One in every two citizens surveyed in India acknowledges that they have received ads based on their private conversations. Nearly 53 percent of the citizens surveyed said they have had one or more instances in last 12 months where they saw advertisements on web/app based on their phone conversations, said a survey from LocalCircles.
There are many apps that ask users’ permission to access their microphone; however, in many cases, users are not made aware for what reason their phone microphone is being used and where this data is being shared, other than the service they require. There are several apps—for instance, gaming apps require users’ permission to access their microphone—and a few of them go to the extent of recording a user’s voice thereby violating the privacy rights of the user.
In the absence of a data protection regime, some websites and apps are using loopholes to manipulate data for various advertising purposes, said the survey.
LocalCircles, in a report, said that it has been receiving thousands of posts and comments over the past 12 months on people’s data being shared without their consent and in several cases, people even complained about seeing advertisements based on their voice conversations.