Certainly everyone has been surprised by an unusual situation in which, after talking about something random, not from everyday life, and then shortly after, browsing the internet or checking email, encountering an advertisement related to what was being discussed and then questioning if the phone is capable of listening to conversations.

To find out if this really happens or if it’s just a coincidence, researchers from NordVPN created an experiment to unravel this ‘mystery’ of the digital age. For this, topics like favorite animals, random countries, and fashion items were intentionally discussed close to devices to measure the time until related ads appeared.

And the result was spot on! After conversations about certain subjects, the researchers started receiving sponsored ads, from travel destinations to animal protection NGOs. Therefore, yes, the phone listens to everything to provide personalized ads.

But is that not illegal? No. You know those terms of use that you have to click the checkbox and say ‘I agree’? Well, as long as the user has consented to the use of personal data in apps, big tech companies can indeed listen to conversations and use the data to offer advertisements.

NordVPN warns that anyone can do this test and recommends reviewing the permissions of installed apps.

But how does this work? The built-in microphones of cell phones remain active all the time, ready to listen to voice commands for virtual assistants — which also pick up background conversations to generate personalized ads based on what is being said.

To catch this technology in action, a team member talked about random tourist destinations, like Saudi Arabia. A few days later, Booking.com ads about hotels in AlUla started appearing on Facebook.

Another researcher mentioned the topic of ‘orangutans’ repeatedly and the next day, received ads from animal charity institutions.

4 steps to find out if your phone is spying

• Choose a unique theme

Talk about something you have never researched or commented on near your phone.

• Discuss the topic

For a few days, mention the subject with keywords close to the phone.

• Use your phone normally

Do not search or interact with content about the tested topic. Just talk.

• Observe the ads

Pay attention to the ads in the coming days. If the topic appears, your phone may be listening.

Privacy tips

“Most have seen an ad about something that was only talked about, never searched. This is a warning: your device may be accessing more data than it should,” says Marijus Briedis, CTO of NordVPN.

To prevent this, Briedis recommends 6 tips to maintain your privacy on smartphones:

• Only download from official stores: apps outside Google Play or App Store may contain malwares.
• Regularly review permissions: be suspicious of apps requesting access to the microphone, camera, or location without a clear reason.
• Manage voice assistant data: frequently delete voice history from Alexa or Google.
• Use a good VPN: NordVPN encrypts your data and protects public connections.
• Always update: older system versions have vulnerabilities that make it easy for attacks to occur.
• Enable native security tools: such as two-factor authentication and encrypted backups.