Google Chrome pushes ahead with targeted ads based on your browser history

wolf@lemmy.zip to Technology@lemmy.world – 1340 points –
Google Chrome pushes browser history-based ad targeting
theregister.com

Google enables advertisers a look into your browsing history...

346

You are viewing a single comment

That and your phone's microphone and other sensors.

No they don't. Unless you talking to Google assistant.

Nope, google home assistant thingy still listens and saves things you talk about. My wife and I occasionally have conversations, and the next time she uses her android phone, it shows her ads for whatever it ismwenwere talking about. When this happens, her phone isn't in the room, though I'm sure that may also listen.

The smart speakers are a privacy nightmare, but on your phone, random apps cannot access your microphone without your knowledge or control, excluding straight up malware. There's a million anecdotes like yours on social media and none of them have held up to rigorous testing.

The fact is, most people don't realize how much of their thoughts one way or another are reflected in their digital lives, nor how good google's algorithms are. And there's also things like the frequency illusion etc.