Is Your Phone Really Listening to You?

Your phone may be listening in on you without you knowing, to gather an array of personal information. Most modern smartphones have virtual assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant that listen to what you say and act on commands, and your phone could also just be listening to you to determine what advertisements to display that are relatable to your conversations.

Phones can actually capture conversations that you have out loud, so it can collect valuable data to create targeted ads. This type of data collection privacy issue is especially problematic when apps ask for broad access to the microphone.

Microphone Privacy

One of the most overlooked cybersecurity issues is microphone privacy. Since the iPhone was invented, the concept of internet privacy has drastically changed. Before, people only had internet privacy when they were sitting at a computer. Nowadays, everyone has their own smartphones, and they're always on the go.

The way your phone collects and uses data is the subject of microphone privacy, which can be used by various companies and hackers to monitor and collect personal information.

Ever noticed that it seems like your phone is reading your mind, especially when you come across ads for things you just talked about or bought online? For instance, if you recently bought a new skincare product, it might start showing ads the next day after you talked to a friend about it. Although most people know that their phones can track their locations, they can also listen in on their conversations. There are some types of microphone listening that are harmless and can be disabled. On the other hand, there are some types that are harmful and sneaky.

One of the most important distinctions between unauthorized and permitted listening is the type of access that an app or service can make to your microphone. With permissioned listening, you grant it access to the microphone for a specific purpose, such as recording audio messages or performing voice commands.

In contrast, permissionless listening occurs when an entity or app doesn't get your explicit consent to access your microphone. This type of monitoring has privacy implications and can be associated with cyber threats.

Laws Behind Microphone Recording

Different laws regarding data privacy are applicable to different industries and regions. Generally, it is legal to listen to a device's microphone, as long as the user gives their consent. However, given the increasing number of requests for permission, it is now unclear if the user's consent is clear or explicit.

The privacy of microphone users is protected by various laws worldwide. One of the most prominent frameworks is the GDPR, which requires users to be informed before their audio data is collected.

The US' closest privacy legislation is the CCPA in California. It gives residents the power to control their personal information, such as audio recordings.

Tips to Stop Your Phone From Listening to & Tracking Your Device

These steps can help your privacy if you feel like your phone has been listening to and tracking you.

Disable Voice Search/Microphone

To prevent your phone from listening to voice commands, you should disable all of your apps' features, such as voice search and microphone. Although third-party cookies and websites can still collect information about you when you browse the Internet, you can still turn off microphone access on your Android or iOS devices through the settings.

Review App Permissions

Before you start using your apps, make sure you look carefully at the permissions you are giving them access to. Also, make sure that the camera on your iPhone doesn't turn on automatically.

If you come across apps that you don't recognize, it's possible that they are malicious software. For instance, if you've been scammed into visiting a fraudulent website or clicking on an ad, you might be infected with malware.

Scammers and phishing attacks can install malware and/or spyware on your device. Usually, this happens through a disguised app that secretly monitors your activities.

Delete Google Voice & Alexa History

While Siri might not keep track of your voice requests, Google Assistant does. That means that if you ever lose your device, someone else could easily access your phone's data and perform malicious searches on it.

Voice recordings are saved by Google and other search platforms so they can improve their ability to recognize speech. Apart from monitoring your searches and browsing history, they also sell this data to advertisers, who use it to target ads based on your interests.

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Alexa has many advantages, but there are lots of concerns about how it’s used. Amazon collects and uses the recordings of your voice for marketing purposes, and it shares them with third parties. Easily remove your Alexa history to help solve this issue. Image courtesy of Reuters.

Stay On Top of Software Updates

Despite the numerous security flaws that have been exploited by hackers, developers are still able to patch these vulnerabilities to keep their devices secure. To protect your Android device, try these simple steps: enable two-factor authentication and turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. If you're an iPhone user, follow these same steps to protect your device.

Turn off Location Services

All of the app and native location services that you use on your device should be disabled. These include GPS tracking and personalized location services. You can turn off this feature through the settings in your device's Privacy section. Some phones, such as those with Airplane Mode, will automatically turn off GPS. You can also manually remove your phone's location history and block tracking through Google Maps.

Turn On Airplane Mode

One of the main reasons why location services such as Google Maps don't work in Airplane Mode is that they require a connection to be able to track your device. Turning on this feature will prevent Wi-Fi and cellular networks from accessing your device's location. To enable this feature, go to the app drawer and click on the Airplane icon.

