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I used to laugh at people using burner phones until my own texts got flagged
About two months ago I was texting a friend about a protest in Seattle, using totally normal words like 'gathering' and 'signs'. Next day my main social media feed was flooded with ads for riot gear and local security firms. Zero other searches, just that one chat. I checked my phone's privacy settings and found a 'message scanning' feature I'd missed, turned on by default. It wasn't the government, just my own device selling my context. Now I get why people use encrypted apps or separate devices for sensitive stuff. What's the most creepy ad you've gotten from a private chat leak?
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mianelson10d ago
That's not even surprising anymore, it's just how things work now. My partner and I were texting about taking a trip to Mexico last year. We never searched for flights online, just chatted about dates. Within an hour, both our phones were showing hotel deals for Cancun. It feels like every conversation is just raw material for an ad. The creepiest part is how it makes you stop talking about normal things. You start to avoid certain words or topics, which is a weird way to live. The whole system is built to listen and sell, and opting out is basically impossible.
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davidkim10d ago
Come on, that's just how you get useful stuff now. If my phone hears me talk about needing new shoes and then shows me a sale, I'm actually happy about it. It's not spying, it's just smart and saves me time searching. @mianelson's hotel deals sound helpful, not creepy. You have to expect some data sharing for a free service, and you can always turn settings off if it bugs you that much. The trade-off for convenience is worth it.
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