Hello, my name is Vlad, I hear you're interested in my services.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

not listening but I love it when I get home and Whatsapp pops up - 'arrived at home' how very ****** helpful

iPhone?

It does that because you frequently open WhatsApp when you get home, so it’s trying to predict what you want to do.

Not an iPhone?

Probably a feature Samsung copied

 

[V F]

Its not coincidence or confirmation bias as its been 100% confirmed for years now that various apps like Google and Facebook listen for keywords via the microphone and reports back what they hear. Many apps like Facebook ask for permission to use the microphone and most people just blindly accept all permissions on install. Its good practice to go though apps and turn off microphone permission to any app that doesn't need access.



It is happening and people have found the battery life is effected by a large amount. I have told a number of people at work to disable microphone permission for things like the Facebook app and its stopped both the adverts and improved battery life.

When home, I always tape up the cameras and mic sections on laptops, pads and phones. Any other time the phone is in the jacket pocket. Plus just as you said, mic/camera is restricted but even then I still don't trust that.

 

[builder22]

iPhone?

yupp...thinking about it..I use my phone for radio at work and the Planet Rock msg usually pops up in the morning when I'm about to connect/open the app

 

[Dave M]

It is happening and people have found the battery life is effected by a large amount. I have told a number of people at work to disable microphone permission for things like the Facebook app and its stopped both the adverts and improved battery life.

No, performing speech recognition on smart phone hardware is barely possible, if achievable I would applaud the programmer for their algorithms but it will still burn your pocket and drain your battery in an hour.

What you're discussing is on a par with faking the Apollo moon landings - both in terms of technology and keeping the secret.

I.e. you're a loon

 

[Rroff]

No, performing speech recognition on smart phone hardware is barely possible, if achievable I would applaud the programmer for their algorithms but it will still burn your pocket and drain your battery in an hour.

What you're discussing is on a par with faking the Apollo moon landings - both in terms of technology and keeping the secret.

I.e. you're a loon

This is what I find odd despite sites that support what you are saying - we have a voice recognition system in the warehouse at work that runs (locally) on hardware based on pretty much phone specs - dual core Arm Cortex A9 - while it seems somewhat bespoke and I can't find information online it is pretty similar to:

https://www.marketwatch.com/press-r...eves-motorola-solutions-validation-2013-07-09

The CPU utilisation on the devices is pretty low.

Back in the day a lot of older PCs used to come bundled with voice recognition software - albeit you had to train it using keywords to get any kind of accuracy but it ran on like 486s and early Pentiums without massive CPU use. Unfortunately when it comes to the programming side my experience doesn't extend beyond using the stock MS engine at API level.

 

[Thecaferacer]

I won't have an Amazon echo or Google home in my house, despite protestation from the kids, for this very reason. It's listening all the time, it has to so it can activate.

I've also had the scary Google experience of chatting with the wife over something very specific and typed in "whe..." before it completed the entire phrase.

Mind you, I think we are fairly close to having our entire houses set up as an OS so I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle .

 

[Pottsey]

No, performing speech recognition on smart phone hardware is barely possible, if achievable I would applaud the programmer for their algorithms but it will still burn your pocket and drain your battery in an hour.

What you're discussing is on a par with faking the Apollo moon landings - both in terms of technology and keeping the secret.

I.e. you're a loon

Before you call me a loon you shouldn’t say something that has been well established on smartphones for years is barely possible! Have you never heard of “Go Google”, Alexa or Siri? Voice recognition assistants? How can you say they barely work? We have had them for years and they are widely used. I use Alexa almost daily and she keeps a recording online and you can download those recordings.

My 2nd point is Facebook announced in a feature update they are recording the background sound. Not 24/7 but on certainty activities like writing a status update the microphone turns on, records and keeps recording after the status update has finished for a while then sends the data back. It is 100% established that Facebook turn the Microphone on and take snapshots of your day. They admit it.

Lastly people leaving a phone near a Spanish or German channel or visiting someone with those channels running and the adverts changing to that language is a real thing and the only way for that to happen is if the microphone is recording at some point.

I am not a loon, you are very outdated on what is possible and what has been happening for years. recording a sound file and sending it back to a server is not that extensive and extremely easy for any phones in the past 5+ years. Even the bandwidth and processing to do this is tiny compared to watching a YouTube video or browsing a website.

 

[Efour]

Well, i hope my google homes are constantly listening or I'm wasting the money i paid for them.....

I know my devices are listening/tracking me, the suggested advertising or google search results are often very precisely targeted after conversations, verbal and written, we have just had on the subject.

Really not bothered.

 

[Kenai]

Before you call me a loon you shouldn’t say something that has been well established on smartphones for years is barely possible! Have you never heard of “Go Google”, Alexa or Siri? Voice recognition assistants? How can you say they barely work? We have had them for years and they are widely used. I use Alexa almost daily and she keeps a recording online and you can download those recordings.

He said on phone hardware.

Alexa, Siri etc. need to be online to function because the processing isn't done on the device.

Alexa can't even do something as simple as 'turn on the light' without an internet connection, because the devices simply can't process what's required on the device alone.

 

[Pottsey]

He said on phone hardware.

Alexa, Siri etc. need to be online to function because the processing isn't done on the device.

Alexa can't even do something as simple as 'turn on the light' without an internet connection, because the devices simply can't process what's required on the device alone.

Voice recording and sending the data back works in the same way as Alexa, Siri etc only voice recording is even less processor intensive and easier to do then those voice assistants so if the voice assistants work and we all know they do then its clearly easy to record a voice and change adverts. If your online the phones can record the background sounds, send them back for processing. No one is saying 100% of the processing is done on the phones. Only that the phones are recording and sending voice clips back which is a well known fact. Facebook even announced it when the feature was added so I don't understand why so many people still challenge that this happens despite all the evidence.

 

[Nicholas Sorrell]

The phones ARE listening. Google even admit to it, and you sign up to it when you choose to enable voice recognition. It listens for key phrases such as 'OK Google' or 'Hey Bixby' for example from Samsung devices. Sometimes the phones get it wrong, and you can listen to what it interprets as these key phrases by checking your Google account online.

That said, my wife and I conducted a test a good while back. I was running a Samsung S7 Edge, and the wife an iPhone7. We spoke about something completely random, mentioning food for a specific pet type that we don't have, and would never have had reason to discuss previously. Lo and behold, later that night, what should appear as an advert on ye old Facebook for both of us?

 

[Overlag]

talk about something you would never talk about normally, like dog toys for me, and the every next refresh of most web pages will have dog toys on it. I'm 100% sure that windows 10 based pc's with mics listen to you, and im pretty sure my iPhone is too.