Why Does It Feel Like Our Phones Are Eavesdropping?

Do phones listen to us? My iPhone sure does, and I know because it responds with a laconic “um-hmmm?” whenever I say “Hey, Siri.” Perhaps a better question is: “Who is listening to us through our phones?”

In a 2019 a study on the question from the University of Berlin Jacob Leon Kröger and Philip Raschke found the possibility of large-scale and undetected eavesdropping attacks through our phones couldn’t be ruled out because, somewhere in the highly complex cyber universe, there may indeed be bad actors spying on you through your phone.

However, in all probability, the fact that your phone seems to know all about you—even seemingly what you’re thinking—is the product of legal information-gathering techniques, according to cybersecurity expert Jacob Kalvo and AI security advocate Fergal Glynn.

Feel better? Here, Kalvo and Glynn explain the phenomenon.

Why People Think Phones Are Listening To Us

Here’s an experience I’ve had that made me wonder, “Do phones listen to us?” and I’ve found by speaking with friends that I’m not alone.

I have a medical condition that affects my feet. I’ve spoken to friends about it, but have never searched for information or remedies online. Nevertheless, some time ago, I started receiving Google and Facebook ads for products to relieve the condition. Friends have commented that they have thought about buying an item and then received ads for that item, even though they never actually searched for it. This experience is what leads people to believe that their phones could be listening to them.

Is My Phone Listening To Me?

Your phone can listen to you… sometimes. Otherwise, your digital assistant wouldn’t work. However, your digital assistant only listens when you activate it. The question of whether anyone is listening consistently is more nuanced. That would be an obvious invasion of privacy—an ethical no-no.

While, generally, phones can only “listen” to you through the mic when and how you’ve given the phone permission to, Kalvo says there have been ethical breaches in the past. “In 2017, several top smartphone games were found to be tapping background audio data—not to eavesdrop on conversations, but to listen for TV commercials and ambient sound to target them. While not outright eavesdropping, it was technically a kind of cross-promotion crossing ethical lines and causing indignation, leading to closer scrutiny by app stores and regulators.”

Jump to 2025, and U.S. lawmakers are seeking to pass legislation that would prevent states from regulating AI (and presumably AI-enabled phones) for 10 years. That could potentially make it harder to prevent eavesdropping and other such abuses of privacy, so stay tuned.

How Do Phones Know Things If They’re Not Listening?

These days, a phone is more than just a device with a microphone and a speaker. It’s a portal to the global cyber marketplace, and the “knowledge” the phone channels to you comes from there. If it seems like your phone knows something, it isn’t magic, explains Kalvo. It’s all about the algorithms.

“The real driving force behind that creepy feeling of ‘My phone is listening in on me’ involves how much behavioral information is being collected legally… Where you’ve been, what you’ve searched, what you bought, what you’re doing on apps, and even who you’re standing near in the flesh via Bluetooth proximity detection, all feed into ad profiles,” Kalvo says. “Facebook, Google, and third-party ad networks gather and cross-tab this information and use machine learning to forecast what you might be interested in.”

Kalvo adds, “AI systems of today have reached a point where they do not need to ‘hear’ you to make some predictions about what you might need. Sentiment analysis, natural language processing, and predictive modeling all work together to predict user behavior with awe-inspiring accuracy.”

Glynn clarifies: “AI and marketing tech have become incredibly advanced, so at times, ads can seem too perfect to be just a coincidence. In reality, it’s not your phone eavesdropping, it’s just sophisticated algorithms making very accurate predictions based on your digital footprint.”

How To Stop My Phone From “Listening” To Me

You have total control over when your phone’s microphone can be activated (and depending on your phone, you will be notified if and when it is activated). In other words, if your phone is listening, it’s because you’ve given it permission to do so.

The good news is, you can reverse this. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, and from there, you can turn the microphone on or off for each app that uses it (you might want to leave some of them on—for example, apps that can function as telephones via Wi-Fi). For Androids, go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Privacy Controls > Microphone access.

Kalvo also recommends turning on privacy tools like Apple’s App Tracking Transparency or Android’s privacy dashboard. You might also want to disable Bluetooth and, to be absolutely thorough, turn off Siri (iPhone) or Google Assistant (Android). Kalvo’s final word: “Think critically about what you allow your devices and applications to have access to.”

About the Experts

• Jacob Kalvo is a tech and cybersecurity expert, Co-Founder & CEO at Live Proxies
• Fergal Glynn currently serves as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and AI Security Advocate at Mindgard.

Sources

• HAL: Is My Phone Listening In? On the Feasibility and Detectability of Mobile Eavesdropping; Jacob Leon Kröger and Philip Raschke; (2019)

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