INSTAGRAM’S top boss has hit back at long-running claims that the app spies on you through your microphone.
Both Facebook and Instagram have been repeatedly blasted by users over the years who say secret snooping allows the Meta apps to show you relevant ads.
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Often gadget owners will say that they had a conversation with a friend in real life, only to see online ads for what they talked about later on.
Now Instagram’s head Adam Mosseri has published a Reel video where he calls the claims a “myth”.
“This is a myth-busting video about something I’ve had a lot of passionate conversations about. Maybe at least a few, two or three, with my wife as well,” Mosseri said.
“Which is we do not listen to you. We do not use the phone’s microphone to eavesdrop on you.”
He described how it would be a “gross violation of privacy”.
And he said that you could very easily tell if Instagram was actually spying on you.
He noted that your phone’s battery would drain very quickly due to the increased power usage.
And he said that you’d be able to spot the little light at the top of the screen that signals when the microphone is active.
On an iPhone, this is an orange light. And on Android phones, you’d see a little microphone icon in the corner.
So what’s actually going on?
Well Mosseri says that there are plenty of reasons why you might think Instagram spies on you.
But it turns out that the real reason is: Instagram doesn’t need to use your microphone, because it can already target you with ads so well.
“One, maybe you actually tapped on something that was related or even searched for that product online on a website, maybe before you had that conversation,” Mosseri said.
He said the second cause could be that Meta simply thinks you’re interested in the product.
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That could be because you’re interested in the same things as similar people to you – or because your friends have shown interest in a product.
“So it could be that you were talking to someone about a product and they before had actually looked for or search for that product,” Mosseri explained.
“Or that in general people with similar interests were doing the exact same thing.
The third reason is that you had seen the ad before the conversation without realising.
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And then you were actually influenced to talk about the product because of the ad.
“We scroll quickly, we scroll by ads quickly, and sometimes you internalise some of that, and that actually affects what you talk about later,” the Instagram boss noted.
And lastly, Mosseri said that it could just be pure random chance, noting that coincidences happen all the time.
He concluded: “So I want to reiterate: we do not listen to your microphone.
ADAM MOSSERI’S STATEMENT IN FULL
Here’s what Instagram boss Adam Mosseri had to say on microphone spying…
“This is a myth-busting video about something I’ve had a lot of passionate conversations about. Maybe at least a few, two or three, with my wife as well,” Mosseri explained.
“Which is we do not listen to you. We do not use the phone’s microphone to eavesdrop on you.”
“Now first of all, if we did, it would be a gross violation of privacy.
“You would drain your phone’s battery and you would notice.
“And you would actually see a little light on top of the screen letting you know that the microphone was on.
“But even if you don’t believe any of that, let me explain why you might see an ad for something that you recently talked to somebody about.
“One, maybe you actually tapped on something that was related or even searched for that product online on a website, maybe before you had that conversation.
“We actually do work with advertisers who share information with us about who was on their website, to try to target those people with ads.
“So if you were looking at a product on a website then an advertiser might have paid us to reach you with an ad.
“Two, we show people ads that we think that they’re interested in, or products we think they’re interested in.
“In part, based on what their friends are interested in, and what similar people with similar interests are interested in.
“So it could be that you were talking to someone about a product and they before had actually looked for or search for that product.
“Or that in general people with similar interests were doing the exact same thing.
“Three, you might have actually seen that ad before you had the conversation and not realised it.
“We scroll quickly, we scroll by ads quickly, and sometimes you internalise some of that, and that actually affects what you talk about later.
“Four. Random chance. Coincidence. It happens.
“So I want to reiterate: we do not listen to your microphone.
“I know some of you are just not gonna believe me, no matter how much I try to explain it.
“But I wanted to set the record straight. I’m sure the comments on this one are gonna be a little bit spicy. See you all soon.”
Picture Credit: Meta / Instagram / Adam Mosseri
“I know some of you are just not gonna believe me, no matter how much I try to explain it.
“But I wanted to set the record straight.”
This isn’t the first time that Meta execs have had to respond to claims of microphone snooping.
Way back in 2016, Facebook issued a statement saying it didn’t “use your phone’s microphone to inform ads”.
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And Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg denied the claims again in a 2018 US Senate hearing.
This latest news comes after Meta announced that both Facebook and Instagram users could pay to stop seeing ads in the UK.
Brits can pay £3.99 a month in the Facebook or Instagram apps to stop Meta from using their personal data for advertising – or £2.99 if they sign up via the web.
