I think the fact that you stop scrolling for 3 seconds once you see a bluetooth speaker, it might recognise that you are somehow interested on that product. Like what happens on TikTok or RUclips Shorts
No, it also happens on Instagram Stories, when I talk about or look for stuff on internet, and suddenly when I go watch instagram stories I start seeing ads of that product. It's lik I stumbled upon a random image of the product and stopped there, it just suddenly appeared on my stories.
@@AIejandroide that's the cookies. If you look for something or if the algorithm thinks you are looking for something, it will show you related adds on every app Also It's really comfortable to just say "hey google, hey siri, hey alexa", etc but they have to be always listening. The thing is what they do with that info
I think the test should include more diverse products, including non-tech related ones, LED light stripes, speakers and projectors are all under the same home entertainment umbrella. Also if you do see the product don't hang around looking at it for long as this will indicate interest regardless of what you said
Although I think it is possible that the devices could be listening in, I don't think the testing methods in this video are a good example. There were other advertised products in the feed, and you only slowed down scrolling/swiping when you found the item that was spoken about earlier. Facebook could be tracking scrolling speed and swiping in the app to determine interest & engagement. Stopping at an item might signal to Facebook's ad server that you are interested in that specific product, so it may serve you more ads related to that product.
I got this point but what am trying to say here is, in the 7 Pro test, I didn't stair at anything related to speakers, I just opened the app and found some perfumes and shoes, then I said Bluetooth speakers then opened the app again and boom the third ad came out with lots of speakers, at this point yes I started to scroll through speakers but before this incident I didn't.
@@IDTR Totally agree. Once I made experiment: It was days before New Year and I thought in my mind "Don't say anything about Laptops, because when adds start showing you will want a laptop for a present :D". So I didn't search for laptops on the internet or said the word with my voice. And after a week I went to my grand parents house for the winter vacation and then as we were talking about phones (my whole family in fact) I told them as a joke that you shouldn't say what product you want on Black friday couse you will see an Add on the internet. And just 10 minutes later I opened my phone and saw a Facebook ad for laptops... Since then I am a 100% certain that they spy the people. :/
@@xgamez5698 some say that iPhone takes an Infrared flash picture using FaceID (idk.. what it is) of your face to see if your pupils are dilated, based on that they push the content (ruclips.net/user/shortsTybq_9IKc5Q?feature=share)... what do u think. ummm
@@xgamez5698 you're being hysterical, it's just because laptops, phones and TVs are heavily discounted during black friday and stores pay advetisers more to show the products
I have faced this so many times. While talking to someone on phone in a room with my nest home mini and of course my Pixel phone, I would later see an ad or an article based on what we talked. It's creepy. PS: I have my microphone access disabled for Facebook and RUclips. Only Instagram has it, well, I see ads on Facebook as well. Probably because they all are Meta.
Not only that, even RUclips sometimes recommends videos about something that I've been talking about with my family. Even though I never searched that thing/idea online
Great vid! Thanks! I was able to replicate on my phone, as well. My first instinct was to say that you should have force closed the apps and not leave them in background. However, when I tested, it did not matter. They were listening with the application in background or not. But fortunately, when I closed the permission to the microphone, the ads were not related to what I was saying anymore. And that is a relief.
IDK why Google has a location camera microphone, files, body sensor , contact , notification , nearby , call logs every single permission by default ...
I think we can't conclude that it always happens. One thing I'm sure about is that social apps like Facebook can determine which profession you are interested in via your searches and based on that it shows similar products. Of course what you are looking for will be found across many many products they offer. For instance, it's obvious that bluetooth speaker is one of the popular electronics/gadgets product.
@@wheelyflac you're absolutely right. But then it's every android phone running Android 11(?...I'm not so sure it's even on 11) and above. Android versions 12+ I'm definitely sure have the option, but versions below 11 don't have the sensors off feature. I didn't notice back on a10, and I just checked my secondary android 9 phone. I just mention it cus we still have a gigantic number of android users who don't even know android 12 exists. Not to mention the upcoming a14.
@JstormZx u are right. Did the android 9 phone of yours had it? I have a galaxy j5 pro with android 9 I will check when I get back home and tell u if I remember
@@wheelyflac nope, it didn't have it. ..the android 9 phone is an oukitel c17 pro from 2019, it runs something *very* close to stock android, but not exactly stock. "Sensors off" is neither in developer options nor anywhere else in the system settings. Ye, do check let's see if Samsung added it in some way on your J5 Pro, but I doubt it will be there either.
This video strikes home to me. Just today was talking to a friend about a football team while playing a mobile game with "No Microphone Access" and within 10 minutes started getting full page ads of the shop of the SAME football team!! Thoighy it was uncanny at first til I saw this video. Shame on you Google.
Last weekend I went to a pub to have a beer with some frieds. There was live music in the background too. A lot of people talking, phones on the table, but locked. One of my friends told us he got a pair of shoes from a famous brand. The day after, I opened my Google feed and there it was: advertising from that brand.
I think the test should be in more controlled setting. One thing that came to my mind is for example you said phrases with led strip while app was closed but after opening the app amd looking for led you kept saying ' no led strip here' and so on. But the app has permission to microphone while using the app. So I guess that might explain the ads coming later when you scroll down and not on top of the list (also it takes time for servers to process the words from you and recommend product) just my 2 cents
Even if I said the words while the app is open, why didn't the mic indicator show up? For example When you use the camera it turns on even though you know 100% that u r using the camera but this didn't happen here
@@IDTRbro that thing about the mic is right but pls try it in this way too and one more request turn off mic or reject the mic permission then try this test again if this is the result again that would be more creepy
This kept going through my mind as well. While carefully not saying the actual product in the "before", he said it repeatedly while the app was open in the "after", and it was only after he said it a few times with the app open that they started to appear.
