Is @instagram listening? A 🧵… Two nights ago, my wife asks if I want an Oura ring. She’s kidding 😢 but someone at work had one. Tease. Yesterday, first ad on Insta is Oura ring. She’s never googled it, watched a vid on it, nothing. Didn’t even know how it was spelled.
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She says Instagram must be listening; I say she’s 🤪 So we test. Last night we discuss at length something completely ridiculous; Tiffany rings. “We should get a Tiffany ring! My birthday is coming up!” Shit like that. She’s not into expensive jewelry. Never searched Tiffany.
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This morning, the first ad on Instagram… no it’s not Tiffany but it’s probably safe to assume Tiffany isn’t advertising on Instagram. But this hits too close to home to be coincidence.
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We will test again tonight. Pick another topic that we‘ve never discussed, searched for, considered buying. I’ll report back Her privacy settings DO give Instagram mic access, phone was LOCKED. My phone, also present, is NOT delivering similar ads.
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The problem with this test is any replies on Twitter might also feed the targeted ad machine. vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/28…

The perennial debate about whether your phone is secretly listening to you, explained

It’s true and it’s not true, and it also doesn’t even matter.

vox.com
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Sure, but I’ll be sure to pick a topic not discussed in this thread. There’s plenty of stuff to buy 😊
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Replying to @photojoseph
out of curiosity, does she have an Android or iPhone? There's no way an iOS app can use the microphone without the little orange dot appearing.

Sep 22, 2022 · 4:21 PM UTC

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Replying to @aaronpk
iOS. And that’s theoretically true, but how far do you trust Facebook?
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It's more that I trust Apple to not provide the ability for apps to use the microphone without the user's permission. That's especially true when the phone is off and the app is in the background, there's just no way for the app to use the mic.
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more replies
Replying to @aaronpk
Also, the phone was locked and probably face down, so even if the orange dot came on, who’d see it? I read the article. We will pick a totally random topic tonight. Word from a dictionary. Let’s see what happens.