Sam Nichols, Vice:
A couple years ago, something strange happened. A friend and I were sitting at a bar, iPhones in pockets, discussing our recent trips in Japan and how we’d like to go back. The very next day, we both received pop-up ads on Facebook about cheap return flights to Tokyo. It seemed like just a spooky coincidence, but then everyone seems to have a story about their smartphone listening to them. So is this just paranoia, or are our smartphones actually listening?
I have heard so many examples like this. It seems impossible that all these anecdotes are mere coincidences. I’ve been just waiting for someone to take the time and run some (relatively) controlled experiments to prove or disprove this theory.
I am still not convinced one way or the other. I’d still love to see a rigorous experiment that really nails down all the variables. But a fascinating read.
[H/T Storm Garelli]
Really good point. I updated the post to be clearer about that. Appreciate your comment, John.
— Dave
That article is total garbage. At a minimum, make a list of the ads you see before the experiment, then make a list after.
Absolute nonsense conspiracy theorizing.
If its an iPhone like he states, then he would be implying that Apple is lying massively about how the M11 and Secure Enclave coprocessors function. I also imagine researchers would have called Apple out on this a long time ago if that were the case.
The article also fails to even CONSIDER the other factors that we DO know affect your ad experience on the web. You know, the kinds of things that Apple is creating a lot of enemies for itself with the new tracking prevention features in Safari.
I find it very hard to believe Apple would be so public about tracking prevention, creating a lot of enemies for themselves, while at the same time be a participant and hand over background audio data to the very same companies. According to Apple and how the M11 and Hey Siri work, that shouldn’t even be technically possible on iOS.
Sam Nichols’ article is not very coherent, but it levels a massive accusation: can third-party iOS apps really tap into your microphone, without your knowledge? Or, even worse, is Apple secretly recording and sharing with third parties? As an iPhone user I tend to think that’s impossible, so I’d really like some clarification and data about it.
Recent trips to Japan, eh. Did they have an internet account with their airline? Did they use the internet to research anything about traveling to Japan? Did they use their phone to connect to a phone network in Japan? Did they add a rider or a temporary contract to their mobile phone account for their travel? Are they registered with the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck? Did they use a credit card while there? There are tons of ways their name and id (easily discerned on the internet by advertisers) could have been connected to their recent trips. None of them require the collusion of Apple or SIRI listening to their audible conversations. It’s still creepy, but don’t jump to place the blame on a long shot when there are so many other obvious suspects.
Hmmm. That article is a missing a whole lot of information to be even slightly considered as experimental proof.
What OS, were trigger words used, what permissions had been given to which apps? A Hey Siri shouldn’t be exposing audio to any ad companies or random apps.
I was recently looking up how to hide a murder. I was at a bar talking about it, and the very next day the FBI showed up to question me. Anecdote, or simply, no shit Sherlock?
Come on, man, you’re supposed to be an Apple expert. this is nonsense — iphone apps don’t have access to your mic when they’re in a suspended state and the device is locked. How and why are you unconvinced about this? What data have you collected or reviewed?
Even just posting this is spreading FUD, needlessly. If you’re really concerned, why not ask the owner of this very blog, who is close to Apple and was in their recent promo video, to get to the bottom of it, on the record?
This is exactly right.
Also keep in mind Siri can barely get anything right in the first place, and now the ads are somehow magically catching up?
I will say, I don’t keep the FB app on my phone, but that’s because FB is a time drain, I don’t like the product, and the app is a crappy hit on battery life. Not because of this conspiracy theorizing.
People need to gasp confirmation bias. Anecdote – even where there seem to be dozens of them – is not the singular of evidence.
It is fundamentally the same phenomenon as when you are thinking about a song then turn the radio on to hear it playing. You have discounted the many, many times when you turn on the radio and the song you were thinking about was not playing.
Beacons, cookies, trackers are all simpler explanations. So let’s chuck in Occam’s Razor as well (although I still wouldn’t trust Facebook with access to my phone’s mic!) ….
Dave, I thought you were a developer. You’re aware of things like battery life, CPU usage, radios. How could you possibly believe this? How are you not MORTIFIED that you posted this shit?
Leaving aside the likelihood of it all, I do have a question. If I have “Hey, Siri” functionality turned on, then of course the microphone has to be listening so it can listen for the keywords. But if I have it turned off, does that mean the microphone isn’t listening at all? Or does it just mean it’s throwing away anything it hears?
It’d be better if you just retracted the whole thing and apologized for spreading this bullshit.