The fundamental point you're trying to make in this video is valid as I've faced this myself multiple times, however I think your proof with this video is close to non-existent. The Pixel is the closest to looking true, however for the iPhone and Samsung, you definitely went far and beyond what's realistic to draw any real conclusion. You looked 3 times for tech products as well. If this is true, you could've easily used 3 different product categories (for instance, bluetooth speakers, dog food, and a hiking backpack). I also believe that the more you scroll for particular ads, the more facebook will think you're interested and serve you more. I don't think you can actually prove anything with this method as long as you keep talking about similar products/categories. You got some BT speaker ads at first, then kept on scrolling to find more to see how many you'd get, and got served more as a result. This is unfortunately the video I've been the most confused watching from you in a long time. Love your content and I'll always keep on watching, but I know you can do better than this! The point of the video is definitely there but the value it provides is not there in my opinion. Of course this is just constructive criticism, no hard feelings Emad, thank you ❤
@@MichaelBTech Lol just cause you don't like iPhone that doesn't mean it is all evil. iPhone is simply much better for privacy and security when compared to Androids
I knew this was happening!!! Years ago when I was looking to buy my first car my Facebook used to be FULL with used car dealerships and people selling cars in general and it was so freaky to me. I tried to tell my friends about this but they didn't believe me. I literally had never looked for a car at that poiny, I was just talking about the fact that I should get one and it would make life easier etc but had never actually started searching for one. I spoke to my dad about the cars and some of my co workers and friends because I had no idea where to start or what businesses sell used cars and my Facebook market place and Facebook became a used car advertisement.
When you scrolled with the app open and talked about projector, it is entirely possible that it used the microphone for which you granted the permission during app use and that's why it later showed projectors. But it should have shown the microphone indicator.
Your whole feed before starting the test is tech related. Bluetooth Speakers, RGB Lights etc. are pretty common products. It would be very interesting if you repeat this test and speak about something complete different, like diapers, or cars, anything non-tech related and out of box for your normal ad behavior.
That's happened to me when I'm looking for a Job, and then the Job's ads showings up on the Instagram 😰 i was scared that time. How they know even i didn't search for that.
انا هعمل لايك من قبل ماشوف عشان فخور بيك 😆 حتي لو الانجليزي بتاعك محتاج يتظبط بس انا بحييك بجد اي حد فينا لو ماخدش خطوه ف اتجاه معين، عمره ما هيوصل ولا يحقق حلمه افضل كمل و اتدرب كتير عالنطق و هتوصل !! بحييك بجد ❤❤❤
It clearly shows suggestions for other things you might be interested in. I do not think they are always listening to your conversations. You had to look hard to get to a targeted ad. It would have been very easy to find the ads if they were targeted to you, that's how i see it.
I had a similar experience with a bill counter machine, me and my friend we were talking Arabic about where I could buy a bill counter, and after a while, my friend opened his Facebook and showed me tons of ads about bill counters from local stores (not Amazon or Alibaba), at that time I realized that facebook was our third on the table.
Me and my friend realised this in 2019 and got stunned. We used to get ads and posts on FB and insta both. Even ads and recommendations on youtube as well. And it still happens many a times.
I have web history, location, youtube watch and search history, ad personalization off and now all the relevant ads of product i search for comes from the product i search for on third party shopping apps like amazon.
I've only had one example that creeped me out a little. Now, I watch a lot of RUclips and I'm a big tv/film buff as is one of my colleagues at work. We were on break during a night shift and the conversation turned to the film Crocodile Dundee, which then led to a conversation about the star of the film Paul Hogan and his fairly popular comedy sketch show from the 80's The Paul Hogan Show. We chatted about it for a couple of minutes and moved on to something else. Both had phones in our pockets at that time. I finish the shift, go home and sleep for a while. Wake up, make a cuppa, have a shower and then switched on my phone, logged in to You Tube and what was at the top of my recommendations...a clip from The Paul Hogan Show. I have never done a search for him on RUclips and this wasn't a popular search term. It had only been viewed 167 times. Coincidence? Maybe....Maybe not. Who knows!!
It's more complicated that this. It's a rudimentary test what you did. The biggest priority in these apps is retention time so because you looked at a speaker it shows you more. Same for the others
do you think it's possible that it's not the facebook app itself that is listening to us, but rather the google play services app (an app that essentially has infinite god powers)? and then facebook (plus other advertisers) access this data to display ads in their apps? because frankly, listening to people outside the app when microphone permission is turned off is blatantly illegal, and i'd imagine FB is smarter than that.
I think there is something you could do better in this video, don't say those product name while looking for it on the app. People might defend that you're getting it because you were repeating those words while in-app. Although that should not happen as well
But what about the mic indicator? Why didn't it turn on? For example When you use the camera it turns on even though you know 100% that u r using the camera but this didn't happen here
It could be that the indicator is only to put your mind to rest. When you open the camera, they know it’s deliberate so they gotta show it to be on the same page as you. Same for the microphone. It’s mostly because you did something in the app that needs the mic so they gotta show the indicator (example is WhatsApp call or voice note). When they’re doing their own thing in the background, why would they want you to know?
I'm really happy to see content like this is made rather than just blindly saying these phones are good. You exposed the hidden secrets in phones how the sneaky stuff happens I hope more people will be concerned about this topic so I only see @the hated one channel only (not sponsored).
