Question

Are you listening? Data, Privacy, and Ethics

We are all aware that the data we share online is often used to send us ads for items that may be of interest to us. Amazon is a perfect example of this. As you search, purchase, and comment on products on the Amazon website, Amazon collects that data and using an algorithm analyzes that data and provides you with suggestions for products you may be interested in purchasing. Most of us don’t see this as an intrusion of our privacy since we freely gave the information by using the Amazon website. In fact, when you initially used Amazon you agreed to their privacy policy allowing Amazon to collect information about you when you interact with Amazon.

The same is true for social media websites/apps. For example, Facebook collects data about you and uses the data to put ads onto your newsfeed for products you may be interested in. However, how would feel about a social media app that also listens to what you discuss and uses that information to send you advertisements for products? If you use Instagram and have posted a picture or shared a video, you would have been asked “Instagram would like access to your camera and microphone”. You probably said yes, after all you wanted to post the picture or video and it made sense that the app needed permission to access your camera and microphone. However, once you click agree then you have given access to your camera and microphone to Instagram anytime you have the app open (unless you go back into your settings and disable access). Is this ethical? If you gave access for the sole purpose of sharing a picture or video, does that give Instagram the right to continue to use that access for other purposes?

Assignment:

• Conduct your own experiment to see if Instagram is listening to your conversations.
  • Check the settings on your phone for your Instagram account. Microphone and Camera should both be enabled.    Here is an example of what it may look like:
  • With the app open, discuss with a friend something you are thinking about purchasing that you have never searched for online or purchased. For example, if you have never searched for baby strollers, spend some time discussing with someone how you are looking for a new baby stroller.
  • Wait and see how long it takes for you to start to receive ads for the product you discussed.
  • Document your findings
• Whether or not your experiment resulted in you receiving ads for the product you discussed, write a 1 page reflection on the ethical implications of apps listening to your conversations and using that information to send you targeted ads.

Answer 1

This may sound like some conspiracy theory, but this is weird. I don't remember the last time I searched anything in Italian, but this ad showed up today, less than 24 hours after my friend was teaching me some words in Italian. Can anyone explain how these ads target users?

It goes up that my friend had searched for some Italian thing. And I had chat with him on instagram.
This has been discussed fairly extensively at one point, the conclusion if I remember was that at this point it's not very likely. Having an always on always listening feature would take a very noticeable spike in data and battery drain. What is way more likely is monitoring of other info such as text conversation or web browsing pattern, both inside and outside Instagram (ig being linked to fb and its cookie means they do track you outside of ig too).
So may be not listening but evesdropping with smarter way such that it doesn't have to access billions of words

Thank You.
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