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by rcheu 2771 days ago
The fact that this dumb “Google/FB listens to you in the background and uses it to serve ads” myth is still around even on HackerNews is insane to me.

Do you all really think that if this contributed a measureable portion of ads that it wouldn’t leak? There’d also have to be a large amount of hardware dedicated to speech transcription—running constant speech to text on every google chrome browser would need so much compute.

Not to mention that it’d be possible to actually show that the company was lying by modifying microphone drivers and showing that they activate in the background. I’m pretty sure you could also just do it the same way they make game hacks—get access to chrome memory and show that there’s sections that match the recorded speech.

Indisputable proof that this happens would be a PR disaster for either company and cause legal action too.

I’m really in dismay at how long this myth has persisted.
2 comments
dexen 2771 days ago
Myth or not, the technology's been around for some years[1] [2], and there's a profit to be made from matching consumers and advertisers. One doesn't really need to run voice analysis, just pick a keyword[3] every now and then. You add two and two.

>would be a PR disaster for either company and cause legal action too.

Didn't stop Sony [4], and didn't cost them all that much in money - on the order of $1MM - or reputation either.

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[1a] https://hackaday.com/2017/05/04/ultrasonic-tracking-beacons/

[1b] https://www.wired.com/2016/11/block-ultrasonic-signals-didnt...

[2] https://www.shazam.com/

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QTzVoaua4s

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_BMG_copy_protection_rootk...

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gmueckl 2771 days ago
There is a way how this Youtube video might have been faked. It's maybe a bit subtle. Chrome allows multiple user profiles that have the same name. The video starts with a browser window already open. This might not be the default account; this account isn't associated with dog toys.

The window he opens after his monologue uses the default account. This account actually has been prepared to show dog ads. Maybe he looked at the ads before recording the video to get the details of the advertised products right. The rest is good acting to sell this stunt.

If this is how the video was made, then it would be pretty manipulative. I don't like that conclusion at all.

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