Great topic, appreciate the test, I think it would be nice to have a statistic a little more accurate, for example count how many products for each category Facebook shows you. To see if the product you talk about actually gets shown more than the other random products.
Thank you for shedding the light to this subject. It is not the App that is tracking our activities but the OS that does, and it sells our data to those Apps like Facebook, Instagram etc.. remember that Pixel phones do have Now Playing feature, have you seen a green dot while Now Playing is showing you the Song your are listening to? Unfortunately, Google and Apple are not different when it come to this part..
In the now playing settings there is even an explanation why it doesn't show a green indicator. There are two exceptions from the mic indicator 1) Android Private compute core, which is a enclosed environment which blocks access to many things like network access and it used by now playing 2) the hotwire audio source, which allows for hotword detection Recently they added an online search to now playing, allowing you to search the song online if local detection fails, once you trigger a search a mic indicator gets displayed
Its actually true . I have experienced the same via amazon. The product that i have spoken with my friend, immediately i got the same in the suggestion panel even i kept my phone idle. Very weird.
They are owned by companies like samsung , realme , oneplus and others , they dont do a video unless they have an ad or an agenda to spread , thats why i find that the most benefecial youtubers in all sectors are the ones that are hard working + small channels together , once they have million or more subs , say goodbye to the honesty.
I think you should redo this test more thouroughly. It may be a coincidence that you got an ad about the product you were looking for at the first time. But then you stopped scrolling and looked at it for some time and the algorithm picked your interest up. You should have scrolled trough all the ads or just skip all of them. And try using mic access block that most OS have to see if there is any difference.
I got this point but what am trying to say here is, in the 7 Pro test, I didn't stair at anything related to speakers, I just opened the app and found some perfumes and shoes, then I said Bluetooth speakers then opened the app again and boom an ad with lots of speakers, at this point yes I started to scroll through speakers but before this incident I didn't.
But why exactly projectors and speakers were everywhere also my Facebook feed didn't have any at first as shown at the very beginning before even starting the test.
@@IDTRfor me it looks clearly like cherry picking. You stay few milliseconds more on products that might be confused with the ones you are looking for, then the next ones loaded will be targeted more and more closely to your goal. The only way to control this would be to have a negative control where an automated script would scroll through the ads without any delay. Depending on your skills it might be easy to do (or not)
I got this point but what am trying to say here is, in the 7 Pro test, I didn't stair at anything related to speakers, I just opened the app and found some perfumes and shoes, then I said Bluetooth speakers then opened the app again and boom an ad with lots of speakers, at this point yes I started to scroll through speakers but before this incident I didn't.
I like this test!! I appreciate the methodical approach. I thought of a few things you could do to control the test better. One is to screen record the portion where you scroll through the app and ads. Don't say any words out loud, and try to keep your scroll speed constant throughout the test so you don't ever pause on any one kind of ad. Then you could play back the recording and narrate it. Next, you could bypass the first X number of ads and then start scrolling through them. Also, you could take each phone one by one into your isolated room to speak out loud. So all phones would be exposed to their unique unusual topic before you start checking ads. Plus you could test each phone in the same order that you spoke in their presence. That would give them a minute or two to sync and incorporate the new info.
They also know what you're typing and watching. One time I was looking at a meme of a japanese anime movie that I didn't know what the titles were, then I found the title in the comments, I then went to chrome to look for that movie and after I typed the first letter the search suggestion knew exactly what movie I was searching for
But it's said in the settings that allow microphone while using the app, I don't see anything wrong 😂 it would be scarry if you didn't say the products while using the app
It is constantly listening because "ok Google" or "hey Siri" works... I also think its not the apps listening but the phone itself making a ad-profile the apps access
even if the test seems conclusive, I remain on the opinion of other comments who say that if you look at a product longer than the others by chance without even knowing that you are interested in this one, you don't care will suggest another. on top of that, you're trying to direct ads to tech products when you must already be interested in that. You should have tried products for animals, for babies, for attractions, basically stuff that has nothing to do with your centers of interest. But still a good video !
It's pretty obvious that these "Privacy features" don't affect system apps. Giving third party apps the bad reputation, while Google/Apple have a cleaner reputation
Google search is the same way. Went to search on chrome for something I was talking about and the predictive text picked it up after the first few letters.
it could also be that once you found a new ad (say the projector), every time you stopped scrolling to view it to prove your point, FB adjusts the next ads to show projectors since you kept stopping on the carousel to pause and view it
I didn't search for these products for years plus my Facebook didn't show any of them at first before even starting the test and all of sudden my feed got tons of speakers, projectors and lights in a matter of minutes.
Since the app is set to use microphone when you are using it, it could be that as you keep saying the trigger words while using the app. The app listens and starts showing the adverts
I just assume that my phone always sees and listens everything I do and says at this point. I have started to keep my phone in separate room when I´m home.
The problem with this testing is that even though the app was not listening you started talked about the product once you were already inside which was a cause the app to show the product
We shall build a software that spies microphone and camera access Or a software that could act between camera or microphone andfacebook or any app to make it blurred or noisy or just black when data going from camera / mic to into the app
Although I think this could've been done better and that most user observations report it catching on after maybe a day or so (instead of instantaneously), I have found this to be the case as well. There is this really old chinese martial arts movie called "Kung Fu Hustle". Mind you, I havent' searched about it, anything even related to that film (or just a general interest in martial arts even) and mentioned it in a passing convo to my sister since I recalled something from that movie. The next day (iirc) I saw a clip recommendation from that movie on my YT home page. I don't remember getting it any time before and it was too uncanny to be brushed off as just a "coincidence". It is truly horrific that this sorta stuff is going on behind the scenes. I am convinced that as long as these corps can get away with stuff relatively scotch free and there is a strong incentive to do, they will.
