Using your search data is bad enough

Why wouldn't you think this? There is no system in place for monitoring those companies, nor is there any type of punishment for if they were to be proven to be doing so. While on the other hand, there are piles of money to be made from advertisers for allowing exactly that to happen.

I've personally had things come up as being advertised to me after being NEAR people talking about those items, and I have seen several videos where people show this effect in action.

Frequency illusion is real, but is not reliable enough to repeat over and over, back to back, unlike the advertising.

When, ever, have the capitalist companies prioritized morality over money? Never.

People always talk about getting served ads after they talk about something. I think it's the other way around. The ads put the thought into your brain and then you start talking about it and notice after you've already been thinking about it for a while.

not really the same thing but it could happen to anyone: https://www.reuters.com/legal/apple-pay-95-million-settle-siri-privacy-lawsuit-2025-01-02/

It's well possible and previously tv mic had been used as bugging device. The problem is, way too many security researchers look in system level software of iOS and even other components of the device that such practice will be too risky for apple (same applies for mainstream android products). Also processing realtime audio, finding potentially unrealiable topic from it and doing realtime ad is actually too much work as of today's tech (might change sooner than you think though).

What, I think, is more practical is to use the whole query after the wake word to show ad, and potentially use other app tracking data, which is way much reliable than voice for targeting purpose. Voice data is useful for bugging purpose, primarily (ab)used by nation states and LE.

I bet in the medical procedure case mentioned in the blog the user searched/talked about that in other apps and average people aren't good to notice these privacy leaks.

I don't either hut the alternative is much worst in my opinion. It would mean the algorithms are so advanced they are predicting conversations instead of listening to them.

On Android, I have the mic, location, and camera blocked via the pulldown tiles menu. I turn them on when needed. The OS and some apps like to bitch about this sometimes but it seems to be working ok.

My iphone does not offer these blanket blocking options. It's a work phone, so I just leave it off unless I need it.

Ads aren't why you should be concerned about apps w/ microphone access...

Where exactly are you getting the idea that this belief is widespread?

"Is it Apple though, probably not..."

Can I ask, why are you so ready to performatively forgive them here? Apple is not your friend, Apple and Tim lined up to donate the million like the rest of those greedy, transactional cowards.

Apple doesn't "do" it per se, instead Apple shares certain data with third party partners for the purposes of "improving your product experience" the data is then laundered 17 times through middle layers and added to a shared digital fingerprint of you and your household's web of connected devices. You and your family are then sold on a marketplace as advertising targets actively interested in X category or product (Apple is also subsequently a customer in that marketplace). You then either receive that advertising or your family is targeted with it so that they can then casually mention the product back to you (company knowing you were already interested) so it feels organic and "I was just thinking the same thing!" and boom, you're buying that new set of pots and pans.

We're already living in the matrix, you're just a little drone being pinged around according to other people's will, to support the pursuit of endless growth. So yes, in a way companies are spying on you... After you've given them individual permissions to access your microphone and permission to share "certain data" about you with third parties, in a carefully orchestrated dance - so that they have plausible deniability and so you don't have to threaten your parasocial relationship with their brand and can continue saying "probably not Apple though..."