If you are a smartphone owner with social media, then you likely know that one of the big fears of today is dealing with your device ‘listening’ to you, as well as certain social media apps.
Recently, the head of Instagram had to make a special video to confirm to users that the app is not listening to them through their devices, a concern that started popping up after they began seeing more targeted ads. Although he explained the process behind why targeted ads come up on the app and how they work, some internet and Instagram users have remained skeptical. Read more about what the app owner had to say below.
The Head Of Instagram Makes A Video To Deny That The App Is ‘Listening’ To Its Users For Ads
Over the last few years, as technology, smartphones, and smartphone apps have evolved, so has the technology behind advertisements that we see online and via apps. As time has passed, many smartphone users have become increasingly concerned that their devices and the apps on them are “listening” to them.
This is due to targeted advertisements, which means you begin to see ads for things that you have been looking up or potentially even talking about in person. For instance, if you’ve been researching and talking about a particular jacket, and you get an ad for it on a social media app, it can be a little odd. After years of receiving allegations that Instagram was listening to its users to select ads, the head of the app, Adam Mosseri, made a “myth-busting” video statement denying those allegations and clearing the air.
“We do not listen to you,” said Mosseri. “We do not use the phone’s microphone to eavesdrop on you.”
He also stated that listening to users through their phones would “be a gross violation of privacy” and that if it were using your microphone, you’d be able to tell from various indicators.
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Internet Users Continue Showing Concerns Following Mooseri's Video
In his video, the head of the app, who formerly worked at Facebook, gave some further explanation as to why users might be seeing targeted ads, especially ads that contain products or people they were just talking about.
"Maybe you actually tapped on something that was related or even searched for that product online on a website, maybe before you had that conversation," he explained. "We actually do work with advertisers who share information with us about who is on their website to try to target those people with ads."
He also noted that those who run the app have also found ways to form advertisements on your Instagram feed through other things you've interacted with.
"We show people ads that we think that they're interested in, or products we think they're interested in, in part based on what their friends are interested in and what similar people with similar interests are interested in," he added. "So it could be that you were talking to someone about a product, and they, before, had to actually look for or search for that product, or that, in general, people with similar interests were doing the exact same thing."
Despite the app head's lengthy statement and informative video, when some Instagram users heard about it, they still showed some skepticism, and aren't sure if they can trust his claims.
"He's gaslighting us," joked a user.
"Still don't believe them," added another.
One user wrote that they felt the head of the app was "lying," as another commented they thought he was trying to "brainwash" users. We'll be curious to see if anything on this subject changes, but for now, it looks like that, although they continue to use the app, Instagram users still have their eyebrows raised.