I think the fact that he mentions the product while scrolling also affects the ads he sees. Remember, the permission says “only when app is in use” which was mostly the case throughout the video. We know they listen to us, but this video is not really conclusive enough for me. Maybe a redo without mentioning the product while the app is open actively or in the background will make us (or me) understand what’s really going on behind the scenes
Total unprofessional test for the obssed people with their privacy that belive in anything. The test didn't take into account the multiple algorythims that facebook has when stoping by ads. The creator choose extremely common products that come up on ads very often everywhere. Exepected more diverse categories and more professional methods. Don't belive this.
This has been known for a while but for some reason isn't common knowledge. I agree google and apple should provide more transparency with this. If the general public where aware there would be a ton of backlash. I turned off personalised ads in my google settings a while ago and it doesnt happen to me anymore (im a pixel user)
@@IDTR also if people want to read up on one of the main ways the ad targeting works and how to avoid it the process is called "fingerprinting". Maybe a topic for a future video? :)
It's also worth noting that the act of tapping on a certain thing like the LED lights, will tell the ad targeting that you are interested in the LED lights, even if it doesn't hear you talking about certain topics
Thank you Emad. Does this mean "Facebook" is colluding with Google - Samsung and Apple. What about "Twitter" - "Instagram" - or "You Tube" When going to those Social Media Apps will your Spoken words show up there too ? Can I assume it only happens when the mic is on ? Sorry if it's just me being confused about this particular subject 😟. JaneLee - in Suburban Philadelphia Pennsylvania, USA 6/30/23 8:02 AM
In my day to day usage only Facebook and Instagram caught my attention as I didn't notice the same behavior on other apps, regarding the colluding, this is a question I have too are they doing this or not, as it seems like they do until they prove otherwise
I mean you are talking about the product while scrolling. So it will lesson while using app. And recommend that with the new refresh. Still it's privacy problem cz there are not showing it uses our mic or camera while using the app.
I don't use Facebook at all it's been years I used Facebook on a Java phn back then after switching to Android I never used it and i always disable it in the starting I use Instagram but it has been a while when i turned off my account. I use Snapchat for 10 minutes a day (i have timer on it) not using any other social media except WhatsApp. I'm from India so no chance for tiktok and I watch RUclips shorts rarely though old school long length RUclips videos are my daily dose but I feel really better now. Better productivity,mental health and so much more. The world outside our smartphones is beautiful....
I wonder if watching this video out loud at home triggered something on my devices??? I would be annoyed if these things you were saying out loud in this video became topics of my personalised ads! Haha
It's not just with Facebook. This thing will happen with Google ADs too. The reason is simple, they partially earn lots of money by monetizing ADs. They both will face huge losses without it if not half but something enough to hurt them.
I just don't use social media apps. They're not only harmful for your privacy but also for your brain. If I have to then I'll use the web app or only use it on desktop so it can't access my phone and I'm less likely to go to it.
I think the fact that you stop scrolling for 3 seconds once you see a bluetooth speaker, it might recognise that you are somehow interested on that product. Like what happens on TikTok or RUclips Shorts
My 1st thought. If all these apps were listening to us, it would probably have shown in battery life of the device
No, it also happens on Instagram Stories, when I talk about or look for stuff on internet, and suddenly when I go watch instagram stories I start seeing ads of that product. It's lik I stumbled upon a random image of the product and stopped there, it just suddenly appeared on my stories.
@@AIejandroide that's the cookies. If you look for something or if the algorithm thinks you are looking for something, it will show you related adds on every app
Also It's really comfortable to just say "hey google, hey siri, hey alexa", etc but they have to be always listening. The thing is what they do with that info
@aoe634 same with google feature that identifies songs arround you. Google says all audios are kept on your device and erased later but who knows
@aoe634 are you sure its not that you just searched something up?
I think the test should include more diverse products, including non-tech related ones, LED light stripes, speakers and projectors are all under the same home entertainment umbrella. Also if you do see the product don't hang around looking at it for long as this will indicate interest regardless of what you said
Although I think it is possible that the devices could be listening in, I don't think the testing methods in this video are a good example.
There were other advertised products in the feed, and you only slowed down scrolling/swiping when you found the item that was spoken about earlier.
Facebook could be tracking scrolling speed and swiping in the app to determine interest & engagement. Stopping at an item might signal to Facebook's ad server that you are interested in that specific product, so it may serve you more ads related to that product.
I got this point but what am trying to say here is, in the 7 Pro test, I didn't stair at anything related to speakers, I just opened the app and found some perfumes and shoes, then I said Bluetooth speakers then opened the app again and boom the third ad came out with lots of speakers, at this point yes I started to scroll through speakers but before this incident I didn't.
@@IDTR Totally agree. Once I made experiment:
It was days before New Year and I thought in my mind "Don't say anything about Laptops, because when adds start showing you will want a laptop for a present :D". So I didn't search for laptops on the internet or said the word with my voice. And after a week I went to my grand parents house for the winter vacation and then as we were talking about phones (my whole family in fact) I told them as a joke that you shouldn't say what product you want on Black friday couse you will see an Add on the internet.
And just 10 minutes later I opened my phone and saw a Facebook ad for laptops... Since then I am a 100% certain that they spy the people. :/
@@xgamez5698 some say that iPhone takes an Infrared flash picture using FaceID (idk.. what it is) of your face to see if your pupils are dilated, based on that they push the content (ruclips.net/user/shortsTybq_9IKc5Q?feature=share)... what do u think. ummm
@@xgamez5698 you're being hysterical, it's just because laptops, phones and TVs are heavily discounted during black friday and stores pay advetisers more to show the products
I have faced this so many times. While talking to someone on phone in a room with my nest home mini and of course my Pixel phone, I would later see an ad or an article based on what we talked. It's creepy. PS: I have my microphone access disabled for Facebook and RUclips. Only Instagram has it, well, I see ads on Facebook as well. Probably because they all are Meta.
