Today, the same day that Meta announced that it will soon use your AI chats to personalize the ads it shows you, Instagram head Adam Mosseri made a “myth busting” video attempting to set the record straight on a persistent rumor about Meta: “I swear, we do not listen to your microphone,” he says.
Meta’s ad targeting systems can be eerily precise, sometimes showing you things that you feel like you’ve only discussed in a verbal conversation and would only be possible for Meta to know about if it was listening through a device’s microphone. It’s a perception that Meta has been trying to push back on for years:
- In 2016, the company, then known as Facebook, said that it “does not use your phone’s microphone to inform ads or to change what you see in News Feed.”
- In a 2018 Senate hearing, CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded to the question on the topic with a direct “no.”
- In a support document titled “are Facebook and Instagram listening to your conversations without your knowledge?”, Meta says, “No. We do not use your microphone unless you’ve given us permission, and even then, we only use it when you’re actively using a feature that requires the microphone.”
In Wednesday’s video, Mosseri says he’s had “a lot” of passionate conversations about the topic, including “at least a few” with his wife.
“We do not listen to you,” according to Mosseri. “We do not use the phone’s microphone to eavesdrop on you.” Listening to you through your phone’s microphone “would be a gross violation of privacy” and would drain your phone’s battery, he says.
Mosseri also offers a few possible explanations of why you “might see an ad for something that you recently talked to somebody about,” which I’ve block-quoted below:
One, maybe you actually tapped on something that was related or even searched for that product online on a website, maybe before you had that conversation. We actually do work with advertisers who share information with us about who is on their website to try to target those people with ads. So if you were looking at a product on a website, then that advertiser might have paid us to reach you with an ad.
Two, we show people ads that we think that they’re interested in, or products we think they’re interested in, in part based on what their friends are interested in and what similar people with similar interests are interested in. So it could be that you were talking to someone about a product, and they, before, had to actually looked for or searched for that product, or that, in general, people with similar interests were doing the exact same thing.
Three, you might have actually seen that ad before you had a conversation and not realized it. We scroll quickly, we scroll by ads quickly, and sometimes you internalize some of that, and that actually affects what you talk about later.
Four, random chance, coincidence, it happens.
Still, despite his video, Mosseri seemingly expects this rumor to persist. “I know some of you are just not going to believe me, no matter how much I try to explain it,” he says. And many comments on the video are skeptical of the explanation: “That is exactly what I would say if I was listening to people’s conversations,” according to one of the most-liked comments.
This post highlights an important topic about privacy and the use of AI in advertising. It’s interesting to see how companies are navigating these concerns while trying to enhance user experience. Looking forward to more discussions on this!
It’s interesting how the balance between personalization and privacy is becoming more complex with AI advancements. As consumers, we need to be aware of how our data is used, especially when it comes to targeted ads. It might be worth considering what steps we can take to protect our privacy while still enjoying personalized experiences.
You make a great point about that balance! It’s fascinating how companies are trying to enhance user experience through personalization while navigating privacy concerns. This shift towards using AI for ad targeting could lead to even more nuanced discussions about what consumers are willing to share in exchange for tailored content.
Absolutely, it really is a tightrope walk for companies. While personalization can improve user experience, it’s crucial for them to be transparent about how they collect and use data. Trust is key in maintaining a healthy relationship with users!
I agree, it’s a tricky balance for sure. The challenge is finding that sweet spot where user experience is enhanced without crossing privacy boundaries. It’s interesting to see how public perception might influence these strategies moving forward.
Absolutely, it’s a delicate balance! It’s interesting how user experience can be enhanced through personalization, but it also raises privacy concerns. Transparency in how data is used might help bridge that gap.
I agree, it really is a tightrope walk! It’s fascinating to see how companies like Meta are trying to navigate user privacy while also improving ad relevance. Transparency will be key in maintaining user trust as they implement these changes.