Targeted Ads -- How Do They Know?

[Grant H.]

I will bet that most here have never read the full terms and conditions that go along with using an Apple/Android device... 99% of society can't be bothered to...

You have a device that has the capability to listen to you, reach out to the servers at "home", and respond when "you want it to", but you happily assume that they only do this when you want them too... Right...

A prime example of this is the FB messenger app. The permissions that folks agreed to, when installing this app, included the ability for the app to turn on/off all Radios, Cameras, and Microphones, without the permission, OR KNOWLEDGE, of the phone owner. Out of the "however many billions" that use FB, how many do you think don't have that app installed?

The simple fact of the matter is that the majority of society runs off and buys into the latest and greatest technology without a thought as to their privacy and informational security.

Same thing goes for the Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or any of the others...

Along with all of this, if you believe that Amazon, Google, FB, Apple, etc don't willingly share the information that they collect with .gov and other TLA's, you're delusional...

[Justin]

I will bet that most here have never read the full terms and conditions that go along with using an Apple/Android device... 99% of society can't be bothered to...

You have a device that has the capability to listen to you, reach out to the servers at "home", and respond when "you want it to", but you happily assume that they only do this when you want them too... Right...

A prime example of this is the FB messenger app. The permissions that folks agreed to, when installing this app, included the ability for the app to turn on/off all Radios, Cameras, and Microphones, without the permission, OR KNOWLEDGE, of the phone owner. Out of the "however many billions" that use FB, how many do you think don't have that app installed?

The simple fact of the matter is that the majority of society runs off and buys into the latest and greatest technology without a thought as to their privacy and informational security.

Same thing goes for the Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or any of the others...

Along with all of this, if you believe that Amazon, Google, FB, Apple, etc don't willingly share the information that they collect with .gov and other TLA's, you're delusional...

Even if you do read the terms and conditions, so what?

There's literally nothing you can do. You can't modify the terms. You can't adjust what the app does. Hell, you can't even go to a market competitor because any other company on the market is doing pretty much exactly the same thing. Your only options are literally to either submit entirely or be locked out of the technology and services that undergird nearly everything nowadays.

There's literally no other mainstream option. If you care about your security you're either stuck being a luddite, or forced to take make staying private via technology into something akin to a secondary hobby.