RUclips isn't Meta.
@@jgadventure I was talking about Instagram and Facebook
@@anshudipkarn I misunderstood, sorry.
Not only that, even RUclips sometimes recommends videos about something that I've been talking about with my family. Even though I never searched that thing/idea online
Great vid! Thanks! I was able to replicate on my phone, as well. My first instinct was to say that you should have force closed the apps and not leave them in background. However, when I tested, it did not matter. They were listening with the application in background or not. But fortunately, when I closed the permission to the microphone, the ads were not related to what I was saying anymore. And that is a relief.
IDK why Google has a location camera microphone, files, body sensor , contact , notification , nearby , call logs every single permission by default ...
Especially with mobile voice assistance like Siri and Google Assistant always listening for the activation phrase
They don't just listen they sell that data to platforms like Facebook and others.
I think you should try it but with products not related to tech and very different from what you like, for example dog toys or DIY garden gadgets...
Thanks for the suggestion, it's worth trying
@@IDTR hey, great videos btw, I love them!
Yes, try with weird stuff: bar stool, flights, stuffed animals, grass fertilizer..
I doubt you get the same results
Maybe try something more specific like steering wheel controller for racing games or fish tank
I think we can't conclude that it always happens. One thing I'm sure about is that social apps like Facebook can determine which profession you are interested in via your searches and based on that it shows similar products. Of course what you are looking for will be found across many many products they offer. For instance, it's obvious that bluetooth speaker is one of the popular electronics/gadgets product.
Use the turn off all sensors option too, that is on the s23
Yep it's on all androids
@@wheelyflac
you're absolutely right.
But then it's every android phone running Android 11(?...I'm not so sure it's even on 11) and above.
Android versions 12+ I'm definitely sure have the option,
but versions below 11 don't have the sensors off feature.
I didn't notice back on a10, and I just checked my secondary android 9 phone.
I just mention it cus we still have a gigantic number of android users who don't even know android 12 exists.
Not to mention the upcoming a14.
@JstormZx u are right. Did the android 9 phone of yours had it? I have a galaxy j5 pro with android 9 I will check when I get back home and tell u if I remember
@@wheelyflac nope, it didn't have it.
..the android 9 phone is an oukitel c17 pro from 2019, it runs something *very* close to stock android, but not exactly stock.
"Sensors off" is neither in developer options nor anywhere else in the system settings.
Ye, do check let's see if Samsung added it in some way on your J5 Pro, but I doubt it will be there either.
This video strikes home to me.
Just today was talking to a friend about a football team while playing a mobile game with "No Microphone Access" and within 10 minutes started getting full page ads of the shop of the SAME football team!!
Thoighy it was uncanny at first til I saw this video. Shame on you Google.
Last weekend I went to a pub to have a beer with some frieds. There was live music in the background too. A lot of people talking, phones on the table, but locked. One of my friends told us he got a pair of shoes from a famous brand. The day after, I opened my Google feed and there it was: advertising from that brand.
I think the test should be in more controlled setting. One thing that came to my mind is for example you said phrases with led strip while app was closed but after opening the app amd looking for led you kept saying ' no led strip here' and so on. But the app has permission to microphone while using the app. So I guess that might explain the ads coming later when you scroll down and not on top of the list (also it takes time for servers to process the words from you and recommend product) just my 2 cents
Even if I said the words while the app is open, why didn't the mic indicator show up? For example When you use the camera it turns on even though you know 100% that u r using the camera but this didn't happen here
@@IDTRbro that thing about the mic is right but pls try it in this way too and one more request turn off mic or reject the mic permission then try this test again if this is the result again that would be more creepy
Am collecting all your feedback to make it better
This kept going through my mind as well. While carefully not saying the actual product in the "before", he said it repeatedly while the app was open in the "after", and it was only after he said it a few times with the app open that they started to appear.
it's scarier when they recommend things you were thinking about
The fundamental point you're trying to make in this video is valid as I've faced this myself multiple times, however I think your proof with this video is close to non-existent.
The Pixel is the closest to looking true, however for the iPhone and Samsung, you definitely went far and beyond what's realistic to draw any real conclusion. You looked 3 times for tech products as well. If this is true, you could've easily used 3 different product categories (for instance, bluetooth speakers, dog food, and a hiking backpack).
I also believe that the more you scroll for particular ads, the more facebook will think you're interested and serve you more. I don't think you can actually prove anything with this method as long as you keep talking about similar products/categories. You got some BT speaker ads at first, then kept on scrolling to find more to see how many you'd get, and got served more as a result.
This is unfortunately the video I've been the most confused watching from you in a long time. Love your content and I'll always keep on watching, but I know you can do better than this! The point of the video is definitely there but the value it provides is not there in my opinion. Of course this is just constructive criticism, no hard feelings Emad, thank you ❤
Super, as always! Thank you very much for the detailed analysis of new features
Observed this back in 2016 when started using pixel xl, forget voice it also tracks by camera, today ai is so smart it knows what we are thinking.
I think you should make this test on the iPhone with “Allow Tracking” turned off the see the results.
It still happens. That toggle barely does anything on iPhone.
@@MichaelBTech I suspect this as well.
