[MaxCat]

Unfortunately privacy laws have been slow to keep up with the pace of technology -- press your legislative representatives on this because they are the ones who set the laws. Sometimes, when you don't pay $s for an app, the "price" you pay for the convenience of having it is to provide some information about yourself, such as your email address. As always, it's your choice. If you don't want to give up certain pieces of information about yourself, or you are concerned that hackers will steal your information or that a business won't use the information they have on you in an ethical way then it is your choice to forgo the convenience and not use the technology. (Though in some cases you may be left in the dust by the rest of society that does choose to use it.) But it's your choice, of course!

[LianneMigiano]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

Why worry?
If it makes life easier or better. Use it.
Anyone tracking me will get bored to death anyway!

GOOD ANSWER! Anyone tracking me would get bored, too!

[RoadToad]

Originally Posted by Rosie1950

Joe, I totally get what ur saying, several weeks ago my girlfriend and I had pedicures. While talking to my nail tech, suddenly Siri pipes up with “ that’s not very nice “. I was asking her how her week was going? Evidently u don’t have to start a question with “hey Siri “ in order to activate. Gotta say this NEVER happened before and was kind of creepy. My phone was in my purse. I have it set for Siri to only recognize my voice. Again creepy.
In the past anytime I used Siri I HAD to start with Hey Siri in order to get results.

There are a number of phrases that will unintentionally trigger Siri, Cortana, Google, and other listening devices.
Due to waveform shape similarities, many sounds are misidentified by digital analysis.
Google it, or click here:

“Why Does iPhone & Siri Start Talking Randomly Out of Nowhere? Are Robots Taking Over?”

[RuthA]

A while back another couple and my husband and I were in our living room discussing the pros and cons of CBD oil. In a few minutes I got an add on my cell phone for CBD oil! Scary!

[kathyspear]

Originally Posted by Skip

Apple (for iPhones) and Google (for Androids) put an app on your phone this summer to track you.
You did NOT ask for it and you did NOT agree to it (per se).
It's NOT a stand alone application that can be deleted from your Applications folder.
Go to settings and you can find it there, called: COVID-19 Exposure.

Skip

By default, covid tracking is turned off an iphone. You have to manually enable it.

k.

[xkeowner]

On Android phones each app has multiple permissions which you can accept or deny. It does take a bit of effort, but I dent access for areas an app doesn't have a reason to need access to. For instance, photos and email for most apps. Location for many apps and the list goes on. If an app will not work without a permission I don't see a reason it needs access to I look for an equivalent app that is not as nosy and failing that make the decision of how much I really want that app.

[GoPacers]

Originally Posted by xkeowner

On Android phones each app has multiple permissions which you can accept or deny. It does take a bit of effort, but I dent access for areas an app doesn't have a reason to need access to. For instance, photos and email for most apps. Location for many apps and the list goes on. If an app will not work without a permission I don't see a reason it needs access to I look for an equivalent app that is not as nosy and failing that make the decision of how much I really want that app.

If you develop apps for the Android using any structured development environment the developer will "toggle" what permissions the app requests while in the development environment. In most cases this doesn't mean the app will actually access everything, it was just a default selection for the developer and that the user "accepts" when using the app. As noted in the referenced post, the user has the ability to disable permissions for any given app.

For most apps these "requested permissions" are not as nefarious as it may seem. Still, use good judgement and if you're not comfortable, don't install the app.

[AustinKim]

Absolutely right. Who cares? I am not that interesting.

[jacksonbrown]

Just last week, honey and I were interrupted from our romantic interlude by an insistent knocking at the front door.

Finally, I threw on some clothes, marched across the house, threw open the door and was met my two policeman.

"We received a call from Amazon, your Alexa detected someone beating their spouse." Oh my!

[Marshaw]

I think siri is your issue.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by jacksonbrown

Just last week, honey and I were interrupted from our romantic interlude by an insistent knocking at the front door.

Finally, I threw on some clothes, marched across the house, threw open the door and was met my two policeman.

"We received a call from Amazon, your Alexa detected someone beating their spouse." Oh my!

Really?

[Chi-Town]

Originally Posted by Joe C.

I was talking to a friend today about Apps on the cellphones. I don't like them, as you give up some privacy for convenience. I told him that the third parties that own the apps have access to everything on your I-Phone when you use them. The "third parties" can access and read your emails, check your bank accounts, all your contacts and even get their email addresses and phone numbers from your cellphone.
An hour ago I got a notification from "Siri" saying that there was a game on Wednesday, Oct 13 at 6pm and lasting until around 8p.m.
Coincidentally, I did get an email from a friend saying that he would be at the rec center at 6pm if anyone wanted to play cards.
So, "Siri" DOES READ YOUR EMAIL......and even though Siri is available on my Iphone, I have never activated or used it.
I don't trust technology. Maybe I should throw away my cellphone.

Perhaps an old flip phone is the answer.

[Dcommuter]

Even Alexa did listen to every conversation , we caught it manytimes. I disable my siri and delete google app because it snoop on my activity even I am not using the app. If you go to google setting and disable the activity stuff still it goes back on itself. So , I deleted it. If i do shopping on Amazon app and when I open Facebook , you bet what I bought in Amazon it is in my newsfeed ads. So I deleted facebook since they censor everything. There is a new social media who does not censors wimkin and they don’t do what facebook does.

[vinricci]

Watch “Social Dilemma” on Netflix.

[Bay Kid]

If I get tired of boring computer ads I just go to Victoria's Secrets site. Then I get to look at beautiful ladies for the next several days.