New research by NordVPN revealed that companies that own social networking sites are spying on our phones, whether iPhone or Android, by tracking the sounds surrounding the phones.
According to a study of the British company – published by a newspaper "Mirror" British – Almost half of Britons (45%) say they see an advertisement for something appearing on their phone soon after talking about it or seeing it on TV, without looking it up online themselves.
NordVPN specialists explained that the companies use a deceptive type of data monitoring called ultrasonic tracking, noting that they listen for background noise and deliver personalized ads.
Spy method According to NordVPN, this method of cross-device tracking sees apps being used "audio signals" ultrasonic that the human ear cannot hear "To connect all the devices you own to track your behavior and location". Once those sounds are picked up by your device’s microphone, it gives advertisers the ability to identify what you were just watching or talking about.
Different apps on your phone can listen to these signals to monitor what you’re doing and that’s why some apps ask you for permission to access the microphone.
And 62% of consumers – according to the company’s research – say they have no idea how to prevent this, and another person in eight said the ads "scare them"And they don’t feel comfortable seeing ads for products they were talking about with friends and family hours before they can do something about it.
The company says the complaint is from both iPhone and Android users, but social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have always denied spying.
The eavesdropping can be stopped via 3 steps
1- Review application permissions: You can restrict the listening permissions on your device, by going to the application permissions in the settings and restrict the applications that you feel do not require access to the microphone.
2- Read privacy policies carefully: Although it may be tempting to skip them, reviewing the app’s privacy policy can protect you from "eavesdropping" On your phone, see if it indicates your phone’s microphone and what it will be used for.
3- Using a VPN: Using virtual private networks secures your Internet browsing through encryption, hides your computer (IP) address, and hides your activity from your ISP, governments, and other third parties.
