don’t need any such “proof”

I'm gonna stop you there. I'm okay with no benefit of the doubt in terms of them being bad actors, but your worldview still has to be built at the bones and joints out of things known to be true otherwise there's no stopping you from believing every conspiracy with no guard rails.

I don't think there's yet a specific smoking gun on this front, but I think once there is, then it is okay to presume it likely happening in other instances. But no smoking gun just yet.

One's a settlement with a blanket denial of guilt for Siri and Google Assistant. At least mild circumstantial evidence, because there's a real mechanism (accidental activation and recording) is identified, but no proof, and certainly no proof of an ongoing intentional data broker style program. But at least enough of a pain that they won a settlement. So that counts as a trace of meaningful circumstantial evidence.

But the second one is just a link to sell you a product that doesn't provide any evidence whatsoever and doesn't even pretend to, it discusses the possibility in vague generalities as something hackable and tries to sell you a product. I'm baffled as to why you think that counts as a source.

Found the sane comment. What we know for sure is that a combination of browser fingerprinting, de-anonymization (you can take anonymized hashed emails and compare them to hashes of known emails), and the third party broker marketplace that they can predict things with disturbing specificity like pregnancy, and obesity, to hidden patterns you might not even realize are in the data.

Plus there's enough statistically informed shots in the dark that drive specific ads that, sometimes, they strike with perfect resonance. That's enough to explain uncanny similarity. And the microphone listening thing is still plausible, but without stone cold proof it's just a guess, and it overestimates how much data they need to be able to track you and sell you shit.

I don't trust my smartdevices farther than I can throw them. Hence, I run GrapheneOS.

Mark Zuckerberg puts a sticker over his laptop camera and microphone.

AFAIK this is the only evidence: a claim by a marketing company that they're actually doing it. However, they have some reason to lie about this, bc it makes them sound all-knowing and powerful to their clients.

https://www.404media.co/cmg-cox-media-actually-listening-to-phones-smartspeakers-for-ads-marketing/

It is not the only evidence, as you say, but it is particularly good evidence.

When I talk to somebody who has Facebook on their phone, an ad for that thing pops up in their feed. It's been obvious for years.

Wait. Government required in cars?

I'm baffled as to why you think that counts as a source.

I mean, just Google it. Microphone hacking is a thing. (Edit: You know what, Let me Google that for you.)

I only felt obligated to grab a link grabbed because folks keep repeating the misinformation that "no one is hacking your phone microphone, or it would be in the news". It's just not news anymore.

Android and iOS malware will try to grab stuff off of your microphone.

It's not a conspiracy theory. It's not news.

Malware actors do malware things, and sell whatever they can harvest.

He also gave his famous opinion about Facebook users. Deep down, he agrees with privacy advocates. The diff is that he's a shitty enough person to take advantage of the less techy people out there even if his society will be damaged badly in the process. Most of us are not that shitty.

they trust me

dumb fucks

I think we can move beyond Facebook here. Trusting big tech with your data never works out well.

Yep 2027 head and eye tracking with llms that dictate if you're tired.

Link?

the biggest hypocrites are tech CEO's limiting their children's screen time and forbidding social media

Every device made to receive voice commands (Smart TVs, Amazon Echo) WILL listen to everything you say.

And if they provide a button or setting to turn that off you are relying on trusting them to comply with it (I don't think they do and even if they are found doing it they will probably pay a minuscule fine for it)

One of many,

https://www.gadgetreview.com/federal-surveillance-tech-becomes-mandatory-in-new-cars-by-2027

"The tech involves infrared cameras mounted on steering columns or A-pillars, tracking eye movement, pupil dilation, and drowsiness patterns. Unlike the breathalyzer ignition interlocks from DUI convictions, these systems operate passively—no blowing required. Your car simply watches and decides whether you’re fit to drive.

If the AI determines you’re impaired (blood alcohol ≥0.08% or showing fatigue), it can prevent ignition startup or limit vehicle speed. Think Minority Report, but for your morning commute."

Not that new cars aren't already tracked every moment and government controlled, they are. This is just a worse version of it.

Think of something you've never mentioned or discussed before, then out of nowhere, start having a conversation with a friend about it, how much you like it and are thinking about getting it, taking lessons etc then see what happens over the next week on either your or your friend's ads (turn off ad blocker if you use one).

I recommend something completely unusual for most people like an instrument (didgeridoo or cowbell)

I don't think it's about people lying to themselves, it's just some of the stuff it predicts seems oddly specific they don't even consider it.

Oh Baader Meinhof phenomenon, I've been seeing that everywhere recently!

Neither of those sources really disagree with what I said, though I do appreciate you adding the additional context because those things are worth knowing about

Smart speaker research: Security researchers have documented potential vulnerabilities in smart speakers and voice assistants.

• Mobile security: Documented cases of spyware accessing device microphones have been reported.

• Enterprise security: Organizations have reported incidents involving unauthorized audio access.

• Application permissions: Studies have shown some applications requesting unnecessary microphone access.

