My smart speaker started playing ads for cat food after I talked about my friend's new kitten

This was about two weeks ago. I was on the phone with my buddy, just chatting about his new pet, and I said the word 'kitten' maybe three times. The next morning, my kitchen speaker played an ad for a specific brand of cat food before my usual news update. I never looked up pet stuff online or bought it. It felt like the device was just listening and selling that bit of my life. I used to think these gadgets were just helpful tools, but now I see them as little data vacuums in my home. How do you draw a line between useful features and straight up spying on your private talks?

4 comments

4 Comments

cole_flores4411d ago

Man, I feel you. I had the same creeped out moment when my speaker started playing ads for a specific brand of air purifier after I mentioned my allergies to my wife (like, literally the next day). What actually helped me was turning off the voice recording history in the app settings. I know it doesn't stop the listening completely, but at least it stops them from keeping a permanent log of my random convos. Also, I physically unplug the speaker when I'm having a private phone call or a serious talk now. It's a pain, but it's the only way I feel like I got some control back without throwing the whole gadget in the trash.

the_drew2mo ago

Hate that feeling, makes you wonder what else it's catching.

dixon.james2mo ago

Wait, it's actually catching things? I thought it was just a weird glitch or something. That's way worse than I imagined. What kind of stuff can it even pick up? Now I'm gonna be paranoid about every little thing.

the_drew2mo ago

Heard about a coworker whose smart TV started showing ads for a specific car model after he argued with his wife about buying one. They only talked about it in the living room, never searched online. That line between useful and creepy is totally gone once it sells your private talks, right?