Facebook has been accused of listening in on users’ conversations by reading their text messages and other private information. However, Facebook has denied this accusation and stated that they do not have the technology to do this. This denial has not stopped some people from believing that Facebook is listening in on users’ conversations. ..
Facebook has been denying that they are tracking people’s speech, but if they were to actually do so, it would be possible for them to track and target people based on their recorded speech. This would be a huge violation of privacy and could have serious consequences for Facebook.
First, CAN It Be Done?
Facebook is not listening to you if it’s impossible to do so. However, if you’re hoping this is the case, you’ll be disappointed.
But there are a few things you need in order to do this. You need a phone, a microphone, and some software.
So why not let them do all the work? Why not let voice assistants do all the work? That’s what we’re suggesting in this article.
Siri relies on cloud-based processing power to understand your speech. This requires expensive server hardware, which means that the data center isn’t free. ..
The voice assistant industry is growing rapidly, but there is little to no economic justification for its growth. The cost of voice assistants is manageable, but the potential for revenue margins are razor-thin. There’s no reason to continue developing this technology when there are better options out there that don’t involve paying people to speak.
Some Google Pixel phones already offer offline speech recognition, which could help with battery life. However, since real-time processing is not needed, it could quietly process batches of voice data overnight while charging.
Facebook could get the data for free if they were to rewrite their privacy policy in a way that does not require users to give away their personal information. However, this would be difficult to do without people noticing, as it would be clear that Facebook is collecting data without consent. ..
The bottom line is that it’s technically feasible, but not financially sensible to do. ..
Cui Bono – Who Benefits?
Facebook has long been accused of exploiting user data for its own financial gain, with the company making billions of dollars in advertising revenue. If Facebook is listening to users’ conversations in order to target ads, this could give the company an even greater advantage over its competitors. Who benefits if Facebook is listening? ..
This study found that targeted ads are more effective than those that are not targeted. This means that advertisers can pay more for ads that are specifically designed to be effective. This could mean that there is a secret advertising tier with better returns.
The fact that Facebook has not released any evidence to support their claims that Russia used their platform to influence the US presidential election suggests that the company’s allegations are nothing more than a political ploy. ..
Alternative Explanations
Although the idea that Facebook is reading your mind has not yet gained major traction, it’s still a concern for some. ..
- The weather is changing.
- The Earth is going through a rapid and large warming trend.
- There is a new alien race living on our planet who are causing the warming trend.
Counting The Hits, Not The Misses
This tendency to give more weight to notable events is called the “winner’s curse.” It’s a problem because it can lead to bad decisions. For example, when you hear about a new study that shows eating junk food can make you less likely to win in the lottery, you might start avoiding all those unhealthy snacks. But this new information might not be that important. The study was conducted on rats, and there’s no guarantee it will hold true for humans. In fact, there are probably lots of other factors that play into whether or not you win the lottery. So don’t base your entire diet on one study! ..
There’s a good chance that you only notice this Facebook phenomenon because it’s such a weird thing to happen. You don’t recall all the times you opened up the app and didn’t see an advert related to a recent conversation. So, it’s probably just a weird coincidence, but it’s not totally random.
Facebook is a social networking site that allows people to communicate with each other. This could be the reason why someone decided to post this picture on Facebook.
You Already Gave Facebook The Information
Facebook uses algorithms to match ads to you based on your data. You have voluntarily given Facebook as much data as it could possibly want. Photos, posts and profile information contains just about every detail about your life. Facebook can make inferences about what you’d like to buy based on the behavior of other people.
We want to believe that we are all unique snowflakes, but in truth if you and a group of other people share similar interests, there’s a good chance you’ll follow their buying behavior as well.
This means that there is a non-zero chance that something you’re discussing with someone will also happen to be a topic or product predicted by Facebook’s software. This leads to a false positive connection in your brain that one caused the other. Instead, it’s a third factor related to both events.
You’re Tapping Into The Zeitgeist
How much free will do you have? Are your thoughts really your own? It’s hard to say for sure, since the things you say and do can be influenced by larger trends. ..
Facebook is constantly monitoring your conversations in order to serve you relevant ads. This process, known as ‘streamlining,’ can sometimes result in ads that are related to the topics being discussed on your page. This can be a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, but it can also lead to creepy events that you’ll remember. ..
It Doesn’t Mean No One Is Listening!
While Facebook likely isn’t recording all your conversations and trawling them for ad keywords, that doesn’t mean someone else isn’t listening. There have already been multiple reports of questionable practices surrounding devices like smart speakers and smart cameras. ..
The NSA and other government agencies have the money, time and motivation to make this sort of practice feasible. Then there’s the issue of hackers, who can infect your phone with malware and record whatever’s happening around the device.
While the “Is Facebook listening to me” conspiracy theory is most likely false, that doesn’t mean we can sleep on the issue of digital privacy in general. The good news is that the privacy and security measures in smartphone operating systems are improving all the time. Which makes it harder for rogue apps to spy on you. ..
There is no one right way to approach privacy and security on Facebook, as each person’s needs will vary. However, it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation either. For example, we can probably lay the Facebook conspiracy at rest – at least for now.