Quantcast
ZME Science
  • CoronavirusNEW
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News

Facebook is using your phone to listen to everything you say, professor suggests

The good news is that it's easy to turn this off.

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
June 2, 2016
in News, Technology

Facebook admits to using people’s microphones to listen to what they say, but they claim this is somehow a good thing.

4638981545_68f982c9d2_o

Kelli Burns, mass communication professor at the University of South Florida claims to have tested a bunch of devices running the Facebook mobile app, and found that all of them are listening to everything you say, providing customized ads based on what you are saying.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I’m really interested in going on an African safari. I think it’d be wonderful to ride in one of those jeeps,” she said out loud with her phone in hand. According to the NBC report, less than a minute later, the first story in her Facebook feed was about a safari. And a car ad soon appeared on her page – go figure.

Of course, this is not scientific evidence at this point, but Burns is not one to shun. Before becoming an academic, she spent seven years in corporate marketing and is a well-known figure in social media circles.

Facebook didn’t deny the claims. Instead, it admitted that it picks up sounds from users, but said that it only does this to recommend they post things on Facebook.

Get more science news like this...

Join the ZME newsletter for amazing science news, features, and exclusive scoops. More than 40,000 subscribers can't be wrong.

   

“Facebook does not use microphone audio to inform advertising or News Feed stories in any way,” a spokesperson vaguely told The Independent. “Businesses are able to serve relevant ads based on people’s interests and other demographic information, but not through audio collection.”

It’s not the first time Facebook has come under fire for something like this. Last years it was also accused of the same thing, and they said at the time that users had to turn their microphone on in order for this to work. But now, the microphone is on by default, so this does seem to confirm that Facebook is listening to you.

ADVERTISEMENT

This falls into a long line of Facebook privacy intrusions. The company’s response to this also falls in line with previous responses: vague policies, unclear measures and ever-shifting policies. We still don’t know exactly what Facebook is doing, and they have access to all our data.

 

Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Andrei's background is in geophysics, and he's been fascinated by it ever since he was a child. Feeling that there is a gap between scientists and the general audience, he started ZME Science -- and the results are what you see today.

Follow ZME on social media

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
  • More

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.