Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by krnlpnc 1519 days ago
It's baffling that so many people insist this is not happening, or that it's too computationally expensive.

On several occasions I've seen ads appear based upon things being discussed, but never searched. Always with the realization I was near a smart device with a microphone (or an app with permissions)

I think in hindsight this will be similar to the realization that systems like XKeyscore and PRISM were not only technically possible but already deployed.
4 comments
samirahmed 1519 days ago
> It's baffling that so many people insist this is not happening, or that it's too computationally expensive.

If i am not mistaken - this paper seems to look at explicit "Smart Speaker interactions" - not passive background listening which is what I believe you are alluding to.

Not arguing that I am saying that latter does/doesn't happen - but just that this paper is not proof of it. And there is a big difference.

link
tudorconstantin 1519 days ago
I think this could be implemented without listening: I am physically meeting with my friend X who is researching online for his new acquisition (or he already got it). The more obsessed he is with that, the bigger the chances he'll tell me how awesome such a thing is.

So algorithms can percolate his interests to me after we meet and some time it would happen that we talked about it too.

link
metadat 1519 days ago
Humans are pattern recognition machines. We are so good at it that we even pickup on what seem like patterns but are actually random noise.

Maybe not the best example (please chime in if you have a better one!), ha you ever shopped for a specific model of used car? Once you're on the hunt, suddenly you'll start seeing them everywhere when you're out and about, even though previously you didn't notice. There aren't more of that vehicle on the road than before, but now you're attuned to the pattern.

link
edm0nd 1519 days ago
Smart speakers and phones are NOT listening to every single thing around it 24/7 in order to serve you ads. That's simply just not how it works. There are hundreds of other data points on you that can be used for this like your AMEX/Visa/Mastercard purchase history and etc.

On top of that, it would be easily detected via networking monitoring.

link