Most people have experienced it: you mention wanting something in conversation, and suddenly ads for that exact product appear on your phone. It feels too specific to be coincidence, leading to an unsettling suspicion that your phone is listening to everything you say.
While companies insist they don't actively record conversations for advertising, the truth is complicated. Your phone does listen under certain circumstances, and targeted advertising systems are so sophisticated they can feel like eavesdropping even when they're not.