Go to Airplane Mode and check the status of your device's location and GPS features. Turning off these functions will prevent you from accessing your data or making calls, though it might work for a while.

Use an Independent Search Engine That Doesn't Track Your Data

If you want to be anonymous online, you should use a search engine that doesn't collect or store your personal information. Some of the most prominent search engines such as DuckDuckGo and Startpage claim to remove all trackers, and they won't sell your data to advertising firms. This means that you won't get targeted ads from Google and other sites.

Try a Faraday Sleeve

Placing your device in a signal-blocking case or sleeve will prevent it from transmitting GPS data or sharing your information even when turned off. This type of case or sleeve, which is called a Faraday sleeve, is military-grade, blocks electromagnetic, radio, Bluetooth, NFC, RFID, and GPS signals.This will prevent anyone else from accessing your device's location and data. The Faraday case or sleeve will also prevent remote access to your camera, microphone, and apps.

Test How Your Phone is Really Spying on You

You can easily determine if your phone is secretly listening in on you by choosing an unrelated topic and talking about it several times out loud in close range to your phone. Follow these steps to see if your device has been snooping on your conversations:

• Pick a good topic that's unrelated to your usual interests or something you typically talk about. It should be one that you wouldn't associate with your usual interests.
• It's important to choose a topic that has nothing to do with you searching up anything online, so you should refrain from using your phone to look up any related information at all about the topic. In case you're worried that you might need to discuss it with others, turn off your device and hide it in a secure environment.
• Pick a list of keywords that will likely result in search results. Talk about the topic out loud for a couple of days using the keywords, making sure that you don't use your phone to look up details about this subject.

After you complete all of the above steps, you will probably start receiving advertisements for the keywords that you've chosen after these steps have been completed.

Risk of Phone Calls

Private phone calls made using mobile or landline phones should be private. However, a third party may be able to listen in on your calls if they have the necessary equipment and software.

This type of surveillance is usually carried out by law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, it can also be used by scam artists and stalkers to monitor their victims.

Spyware running on your device can shorten its battery life. When your device is running hot or experiencing issues with its performance, it might be due to the strain that the malicious software is putting on it as well.

When you record a call and an unauthorized person has access to listen to it, your device's data usage will increase significantly. If you're getting information leaks that coincide with your statements on the phone, it's possible that someone is listening in on your calls.

One of the most common signs that someone has been tapping into your phone is the appearance of strange third-party apps. While it's unlikely that a well-funded organization or hacker would install software that would allow them to monitor your calls, some spies and stalkers will.

Use a VPN

A virtual private network is a type of security measure that can protect you from unauthorized access to the internet. It can encrypt your traffic and mask your identity so that your activities online remain private.

A trustworthy VPN can significantly enhance the level of protection that you provide to your data when using public and shared Wi-Fi connections. In addition, it can help you avoid bandwidth throttling and geo-restrictions.

A VPN also offers additional privacy measures, such as blocking unwanted listening and preventing data from being collected and used by advertisers and other organizations. This prevents companies from profiling you based on your online activities.

Ideal for Traveling

Due to the varying restrictions in your home nation, you may not be able to access the same services online while traveling. This can include accessing your bank account, reading local news, or seeing the prices in your currency. A VPN can help you connect to servers in other countries so you can feel like you are at home.

Protect Bank Transactions

An encrypted VPN is a great way to protect your online transactions from unauthorized access. It can help prevent hackers from accessing your bank accounts, credit card details, or passwords. Even if it is intercepted, decrypting it would be incredibly difficult. With a VPN, you can still use an e-commerce site without worrying about security.

Prevent Collecting of Information 

Some companies collect and sell personal information about their customers in order to target ads to them. It can be unsettling to think that there is a complete picture of who you are as a person online.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help you keep these companies from accessing your online activities and collecting personal information about you. Although a VPN doesn't block ads completely, it can help prevent them from being able to target you with ads. Some providers, including Surfshark, offer ad-blockers.

In some cases, a VPN can help reduce your ISP's throttling, though it can decrease your internet speed overall. This is due to how the traffic is routed through an encrypted server, which ensures that it is decrypted and encrypted as it travels.

REALLY Will Protect Your Privacy & Personal Information

The goal of REALLY is to prevent users from being tracked online, as the company uses a variety of methods to protect its users' anonymity, such as encryption, routing data through a decentralized network, and masking their IP address. It's like a private VPN that's built for user privacy and protection!