Does Instagram spy on private conversations with your phone mic? Company says…

In a recent video statement, Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, addressed a widespread conspiracy theory suggesting that the platform listens to users’ conversations via their phone microphones to serve targeted advertisements. Mosseri firmly rejected this claim, emphasizing that such actions would constitute a serious invasion of privacy. "We do not listen to you. We do not use the phone’s microphone to eavesdrop on you," Mosseri stated in his video. He explained that if Instagram were to engage in such behavior, it would not only infringe on user privacy but also drain device batteries and activate the microphone indicator light. To clarify why some users believe Instagram is monitoring their conversations, Mosseri outlined four key points. First, he noted that users might have previously searched for a product or visited a related website before discussing it, leading to ads appearing that seem relevant. Secondly, ads shown to users are influenced by the activities of their friends and others with similar interests. If someone in a user’s social circle has searched for a product, it could affect the ads that the user sees. The third point Mosseri highlighted was the rapid scrolling behavior of users through advertisements. He suggested that users could subconsciously absorb information from the ads, which might later resurface in their conversations, creating the illusion of targeted advertising. Lastly, he mentioned that viewing an ad shortly after discussing a topic could simply be coincidental. "I understand that some of you may not believe me, regardless of my explanations, but I wanted to clarify this misinformation," Mosseri concluded, aiming to reassure users about their privacy on the platform.