Smartphone apps accessing your info when not allowed

[NW-Bound]

My wife and I both use Android phones. Recently, my sister-in-law talked my wife into installing Viber on her phone. I have heard of this app, which allows you to talk to another Viber user by VOIP, but never bothered to install it.

In the process of setting up the Viber app on her phone, my wife got to a point where it asked to access her contact list. She asked me whether she should, and I said perhaps it was best to deny it for now, and to enable it later. So, she clicked on "No". Further down, Viber asked for her birthdate. At that point, she decided that the stupid app was too intrusive, aborted the set up and uninstalled the app.

One hour later, my sister-in-law called my wife, and said Viber alerted her that my wife was now accessible via the app.

What the hell! She already denied the contact list access, and aborted the setup. How the hell did Android let this app get to her address book?

This is a serious problem on the part of Google, or Samsung who makes the phone. This pissed me off royally.

 

[niven]

It seems to me that since your sister-in-law had already installed Viber and probably gave it access to her contact list (including your wife), that would be all it needs to notify her when your wife was installing it - no access to your wife's contact list required. It just jumped the gun and didn't wait until your wife aborted the setup.

 

[NW-Bound]

^^^ Thanks. It is a plausible explanation, and I like it.

Viber knew my wife's phone number, and immediately looked her number up among its member list which may be in the billion and found the number among her SIL's phonebook. It then egged her SIL to contact her in order to entice her to sign up. So, Viber already knew the connection between SIL and my wife.

Once your number is out there, who knows how many databases it will end up being in. And that's why we get more and more spams and scams all the time, not just on our landline but our mobile phones are now also inundated.

 

[Turbo29]

One time I started watching a video on my phone and decided to share it to my home email to watch it later on my computer. When I hit "share" it popped up a suggestion, "Share with Joe Jones." I thought, I don't know a Joe Jones. I know Joe Smith.

Now my contacts had Joe Smith in them and Joe (without a last name) because this Joe was not an ongoing friend but I had needed to save the number once and never deleted it. My curiosity got the best of me so I googled Joe Jones. First hit was a local bail bond company with Joe Jones' mug shot; Joe Jones was in the county lockup for DUI. Joe Jones was also the person I had in my contacts as just plain Joe.

While it was interesting to find out about Joe Jones' jail experience I don't think Google should have been serving up someone's last name*, especially when I wasn't even looking for it.

*Both names changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.

 

[Davidhelp]

Android listens to what you are saying on the cell phone. There are youtube videos of this demonstration and if you say some key words like new truck, tv, home etc. you will start seeing ads pop up not only on the phone but on your pc and the tv set if connected with a network cable.


Google and Facebook and Twitter have a network of companies that share what you are doing.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

There is no anonymity (google your phone number or name/city). Phone numbers have replaced SSN as universal ID -especially for marketing (as long as your number isn't stolen -guard that PIN), at least there is 2FA associated with it for most "important" accounts.

I don't believe that phones are listening but they track a whole lot and the data mining/AI is so good it is creepy. Even searching on a computer I don't (or a guest on my wi-fi) can get me interesting ads as they are watching the IP addresses too. Heck, your smart TV tracks you too... read the TOS!


To try to hide would be a lot of work and eliminate a lot of convenience too. (and maybe not possible unless off grid completely but then you are still in a government database somewhere that will eventually spill) I don't worry much anymore about marketers tracking me other than guarding my ID from theft. I do limit what I provide if too intrusive and also salt data on sites/programs that ask NOYB questions.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Android listens to what you are saying on the cell phone. There are youtube videos of this demonstration and if you say some key words like new truck, tv, home etc. you will start seeing ads pop up not only on the phone but on your pc and the tv set if connected with a network cable.


Google and Facebook and Twitter have a network of companies that share what you are doing.

Highly unlikely.

Do you think that Google is going to share/sell their user data with Facebook? Do you think that Facebook is going to share/sell their user data with Twitter? I don't.

