Do you wonder if your phone actually listens to you? Some people might feel a bit crazy for thinking that. Although the author isn’t a conspiracy theorist and has written about why such theories are untrue, they find themselves questioning if their phone is picking up on conversations. The author shares two strange experiences that seem too coincidental.
Recently, the author and their husband had a FaceTime call with their daughter, who studies six hours away. During their chat, she mentioned that a woman in her community was giving away clothes, including lovely traditional Indian outfits. She also talked about a school assignment on logical fallacies. The next day, when the author opened Facebook, they noticed an ad for Indian clothing that they had never searched for or looked up.
Later, the author’s husband mentioned he found an interesting article about logical fallacies. When asked if he had searched for that topic, he replied that it just appeared in his feed. This was not the first time the author noticed that topics from real-life conversations seemed to pop up in their social media feeds, and the clear connection bothered them. Curious, the author decided to investigate further.
While researching whether phones eavesdrop, the author anticipated finding confirmation that phones indeed listen and then provide ads based on what they hear. Instead, the findings suggested otherwise. According to security.org, there is no solid proof that significant advertising companies secretly use audio from microphones for ad targeting. Google, Meta, and Amazon all deny this practice, and researchers have not found evidence of it occurring widely.
In a 2025 Washington Post article, Northeastern University professor David Choffnes examined how often phone apps and voice assistants capture audio without users knowing. He mentioned that while he wouldn’t completely dismiss the idea, it’s unlikely that an ad seen comes from a device’s microphone listening to conversations.
Ari Paparo, an industry consultant interviewed by CBS News in 2026, also stated that phones do not listen to people for advertising purposes. He has been asked about this many times and confidently says that phones are not passively listening.
The information from experts suggests that phones are not always listening, and companies are using the data they have about users to make educated guesses about what people want, then targeting them with ads. Although the author understands this, it does not clarify their experience. Experts also point out that data from people in the same household can influence what appears in others’ feeds. For example, if one family member searches for lawnmowers, another might see ads for lawnmowers too, even without searching for them personally.
However, this explanation does not apply to the author’s situation since their daughter does not use the same Wi-Fi network. There is no history of searches from either the author or their husband that would lead to these ads. What do you think?
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Source: Upworthy, by Annie Reneau