None of those are really the widespread, passive, undisclosed listening for advertising data that people imagine there to be and that OP appeared to be asking about. The google and apple lawsuit is about google assistant and siri triggering unintentionally, which is a feature that discloses its always listening which I mentioned at the very beginning

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/facebook-doesnt-need-listen-through-your-microphone-serve-you-creepy-ads old article but the eff is pretty reputable

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/features/no-your-iphone-isnt-listening-to-you-heres-but-the-truth-is-even-worse/ from 2025

You can get sound from any speaker by hacking the electrical signals generated in reverse.

Edit: instructions for the two idiots who don't know a magnet moving through a coil generates electricity.

Turn ANY Speaker Into a Microphone in Just 2 Easy Steps. - Instructables https://share.google/MIRGTgGhJ59TIVsfC

You don't need a microphone, any speaker can be a microphone.

https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/154343/can-a-speaker-be-used-as-a-microphone

No electronic device is secure.

And fuck me not even here did I see or any of my automotive adjacent family had mentioned or knew of this. Fuck thats grim

Snowden says he does the same thing.

Technically you can do the same for your TV since the mic is probably in the remote.
But that's not the TVs worst threat. The constant snapshots of your screen no matter what is displayed is the bigger deal. That is a software issue and not being disconnected without an entire custom firmware/OS approach.

Where do you get this information that the microphone is in the remote? That's about the dumbest shit I've heard all year, unless your remote is now Bluetooth or something.

Infrared remotes are output light flashes only, and only work when you point them in the general direction of the television.

Now if I'm mistaken about the most modern 'smart' televisions, well just let me know, with reference. Because I'm an infrared hacker, and Hisense and Roku televisions still give to my infrared hacks, output signals only.

Umm, because my Hisense remote has the mic button and a little hole for the mic to collect sound. Which makes sense when a person wants to speak and be heard and have the mic a foot from their mouth vs 6 feet across the room. But I guess your TV is different and listens with infrared.

Umm, then we must have a pre-spyware HiSense/Roku, no microphones to be found here, none that I know of anyways.

Also, no WiFi connection either, so..

you're ignoring the important part - who that's coming from.

analyzing a new shit-sandwich from the shit-sandwich-shop to determine "does this one have shit in it" is a valid academic endeavor, but hardly something you'd spend one second of your life pondering.

For example there was this one time where videos from robot vacuums leaked, including people shitting.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11562599/Robot-vacuum-cleaner-took-photos-woman-toilet-images-ended-Facebook.html

get a proj, only hdmi, only via laptop thats what i did

You can take my 2012 civic from my cold dead and fabulous hands.

Sir, it’s the year 2026.

Regarding TVs, WikiLeaks' Vault 7 publication in 2017 included "Weeping Angel", CIA malware for Samsung TVs which streams audio from them while they're in "fake off" mode.

https://mashable.com/article/cia-samsung-tv-hack-weeping-angel

Are drug lords who are not actively overdosing on their adulterated products also hypocrites?

and this is why I made sure to get a model without a camera D:

I saw proof one day. I was visiting a welding shop on business, never been there before, didn't know them. At some point, I'm sitting in the office with about five guys, distracting them from their work, yakking, and I mention a big piece of gear I have to haul around using a cart. One suggests a different kind of cart, and describes it. As we're talking, one of the other guys gasps, and holds his phone up to show the boss.

While we were talking, this guy opened his phone, and the first ad that popped up was for that odd, obscure equipment cart that we had just been talking about.

It turned out that these guys had been discussing this subject earlier, and now it was confirmed for all of us.

That's called being a Sociopathic Oligarch

I mean kind of yeah

Many years ago this one was done
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBnDWSvaQ1I

And the explanation behind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8gvXPwWjY&t=0

What ads?
My browser blocks ads.
My vpn blocks ads.
I pay for email so don’t see ads there.
I pay for search so I don’t see ads there, either.
I self host media. My TV doesn’t connect to the internet.

I seriously never see ads.

The one that did it for me - I was in the car with my wife and a friend. We were driving down the highway and talking about the clouds we saw. And I said "I wander what kind of clouds those are. Like cumulus? Alto?"

The I take out my phone and type "types of" and the first auto-fill option that came up was "types of cloud" and I was like "there's no fucking way that just happens to be the highest suggested search prompt"

It won't be long before we'll be getting into sexy time with the spouse, and the phone on the nightstand dings with a notification. You pause to check it, and it's an ad for a new sex lube!

It's not logically sound, but at this point the burden of proof needs to be on Big Tech if they want to claim they're not spying. Otherwise we'd have to prove it for each individual model, and that isn't feasible, and only supports the opposition.

https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smart-tv-snooping-features-a4840102036/

Ignoring our Hisense TV (we're never gonna connect that online anyways), we do have a separate Roku dongle adapter that is connected online.

I just disassembled it to verify, it does not have any microphone, nor camera.

Fuck that tabloid, the Daily Mail... but there was the guy who was attempting to mod his robovac so he could control it with a PlayStation controller. The AI he was using to help ended up giving him keys that let him remotely access thousands of robovacs, including their cameras and mics.

This isn’t a proof of mass surveillance. He’s one of the most famous people on earth and he’s probably the target of many hackers.