Many people’s suspicions about the security offered by smartphones seem to be correct. NordVPN, a leading cybersecurity company, developed a foolproof test that, in just four steps, determines whether your phone is spying on you. The four steps consist of: choose a topic, speak loudly, act normally, and watch ads on your phone.
In their research, NordVPN researchers spoke specific keywords (from favorite animals and random countries to trending fashion items) within earshot of their phones. They repeated this experiment for several days, monitoring any changes in the ads that appeared on their devices.
Follow these steps to prevent eavesdropping:
Pick a Topic: Choose a topic you’ve never searched for or spoken about near your phone.
Speak Aloud: Talk about it near your phone for a few days, using relevant keywords.
Act Normally: Continue using your phone as usual—don’t search for the chosen topic online.
Watch the Ads: Analyze the ads that appear on your devices. If you notice related ads, your phone may be listening.
How to protect your phone
To try to protect your phone you can put this into practice: download apps only from official app stores; regularly review and update app permissions and be cautious with voice assistants, which collect more data than most apps.
These days, it’s difficult to control eavesdropping and privacy on smartphones, mainly because we don’t just use our phones for calls; practically 100 percent of phones are made up of apps that are usually authorized to use the microphone. That small act can open the door to insecurity.
The NordVPN experiment
In their research, NordVPN experts spoke specific keywords—from favorite animals and random countries to trending fashion items—within earshot of their phones. They repeated this experiment for several days, monitoring any changes in the ads that appeared on their devices.
The results were surprising. After discussing a hypothetical trip to Saudi Arabia, a researcher began seeing targeted ads on different platforms. For example: Facebook ads from Booking.com showcased hotels in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, within hours. Over the next few days, apps displayed more ads for hotels in the same region.
Another test focused on the word “orangutan,” a random choice. Shortly after talking about orangutans, the researcher saw ads for wildlife charities like The Orangutan Project.
When asked how legal it is for large companies to spy on users through eavesdropping, the answer is technically yes. As we said before, if you have given your consent, it is legal; however, spying without consent is illegal.