@@MichaelBTech Lol just cause you don't like iPhone that doesn't mean it is all evil. iPhone is simply much better for privacy and security when compared to Androids
@@evergrandebestrealestate4854
1. I do like iPhone.
2. An object can't be evil
3. Are you okay?
The iphone is not more private than Android lol
I knew this was happening!!! Years ago when I was looking to buy my first car my Facebook used to be FULL with used car dealerships and people selling cars in general and it was so freaky to me. I tried to tell my friends about this but they didn't believe me. I literally had never looked for a car at that poiny, I was just talking about the fact that I should get one and it would make life easier etc but had never actually started searching for one. I spoke to my dad about the cars and some of my co workers and friends because I had no idea where to start or what businesses sell used cars and my Facebook market place and Facebook became a used car advertisement.
When you scrolled with the app open and talked about projector, it is entirely possible that it used the microphone for which you granted the permission during app use and that's why it later showed projectors. But it should have shown the microphone indicator.
Your whole feed before starting the test is tech related. Bluetooth Speakers, RGB Lights etc. are pretty common products. It would be very interesting if you repeat this test and speak about something complete different, like diapers, or cars, anything non-tech related and out of box for your normal ad behavior.
That's happened to me when I'm looking for a Job, and then the Job's ads showings up on the Instagram 😰 i was scared that time. How they know even i didn't search for that.
انا هعمل لايك من قبل ماشوف
عشان فخور بيك 😆
حتي لو الانجليزي بتاعك محتاج يتظبط بس انا بحييك بجد
اي حد فينا لو ماخدش خطوه ف اتجاه معين، عمره ما هيوصل ولا يحقق حلمه
افضل كمل و اتدرب كتير عالنطق و هتوصل !!
بحييك بجد ❤❤❤
It clearly shows suggestions for other things you might be interested in. I do not think they are always listening to your conversations. You had to look hard to get to a targeted ad. It would have been very easy to find the ads if they were targeted to you, that's how i see it.
I had a similar experience with a bill counter machine, me and my friend we were talking Arabic about where I could buy a bill counter, and after a while, my friend opened his Facebook and showed me tons of ads about bill counters from local stores (not Amazon or Alibaba), at that time I realized that facebook was our third on the table.
Yes that's what I experience everyday
Thanks for video. 🇧🇷
Done this tests myself multiple times, I now just tell me phone to show me ads of what a want cause I know its listening
Me and my friend realised this in 2019 and got stunned. We used to get ads and posts on FB and insta both. Even ads and recommendations on youtube as well. And it still happens many a times.
I have web history, location, youtube watch and search history, ad personalization off and now all the relevant ads of product i search for comes from the product i search for on third party shopping apps like amazon.
I believe we are being tracked as well. My wife and I would talk about something, and I would see it pop up in a feed of mine
I've only had one example that creeped me out a little. Now, I watch a lot of RUclips and I'm a big tv/film buff as is one of my colleagues at work. We were on break during a night shift and the conversation turned to the film Crocodile Dundee, which then led to a conversation about the star of the film Paul Hogan and his fairly popular comedy sketch show from the 80's The Paul Hogan Show. We chatted about it for a couple of minutes and moved on to something else. Both had phones in our pockets at that time. I finish the shift, go home and sleep for a while. Wake up, make a cuppa, have a shower and then switched on my phone, logged in to You Tube and what was at the top of my recommendations...a clip from The Paul Hogan Show. I have never done a search for him on RUclips and this wasn't a popular search term. It had only been viewed 167 times. Coincidence? Maybe....Maybe not. Who knows!!
It's more complicated that this. It's a rudimentary test what you did. The biggest priority in these apps is retention time so because you looked at a speaker it shows you more. Same for the others
Thank you, this is really an eye opening moment.
do you think it's possible that it's not the facebook app itself that is listening to us, but rather the google play services app (an app that essentially has infinite god powers)? and then facebook (plus other advertisers) access this data to display ads in their apps?
because frankly, listening to people outside the app when microphone permission is turned off is blatantly illegal, and i'd imagine FB is smarter than that.
I think there is something you could do better in this video, don't say those product name while looking for it on the app. People might defend that you're getting it because you were repeating those words while in-app. Although that should not happen as well
But what about the mic indicator? Why didn't it turn on? For example When you use the camera it turns on even though you know 100% that u r using the camera but this didn't happen here
That indicator seems like a joke..
He should have refreshed the app more than once, maybe the results would have been different
It could be that the indicator is only to put your mind to rest. When you open the camera, they know it’s deliberate so they gotta show it to be on the same page as you. Same for the microphone. It’s mostly because you did something in the app that needs the mic so they gotta show the indicator (example is WhatsApp call or voice note). When they’re doing their own thing in the background, why would they want you to know?
I mean how do Google and siri know when you say hey siri or hey Google if they aren't always listening?
That's why I love my Pixel Fold and 7 Pro. I leave my mic and camera off until I'm ready to use it. 🤷🏾♂️
I'm really happy to see content like this is made rather than just blindly saying these phones are good. You exposed the hidden secrets in phones how the sneaky stuff happens I hope more people will be concerned about this topic so I only see @the hated one channel only (not sponsored).
Now even though they show relevant ads, I have been so stubborn, I don't buy online.
I use it for price reference.
Thanks sir great like always, it's not only Facebook, on my Instagram i have the same problem, all apps related to Facebook can hear our voices,
Great topic, appreciate the test, I think it would be nice to have a statistic a little more accurate, for example count how many products for each category Facebook shows you.
To see if the product you talk about actually gets shown more than the other random products.
Soon or later this could be a big problem for us. But you gotcha this earlier.
