Recently Shocked by YouTube's Algorithm
A few days ago, while having coffee with a friend, I briefly mentioned, 'I need to start a diet these days,' and that evening, diet videos popped up on my YouTube homepage. It was genuinely creepy. Is YouTube actually listening to our conversations through the microphone? Or is it just guessing based on search history or location data... I'm curious whether this is a privacy violation or just a coincidence. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
5 answers
Wow, I've had a similar experience! I was just talking about travel with a friend, and the next day, a hotel recommendation video popped up. Honestly, it was a bit creepy. I turned off microphone access for my Google account, but since this keeps happening, it still makes me uneasy.
Personally, I think it's highly likely due to search history and location-based recommendations. Although YouTube has officially stated that it doesn't listen to microphone conversations, combining user data can lead to surprisingly accurate recommendations. Have you ever watched any diet-related videos before?
I haven't had that experience, so it's fascinating to me. But thinking about it, maybe it's because it's diet season right now, so those kinds of videos are popping up a lot. Diet content really increases in March. It could just be a coincidence!
That's really creepy... I went through something similar before. It got a bit better after I turned off 'Ad personalization' and 'Activity history' in YouTube settings. But it still can't be completely blocked. Have you checked your settings by any chance?
Technically, YouTube could listen through your microphone, but I understand they officially don't do that because it would create legal issues. Instead, they combine search history, location, and viewing patterns to make recommendations. Still, isn't this almost like snooping? I think they need to pay more attention to privacy protection.