Has it ever happened to you that the day after you talked to a friend —while you were hiking in the mountains— that you would like to have binoculars, and suddenly your cell phone shows you ads for BINOCULARS? Many people interpret this as the phone “listening” through the microphone.
The truth is that, although this can happen in very specific and controversial cases, the real cause is usually something else: the artificial intelligence algorithms that were already on your device long before ChatGPT became famous.
The AI on mobile before ChatGPT
You can explain that for years phones have incorporated AI in:
- Predictive keyboards (Gboard, SwiftKey)
- Facial recognition to unlock
- Camera (scene recognition, night mode)
- Voice assistants (Google Assistant, Siri)
- Spam classification and automatic summaries
These systems often work locally, but they also send data to the cloud if we give permission..
The real control: permissions and trackers
The key is not whether the mobile phone “listens”, but what we have given access to.
- Every time you install an app, you accept permissions (camera, microphone, location, contacts).
- The apps incorporate third-party trackers – analytics companies, advertising – that collect data.
- This data is shared between apps and allows them to show you incredibly accurate ads, without the need to listen to conversations.
Exodus Privacy: what it is and how it is used
Exodus Privacy is a trusted and highly respected platform in the field of digital privacy. It is an open source, non-profit project that analyzes Android apps to identify trackers and permissions.
How to use:
- With the device you want to protect, go to exodus-privacy.eu.org
- In the search, type the name of any app (for example: WhatsApp, TikTok, your bank…).
- The result shows you:
- Permissions used by the app (càmera, micròfon, etc.).
- Trackers detected (Google Analytics, Facebook Analytics, etc.).
- Sometimes an estimate of how many trackers you have.
- You can also install the Exodus Privacy app from F-Droid (it's not on Google Play) to analyze the apps you have installed.
It's reliable?
Yes, because the analysis is done based on the app files (decompiled code) and the list of trackers is maintained collaboratively. It does not depend on opinions but on technical evidence.
What if I have an iPhone? Alternatives for iOS
Apple also has tools to regain control, although they work differently.
App Store privacy report
For a few years now, every app listing on the App Store has featured a section called “App Privacy” where developers must self-declare what data they collect and whether it’s linked to the user. It’s not as technical as Exodus, but it’s a good first filter.
iOS Privacy Report (iOS 15+)
Apple incorporated a very useful feature: go to Settings > Privacy > Privacy Report. There you can see, over a period of time, which apps have accessed your microphone, camera, location and contacts, and also which third-party domains they have connected to (that is, which trackers they have sent information to).
Other tools
- Lockdown Privacy (free app) works as a local firewall and shows you in real time which connection attempts to trackers you block.
- Save privacy labels in PDF format from the App Store to compare apps after installing them.
Practical tips for regaining control
- Check permissions in Settings > Apps > Permissions (Android) or Settings > Privacy (iOS). Remove any that are not essential for the app to function.
- Be wary of apps that request a microphone unnecessarily.(a flashlight, a game, a calculator…).
- Utilitza Exodus o the Privacy Report after installing an app.
- Consider open source alternatives (for example, Organic Maps instead of Google Maps, o Signal instead of WhatsApp) which tend to have fewer trackers.
- In iPhone, periodically check the Privacy Report to detect suspicious behavior.
Conclusion – Control is possible
If you sometimes feel like you're losing control, it's understandable. Technology advances rapidly and we're often not fully aware of what data we're giving away. But they're not as passive as they seem.. We have rights and we have tools..
With resources like Exodus Privacy, iOS privacy reports, and good habits when managing permissions, we can regain the ability to decide what data we share, with whom, and for what purpose.
“If as an organization you want to go a step further and ensure that the AI you use truly respects people and their data, AURA accompanies you on this path. Because control is not only individual: it is also a matter of how technological solutions are designed and implemented.”
