Well, intrusive data mining has gone on a whole new level. I got used to searching for a product, then having ads pop up embedded in other web sites. Now there have been a few things that are straight up creepy.

Last October I was at a trade show. Went and ate lunch with a salesman for our company that's hard of hearing from shooting like me and he was telling all about his hearing aid. Specifically, we must have said "Ear Go" a few dozen times. I never searched it, but got back to work on Monday and what do you know. Ear Go ads all over the place. My phone was clearly listening.

I have a generator in the garage that I used for an old deer lease that I've kept around for camping off the grid and running the freezer and fridges if the power goes out. Every couple of months I drag it out and crank it up just to let it run. Well, same thing. Next day I had generator ads all over the place. Could the phone recognize that sound or is that a big coincidence?

Then today I decided to see if I could find any dove loads. I went directly to Academy, Roger's, SG, and another site or two. I never went to a search engine, even tho I'm using Duck Duck Go instead of Google now. Within 30 minutes I got an email from Cheaper Than Dirt with shotgun ammo ads. I haven't been to their site in years cuz that name is ironic. Is that the next level?

I wonder if this is still conspiracy theory.

Thank God I'm not the only one that this happens to The ol lady thinks I'm burnt out but that stuff happens all the time.

I don't talk about nothing anymore, I just think it...

thats where big tech is going with that, they said it. I could tell you some stories that would make most cry around here.

1984

We’re living in a simulation.

Leave the phone off or on a drawer.

At every new employee orientation, I ask the class if anyone thinks we're living in a computer simulation like The Matrix. Every now and then someone will fess up with a "maybe."

Were getting off topic but

Go to your phone's settings...go to Apps and then to permissions...turn off the permission for the microphone for any app that shouldn't have it.

Your internet browser or any social media apps do not need it.

If it's 100% cotton, I'm ordering that "Make Orwell Fiction Again" t-shirt.

I think you need to delete your cookies and browser history.

Absolutely agree 1984!

If you have a Face Book page, thats the culprit. Happens to my wife all the time. Whether its a computer or phone, it spies on you. She and I can talk about almost anything and a short while later, you got it, Ads pop up about it. I don't do Face Book and it doesn't happen to me. Just her.

I saw something on this a few months ago. It said Facetime is doing it. Went to settings and turned Facetime off. No more problems

Is it just a coincidence that I got this yesterday? Did it hear me complaining about it listening?

They're always listening. I'm sure they're still listening even when you turn the settings "off". Think that is just a false sense of security.

I keep my airpods in one ear pretty much all day long. Sometimes I'll be talking with someone and I'll hear Siri in my ear saying she is searching the internet for what I'm having a conversation about. I just say shut up Siri and she goes away LOL.

My wife and I were having dinner last week and we were having a conversation about the Clintons. I said hold up, took my airpod out along with my phone and put them in the bedroom just in case.

Don't want to get a knock at the door from FedEx and accidentally shoot myself 4 times in the back of the head.