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How much proof is there that smart tvs and phones listen to you?
(sh.itjust.works)
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this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
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Privacy
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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.
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.
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