Are our phones, computers, and TVs secretly monitoring us with AI?

[Amy10223]

I was watching a Youtube video where an AI narrator was talking about the qualities of a certain city. They were talking about the air pollution. I got distracted and began looking at something else on the same page , when I heard the voice say, "blah blah blah... a retired teacher from Ohio said the air was so bad she had to..." What? When I went back to replay that same portion of the video, rewinding a bit, there was no mention whatsoever of what I had heard with my own ears. As if it were trying to make me come back to pay attention to the video. So--is AI now able to spy on us?

I have noticed that if I am online looking for anything--my TV commercial breaks will show whatever it was that I was looking at. But that video was almost scary. That was nuts.

Updates

1 mo

This is scary. We are being tracked. It wasn't like this years ago. I mean, I'm not going crazy when I said that about the narrator saying "a retired teacher from Ohio..." so they know everything about you.

[mstbooblover]

It seems rather obvious to me that all those connected devices are more or less secretely monitored in some way, most probably with AI considering its advanced development.

My advice would be to plainly avoid keeping at least phones and computers online. When you do not need them, just shut them down, or cut off the Internet connection, and don't forget to erase regularly all history and cookies. No need nevertheless to be paranoïd, because we will all have to learn and live with that phenomenon.

[Friendlybro79]

Yes this has been a thing for a very long time. Not new at all. You are prob just noticing it. When you search anything it will use that to advertise to you for one example. That's part of the terms and agreement we all acknowledge and agree to when we use android, apple os systems. It's those things when you activate a new phone or download an app or use their browser for the first time. It asks you to agree to things. That's what allows them. It's data that we consent to but don't realize.

[Nikki1989]

It is nothing new. You have been getting spied on for many years. AI just made it even easier for them to track you.

[Amy10223]

Evidently, they have for years. When my cousin was going for a position in NJ for assistant to the state governor, he told us that the people who interviewed him knew all about his family, their ages, where they worked, and so on. That was in the late 70's.

[Chelsea86]

Probably. I’m waiting for the day they put a chip into our brains.

[llorando]

It really depends. Smartphones with Android or iOS, yes, dumb phone or smartphone running a custom OS no. Smart TV, yes, non smart TV no. Computers running Windows or MacOS yes, computers running Linux, mostly no. I have Linux installed on all of my computers and only use windows when playing games, so AI spying on me via my computers is mostly a non issue for me.

[Amy10223]

What is Linux? Does it protect the computer somehow? Can it be installed on a Mac?

[llorando]

Linux and a free and open source operating system that comes in many flavors called distros. Yes it can me installed on a Mac, but have to be careful as the newer arm based Mac's have compatibility issues, older intel based Mac's, compatibility isn't much of an issue. Linux doesn't protect you completely, but it is highly configurable tallowing you maximize protection and minimizing spying is which is mostly from 3rd parties and not the OS it's self. Windows programs can't run natively on Linux but there is a compatibility layer called wine that lets you run windows programs on Linux, but it's not perfect in it's compatibility so some programs will either be buggy or not run at all, but it's easy to find a open source alternative that most of the time can be installed from the distros app center. If there are certain programs that aren't natively supported on linux or compatible with Wine, you can always dual boot Windows and Linux.

[llorando]

I currently dual boot Windows 11 and fedora Linux on both my laptop and desktop, only booth into Windows when I want to play some of my games.

[Amy10223]

You remind me of my daughter when she talks to me about her Windows programs. She also has a gaming computer. I don’t have windows but I used to with another computer. I’ll have to see if Linux is compatible.

[Amy10223]

Thanks for the lengthy explanation!

[llorando]

I also have a gaming computer, and have had some success with gaming on Linux, so I still use windows for games that refuse to only work on Windows. Is you're MAC Intel or ARM based? If it's older then 5 years old it's most likely Intel based, 5 years or newer then it's likely ARM based. WIth ARM based Mac's you're very limited to to what Linux distros you can use. Intel based Mac's, you not only have access to basically all x86 based Linux distros, but most Linux distros you can try them before you install them, so if you try a Linux distro and you either don't like it or it doesn't play nicely with you're hardware, no harm done has no changes were made to you're computer. Back when I first started using Linux around 18 years ago, it was quite user friendly as Windows, and when ever you wanted to try a different Linux distro, you had to download the image and burn it to CD/DVD and pry it worked or you were out a CD/DVD. 18 years later and Linux has become way more user friendly and no more burning CD's/DVD's as it's been replaced by bootable USB flash drives.
This is where you want to start if you have an ARM based mac
https://fedora-asahi-remix.org/
This is where you want to start if you have an Intel based mac
https://fedoraproject.org/

[ohsheeT]

If they are a smart TV smartphone smart computer yes they have those options built into them
There are things you can do to protect yourself a little bit but I mean our government already has all the information they want on this but they will keep going and going and going to get more and more and more that's how paranoid they are and then there's other types of businesses that do it

[loveslongnails]

100%. You have to take precautions to shut those services down, and even then, some of them automatically restart after a while. Be vigilant.

[Amy10223]

How? They are already there, even when I turn them on and off.

[loveslongnails]

If you're talking about your TV or phone, you have to research your specific model. If you use Alexa in your home, or Siri, to run any of your stuff, STOP NOW and throw it away or sell it. It's recording you.

[Amy10223]

I don't have Alexa, I have a Sony Google TV. I have a Google account and it is connected to the TV. Cancel the google account?

[loveslongnails]

No, just shut down any syncing and tracking on the TV. Then go into your Google account and tell it not to track also. The TV will take some investigating. I don't know anything about those TV's.

[Amy10223]

Thanks.

[Spencer10]

Of course they are... look how easy it is for law enforcement to use this technology when investigating crimes or searching for victims. Privacy is largely an illusion now.

[Iron_Man]

I hope not I don’t want robots anywhere around me

[Amy10223]

If you are here, they already are.

[Iron_Man]

Get them out of my life

[Amy10223]

Too late. They're in your home. Beware!

[Iron_Man]

That’s why I need your help. I need for you to come to my house and get them out of my computer or my phone. Can you do that for me?

[Amy10223]

No, I can't. I'm no where near Florida, and even if I was, I would never go to a strange man's house. :)

[Iron_Man]

Obviously, you can’t tell. I’m joking with you please. 🙄

[Iron_Man]

And how do you know I’m from Florida? 🤔

[Amy10223]

The robots told me. :D

[Amy10223]

I know you were joking, by the way. And I have sort of a good memory so I remember you once said you lived there.

[Iron_Man]

Ok ma’am

[Amy10223]

:D. Don't turn the TV on.

[Iron_Man]

Why? 😳

[douride2]

I am sure AI has been keeping track of & spying on us for years now.

[msc545]

I hope not, because whoever has to listen to what they uncover is going to be bored out of their mind.

[NathanDavis]

it's not a secret, it's a contract

[Amy10223]

A contract with whom?

[NathanDavis]

with the user... in this case, us

and the billionaires... them

[Sevenpointfive]

yes, but not just by AI.

[Sevenpointfive]

what's scary is the more devices you connect, the more things at any time they can blow up or start a fire in your sleep, or take control of your vehicle while driving in a dangerous area.

[Amy10223]

Really? take control of your car? Wow.

[Sevenpointfive]

they are famous for this

[canamlusciouslad73]

Highly likely.

[Bklynbadboy12]

Yes they are definitely monitoring you

[krin_m]

I believe, not secretly, but quite openly.

[AgentG111]

Yes.