Is your phone listening to everything you say? It's complicated

Linda recently called my national radio show with a question that flooded my inbox. Clearly, a lot of you have experienced a similarly eerie moment.

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I hear you: "Kim, her phone was listening!" The answer isn't that simple, but I can explain what's really going on.

Your digital trail

Retailers sell this data to ad networks that then work with data brokers to get your email address. Bingo. Linda got an email from the knife company. I bet she starts seeing ads for knives and related items online, too.

But wait, there's more

Facebook, Instagram, Google and weather apps track your location, even when running in the background. If you've granted them location access, they know where you are and later use that data to serve you ads. 

Throw AI into the mix

How to protect your privacy

There's a lot you can't control in this whole tracking mess. That makes it even more important to do what you can.

Erase your digital breadcrumbs

Here's how to start your browser in Incognito mode by default:

Manage location tracking

Adjust your ad settings

Review app permissions

It's a creepy feeling when this sort of thing happens. Remember, this combination of retailers, advertisers and data brokers is trying to get you to spend a buck.

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