As far as Android listening in on phone calls, that too, sounds unlikely. Even if they were to do it, and I'm saying they don't, the only way ads could follow you to your TV and/or PC is if you are using the same user name associated with your Android phone account and email account on your TV and PC. It's possible someone might be doing that, but not likely.

Android is more than Google. Android is Samsung, LG, Motorola, One Plus, Xiaomi, Huawei, etc. etc.

It's far more technologically likely that Apple users would be having this done to them. Apple users are loyal to the Apple brand (and Apple imprisons you in their brand.) People with Apple iphones have Apple iTunes accounts, iCloud accounts, Apple TV accounts, Apple everything. Much more easy for Apple to harvest data on someone and cross market things to them. I don't believe Apple is listening to your phone calls and targeting you with ads anymore than I believe Android is doing it.

 

[Davidhelp]

You are to trusting of the tech companies : )
Google: Android listening in on phone calls


Here is one story: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-android-from-listening-to-you

 

[Winemaker]

Android listens to what you are saying on the cell phone. There are youtube videos of this demonstration and if you say some key words like new truck, tv, home etc. you will start seeing ads pop up not only on the phone but on your pc and the tv set if connected with a network cable.


Google and Facebook and Twitter have a network of companies that share what you are doing.

I believe you are right. I had a conversation with a caregiver of mom's and spoke to her about gardening, cooking, winemaking, growing our own herbs. I told her that my sister raises chickens but she lives in the country, that I would be interested in having a bee hive and harvesting honey. The next day we both were getting online ads for chicken coops, feed, and bee hives.

I also had an experience a few months back when my wife asked me to bring the laundry upstairs the next time I came up the steps. Later when I was going up the steps with the laundry, her undergarments were on top and I was loud and chiding her about not having Fredericks of Hollywood in the basket. I soon started getting Fredericks ads for a few weeks thereafter. i don't think it was a coincidence.

 

[CaptTom]

I know there are people who have requested all the information Google/Facebook/Apple/etc. have on them. Apparently there are laws requiring them to provide this information in some countries and/or states.

Admittedly, I haven't take the time to read the articles I've seen about this, but presumably you could find out if it really was your phone listening to your conversations using that information.

I do simple things like use browser extensions to block trackers, and delete cookies on exit. I don't log on when I'm searching for things on Amazon. I use DuckDuckGo as my default search engine. Beyond that I really don't put much effort into privacy. It's virtually impossible to stay totally incognito these days.

Plus, anyone tasked with sleuthing into my personal life has got one heck of a boring job.

 

[niven]

You are to trusting of the tech companies : )
Google: Android listening in on phone calls


Here is one story: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-android-from-listening-to-you

From the article itself:

"Your phone may be silently listening to everything you say. That's because smartphone voice assistants like "OK Google" need to know when to spring into action.

To activate your Android phone's voice assistant, all you need to say are wake words "OK Google" or "Hey Google." Your phone uses only your audio starting with — or just before — the wake word and ending when you've completed your command."

This is exactly what one would expect to happen for the technology to work - and Apple does the same.

 

[niven]

I'll also say that the article doesn't mention phone calls and that would probably be illegal wiretapping just about everywhere.

 

[Davidhelp]

The police always get a warrant for smart devices like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Samsung Bixby, as they do record what is going on in your home. The ring doorbell type cameras are used to create a neighborhood watch also watch you.

Also your internet history from the ISP.
"How to get rid of a body"
"Best poison to use"
etc : )

 

[Venturer]

Even the right side of this forum has ads. I have ads on there right now from Sketchers because I was talking to my wife and she told me to look for me a new pair. I told her I would just wait till we had a chance to go to a store so I could try them on. But this morning when I logged on there are ads from Sketchers. I just went to the little blue x in the corner and clicked it, and it says "Ads by Google". It has a place to click stop seeing this ad, then it will ask why you don't want to see it. you can't get away from it unless you get rid of every electronic item you have and go live like a cave man/woman, you will have it, and that's a fact Jack!

