Have you ever had a conversation with someone with your phone by your side, only to find after that something you mentioned appeared in an ad on your Instagram page, YouTube, or random internet search? Yeah, me too. It’s been a conspiracy for years that our phones listen to us. But it isn’t a conspiracy anymore, smartphone devices are eavesdropping on our conversations, and applying that data to show ads that sell us what we talk about. It’s uncomfortable to think about, and creepy as well. Apple specifically has been feeling the heat on the matter more recently, but from what I’ve researched, a solution points to us as users.
Ever since Apple introduced Siri, our phones have become more adept at listening to our verbal suggestions and taking them as requests, even if we don’t want them to. Apple’s own website states: “When a user talks or types to Siri, their request is processed on device whenever possible.” It suggests one of their main focuses as a high-tech company is to make their supporter’s lives easier. Apple has denied any wrongdoing within the making of their technology, but they have still faced similar accusations since 2019. Recently, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a case involving their devices listening in. Lead Plaintiff Fumiko Lopez argued that Apple retained private user information, shared it with third parties without consent from Siri activation, then served him targeted ads after speaking about certain brands and services. Apple could simply be swerving around the topic, or genuinely tired of proving their trustworthiness to audiences — we may never know. Nonetheless, it might be worth looking into our own habits too while we’re looking for reasons. According to Forbes, we could be feeding the problem.
I think most of us have swiftly ignored or dismissed that message when opening an app asking us if we want to allow the use of our device’s microphone. I know I have. Turns out, we might be giving the app permission to listen to our conversations while using it because the microphone is on. But having social media apps on our phone can allow algorithms to determine what we like and what our lifestyles are based on from the data we provide. By limiting the data we give out, there is less left for the device to learn about us. Basically, the violation of our privacy we feel might come from how much input we share across different platforms.
Upon review, the matter seems less of a conspiracy and more of an open-ended conversation. In terms of a solution, we do have some control over the situation, since most devices allow you to change your preferences in settings. If you don’t want Siri listening, then you can easily turn that feature off. Apple still has a lot of control, since they’re the ones advancing technology to make users’ lives efficient, accessible, and fast. Even if that means having a companion that may be more annoying than useful. Despite this, it all circles back to that important thing we all value: our privacy. All I can say is, the choice of whether we give in to it or not is still completely up to us.
Veronica is a Staff Writer at The Cascade. She loves to travel and explore new places, no matter how big or small. She is in her second year at UFV, pursuing the study of Creative
Writing.
