Facebook might quietly use microphone to track ads you watch
What's the story
A recently published Facebook patent depicts a technology that will silently trigger microphones in a household to listen to users as they watch TV ads. The patent describes a process in which a secret "activation module" embedded in TV ads, like a short, high-frequency sound inaudible to the human ear, would activate a smart device to record your reaction while an ad is playing.
Invasion of privacy
Any ambient audio while ads are playing will be recorded
In order to do this, Facebook could simply auto-recognize which broadcasting devices are connected to the same local network as a smart device in which Facebook is logged in. The purpose is to determine that first, if you're listening to full/partial advertisements or if you have installed a blocker to totally skip them, and second, what is your reaction to them.
Tall tales
The patent is filed to never be used: Facebook
However, Facebook Deputy General Counsel Allen Lo said that the company filed the patent "to prevent aggression from other companies" and its functionality would never be included in the core Facebook product. With this, Facebook is claiming the patent will ensure that neither Facebook nor any other tech giant would ever have access to this kind of fine-tuned ad-watching data for presenting targeted ads.
Technology has ears
We don't secretly listen to you to target ads: Zuckerberg
It's been widely discussed how users uncannily see Facebook ads on something they've mentioned in the passing to someone in person. However, during his Congressional testimony in April, CEO Mark Zuckerberg called this a "conspiracy theory" and completely dismissed it. Anyway, Facebook's data collection is so pervasive that it can pick up cues if you're lingering on a post or generally searching about something.