I have noticed the same thing,Sometimes even on the youtube search and ads
Thank you for shedding the light to this subject. It is not the App that is tracking our activities but the OS that does, and it sells our data to those Apps like Facebook, Instagram etc.. remember that Pixel phones do have Now Playing feature, have you seen a green dot while Now Playing is showing you the Song your are listening to?
Unfortunately, Google and Apple are not different when it come to this part..
Good point, thanks for sharing your thoughts
In the now playing settings there is even an explanation why it doesn't show a green indicator. There are two exceptions from the mic indicator
1) Android Private compute core, which is a enclosed environment which blocks access to many things like network access and it used by now playing
2) the hotwire audio source, which allows for hotword detection
Recently they added an online search to now playing, allowing you to search the song online if local detection fails, once you trigger a search a mic indicator gets displayed
Its actually true . I have experienced the same via amazon. The product that i have spoken with my friend, immediately i got the same in the suggestion panel even i kept my phone idle.
Very weird.
The saddest part is I talked about this with someone qnd now I'm seeing the video recommendation😂
How come the big youtubers don't do this
They are owned by companies like samsung , realme , oneplus and others , they dont do a video unless they have an ad or an agenda to spread , thats why i find that the most benefecial youtubers in all sectors are the ones that are hard working + small channels together , once they have million or more subs , say goodbye to the honesty.
Happened to me before as well, especially with RUclips ads.
Sometimes i get ads about stuff i take photos of too.
I think you should redo this test more thouroughly. It may be a coincidence that you got an ad about the product you were looking for at the first time. But then you stopped scrolling and looked at it for some time and the algorithm picked your interest up. You should have scrolled trough all the ads or just skip all of them. And try using mic access block that most OS have to see if there is any difference.
I got this point but what am trying to say here is, in the 7 Pro test, I didn't stair at anything related to speakers, I just opened the app and found some perfumes and shoes, then I said Bluetooth speakers then opened the app again and boom an ad with lots of speakers, at this point yes I started to scroll through speakers but before this incident I didn't.
Yes, they are always listening.
It happens to me as well. I don't think it's a coincidence.
Definitely true. I thought it's some miracle in my case lol
I think it's because while scrolling through the ads, you stayed in an ad for too long, and this is how they realized you wanted this.
But why exactly projectors and speakers were everywhere also my Facebook feed didn't have any at first as shown at the very beginning before even starting the test.
@@IDTR you got a point here though
@@IDTRfor me it looks clearly like cherry picking. You stay few milliseconds more on products that might be confused with the ones you are looking for, then the next ones loaded will be targeted more and more closely to your goal. The only way to control this would be to have a negative control where an automated script would scroll through the ads without any delay. Depending on your skills it might be easy to do (or not)
I got this point but what am trying to say here is, in the 7 Pro test, I didn't stair at anything related to speakers, I just opened the app and found some perfumes and shoes, then I said Bluetooth speakers then opened the app again and boom an ad with lots of speakers, at this point yes I started to scroll through speakers but before this incident I didn't.
I like this test!! I appreciate the methodical approach. I thought of a few things you could do to control the test better.
One is to screen record the portion where you scroll through the app and ads. Don't say any words out loud, and try to keep your scroll speed constant throughout the test so you don't ever pause on any one kind of ad. Then you could play back the recording and narrate it.
Next, you could bypass the first X number of ads and then start scrolling through them.
Also, you could take each phone one by one into your isolated room to speak out loud. So all phones would be exposed to their unique unusual topic before you start checking ads. Plus you could test each phone in the same order that you spoke in their presence. That would give them a minute or two to sync and incorporate the new info.
They also know what you're typing and watching. One time I was looking at a meme of a japanese anime movie that I didn't know what the titles were, then I found the title in the comments, I then went to chrome to look for that movie and after I typed the first letter the search suggestion knew exactly what movie I was searching for
But it's said in the settings that allow microphone while using the app, I don't see anything wrong 😂 it would be scarry if you didn't say the products while using the app
It is constantly listening because "ok Google" or "hey Siri" works... I also think its not the apps listening but the phone itself making a ad-profile the apps access
Nothing was showing up until you started talking about those products while you were using the app.
This happened to me when i started seeing ads about stuff i was talking about on WhatsApp
Idk, I always get irrelevant ads; sometimes, they are in languages I do not even speak.
even if the test seems conclusive, I remain on the opinion of other comments who say that if you look at a product longer than the others by chance without even knowing that you are interested in this one, you don't care will suggest another. on top of that, you're trying to direct ads to tech products when you must already be interested in that. You should have tried products for animals, for babies, for attractions, basically stuff that has nothing to do with your centers of interest. But still a good video !
It's pretty obvious that these "Privacy features" don't affect system apps. Giving third party apps the bad reputation, while Google/Apple have a cleaner reputation
Google search is the same way. Went to search on chrome for something I was talking about and the predictive text picked it up after the first few letters.
it could also be that once you found a new ad (say the projector), every time you stopped scrolling to view it to prove your point, FB adjusts the next ads to show projectors since you kept stopping on the carousel to pause and view it
That was exactly what I was thinking, also he should have used but more specific and less common examples.
فكره الفيديو عظمه الصراحه 😍❤️
Tbh when listening to you, I pay more attention as listening to President Putin. Undefeated content always. You’re the top notch
I think when you start talking about the product in question when the app is open, it starts to recognize what you say
Wonderful Video !!!
Salute to your Creative Mind.
But how can we get away from such Scenario?
I think more testing should be done. I get these similar ads too without actually mentioning them
I didn't search for these products for years plus my Facebook didn't show any of them at first before even starting the test and all of sudden my feed got tons of speakers, projectors and lights in a matter of minutes.