 

[Lsbcal]

Even the right side of this forum has ads. I have ads on there right now from Sketchers because I was talking to my wife and she told me to look for me a new pair. I told her I would just wait till we had a chance to go to a store so I could try them on. But this morning when I logged on there are ads from Sketchers. I just went to the little blue x in the corner and clicked it, and it says "Ads by Google". It has a place to click stop seeing this ad, then it will ask why you don't want to see it. you can't get away from it unless you get rid of every electronic item you have and go live like a cave man/woman, you will have it, and that's a fact Jack!

There are no ads on this forum for me. I'm using Firefox with the uBlock Origin extension. When I look at the forum in its unblocked form I wonder how people can stand that ad sh*t.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Even the right side of this forum has ads. I have ads on there right now from Sketchers because I was talking to my wife and she told me to look for me a new pair. I told her I would just wait till we had a chance to go to a store so I could try them on. But this morning when I logged on there are ads from Sketchers.

Does your PC have a microphone on it? If so, is it active? Otherwise, if no microphone hooked up, how could Google hear you and your wife talking about Sketchers?


Or did you possibly search for Sketchers on your PC? That would explain the ad you saw.

 

[Venturer]

Does your PC have a microphone on it? If so, is it active? Otherwise, if no microphone hooked up, how could Google hear you and your wife talking about Sketchers?


Or did you possibly search for Sketchers on your PC? That would explain the ad you saw.

No on the mike on the computer. But we also have an Alexa dot that our DD got us as an anniversary present last year. Also we have 2 Samsung tablets. And 2 I phones, and I use the chrome for internet search. I'm just saying there are many other ways that these companies get our information. Is it right or wrong, I just don't worry about it, because it is small stuff.

 

[Davidhelp]

Do not talk about getting a new wife.... your wife may see the ads : )

 

[Qs Laptop]

No on the mike on the computer. But we also have an Alexa dot that our DD got us as an anniversary present last year. Also we have 2 Samsung tablets. And 2 I phones, and I use the chrome for internet search. I'm just saying there are many other ways that these companies get our information. Is it right or wrong, I just don't worry about it, because it is small stuff.

No microphone on your computer so how does a conversation about Sketchers result in an ad for Sketchers on your computer?

You're not going to get ads on your PC from Alexa. I seriously doubt Alexa knows the IP address of your computer. How would Alexa know where to send the customized ads? Same thing with your tablets.

It's far more likely you get ads on these devices that are relevant to the searches you do on these devices. I doubt there is cross-pollenization of search results from one device to another.

Now, it is possible for Google to send ads to devices your are signed into using your Google account. Same thing with Apple accounts. Instead of knowing your device's IP address, they know you are signed in as Venturer@gmail.com, for example. If you use the same Google account credentials on your PC as your Android phone, yes, I suppose it is possible you would see ads on your phone that were created with search information gleaned from your PC.

 

[Qs Laptop]

The new Pixel 6 phones (and any Pixels running Android 12) have the new Privacy Dashboard. The Privacy Dashboard is a central location where you can see which apps are gaining permission to use which particular hardware feature on your phone.

Want to know which apps used your microphone or your camera in the past 24 hours? You can see this.

You can also easily disable apps from using particular hardware on your phone from the Privacy Dashboard.

Also, whenever an app is accessing hardware on your phone, like your microphone, a green icon briefly flashes in the notification panel at the top edge of your screen alerting you that an app has permission to use that piece of hardware.

More here:
https://www.androidcentral.com/how-access-and-use-android-12-privacy-dashboard

 

[Davidhelp]

Delete this secret ID hiding on your phone that gives away your personal details
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...t-gives-away-your-personal-details/ar-AASR0vi