This Aussie Woman Believes She Has Proof That Facebook Is Listening To Us
I've always thought that this was the case.
Facebook has been accused of a lot over the years, but one of the creepiest claims is the idea that it can hear what people are saying through their phones. That suspicion has followed the platform for years, and it still pops up whenever an ad feels a little too specific.
In this story, Adelaide Bracey, a 23-year-old from Sydney, says she thinks Facebook is listening in, because ads seem to match things she has only searched for, or even just talked about. Her experience taps into a familiar fear many users have had at some point, and it is hard not to wonder why the timing feels so exact.
Facebook denied the claim years ago, but Adelaide is not convinced. Here's the full story.
Adelaide Bracey, 23, Sydney, Australia
InstagramAdelaide Bracey from Sydney, Australia, is convinced that Facebook is listening through her phone, and honestly, from my own experience, I think they are too. When speaking to The Australian, she said
"I didn't Google it - and then it comes up as an ad on my Facebook. It's really creepy," "I type something in once or search for something, and it follows me for the next few days. Sometimes it comes up even when I haven't Googled it, but if I've spoken about it with a friend."
That sounds pretty convincing to me.
That is exactly the kind of ad targeting people find hard to shake.
And if you think Facebook listening is creepy, check out the robot phone with an “AI super brain” racing toward the iPhone 7e launch.
Facebook
Back in 2016, Facebook actually released a statement about this following a spate of articles accusing the tech giant of listening in on users' conversations using their phones.
"Facebook does not use your phone’s microphone to inform ads or to change what you see in News Feed,"
they said.
"Some recent articles have suggested that we must be listening to people’s conversations in order to show them relevant ads. This is not true. We show ads based on people’s interests and other profile information - not what you’re talking about out loud."
For another tech quirk, here’s why you should always add “Sent from my iPhone” to your email signature.