If you wait a few minutes later you'll see a lot more when you open the Facebook app. This is ridiculous. 🤦🏽♂️
I think you are right!
Since the app is set to use microphone when you are using it, it could be that as you keep saying the trigger words while using the app. The app listens and starts showing the adverts
I just assume that my phone always sees and listens everything I do and says at this point. I have started to keep my phone in separate room when I´m home.
The problem with this testing is that even though the app was not listening you started talked about the product once you were already inside which was a cause the app to show the product
If you tap on 3 dots in the top right corner you'll see that all apps always have permission to microphone, camera etc.
We shall build a software that spies microphone and camera access
Or a software that could act between camera or microphone andfacebook or any app to make it blurred or noisy or just black when data going from camera / mic to into the app
Although I think this could've been done better and that most user observations report it catching on after maybe a day or so (instead of instantaneously), I have found this to be the case as well.
There is this really old chinese martial arts movie called "Kung Fu Hustle". Mind you, I havent' searched about it, anything even related to that film (or just a general interest in martial arts even) and mentioned it in a passing convo to my sister since I recalled something from that movie.
The next day (iirc) I saw a clip recommendation from that movie on my YT home page.
I don't remember getting it any time before and it was too uncanny to be brushed off as just a "coincidence".
It is truly horrific that this sorta stuff is going on behind the scenes.
I am convinced that as long as these corps can get away with stuff relatively scotch free and there is a strong incentive to do, they will.
Yoo Facebook is a crap.
Time for you to get into Custom ROMs like GrapheneOS or CalyxOS
Insightful. But I'm more curious to see what will happen if you don't use 'the words' when the app is open.
This is why I deleted Facebook. Life is much better now.
Do you have Instagram?
@@ifrankenstein7455 not even WhatsApp
I think the fact that he mentions the product while scrolling also affects the ads he sees. Remember, the permission says “only when app is in use” which was mostly the case throughout the video. We know they listen to us, but this video is not really conclusive enough for me. Maybe a redo without mentioning the product while the app is open actively or in the background will make us (or me) understand what’s really going on behind the scenes
This is what i need
In any case the microphone is always permanently on because of "ok Google" . So the green indicator should ALWAYS stay on
Even without "ok Google" with the backdoors planned for the NSA, there are always ways to spy on people, even with the phone switched off
Total unprofessional test for the obssed people with their privacy that belive in anything. The test didn't take into account the multiple algorythims that facebook has when stoping by ads. The creator choose extremely common products that come up on ads very often everywhere. Exepected more diverse categories and more professional methods. Don't belive this.
This has been known for a while but for some reason isn't common knowledge. I agree google and apple should provide more transparency with this. If the general public where aware there would be a ton of backlash. I turned off personalised ads in my google settings a while ago and it doesnt happen to me anymore (im a pixel user)
Thanks for sharing this
@@IDTR also if people want to read up on one of the main ways the ad targeting works and how to avoid it the process is called "fingerprinting". Maybe a topic for a future video? :)
It's also worth noting that the act of tapping on a certain thing like the LED lights, will tell the ad targeting that you are interested in the LED lights, even if it doesn't hear you talking about certain topics
Got it, thanks bro, your comments are really appreciated
Bro turn off the mic permission or reject in the app you using and then repeat this same test and see the results that would be more creepy
while having the screen off as well
Thank you Emad.
Does this mean "Facebook" is colluding with Google - Samsung and Apple.
What about "Twitter" - "Instagram" - or "You Tube"
When going to those Social Media Apps will your Spoken words show up there too ?
Can I assume it only happens when the mic is on ?
Sorry if it's just me being confused about this particular subject 😟.
JaneLee - in Suburban Philadelphia Pennsylvania, USA
6/30/23
8:02 AM
In my day to day usage only Facebook and Instagram caught my attention as I didn't notice the same behavior on other apps, regarding the colluding, this is a question I have too are they doing this or not, as it seems like they do until they prove otherwise
@@IDTR
Thank you so much for replying to me Emad 🙂.
JaneLee
6/30/23
I mean you are talking about the product while scrolling. So it will lesson while using app. And recommend that with the new refresh. Still it's privacy problem cz there are not showing it uses our mic or camera while using the app.
What about the block camera and mic access features of the pixel phone
Is it the same as well ?
I don't use Facebook at all it's been years I used Facebook on a Java phn back then after switching to Android I never used it and i always disable it in the starting I use Instagram but it has been a while when i turned off my account.
I use Snapchat for 10 minutes a day (i have timer on it) not using any other social media except WhatsApp. I'm from India so no chance for tiktok and I watch RUclips shorts rarely though old school long length RUclips videos are my daily dose but I feel really better now.
Better productivity,mental health and so much more. The world outside our smartphones is beautiful....
I even notice videos on RUclips pop up based on stuff I have discussed
I think every google app is interconnected and shares our data through all google apps and thats why every android has many different Google services
All apps from every brand is interconnected
I wonder if watching this video out loud at home triggered something on my devices??? I would be annoyed if these things you were saying out loud in this video became topics of my personalised ads! Haha
You should wait a few minutes to start seeing a bunch of items related to the topic, otherwise you will see only a couple of them like the RGB lights.
It's not just with Facebook. This thing will happen with Google ADs too. The reason is simple, they partially earn lots of money by monetizing ADs. They both will face huge losses without it if not half but something enough to hurt them.
I just don't use social media apps. They're not only harmful for your privacy but also for your brain. If I have to then I'll use the web app or only use it on desktop so it can't access my phone and I'm less likely to go to it.