Cell phone alert: warns you that you can listen to conversations even when turned off

One of technological myths The most widespread emphasizes that phones, even if turned off, can hear their owners’ conversations. Now, a scientist has revealed details about this possibility.

The key is in cell phone batterysince it allows you to listen to or see all the information contained in the cell phone, even if it is turned off, warned Dr. Juan Carlos Yáñez-Luna, of the Autonomous University of San Luis de Potosí (Mexico).

It was in the context of an international ETHICOMP meeting, which brought together 68 experts from 15 countries at the Spanish University of La Rioja, to address the problem ethical impact and social aspects of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

“It may be difficult to know who can see or hear the contents of all the information contained in a cell phone when it is turned off, but Yes, you can do this because everything is stored in one place“He added.

This also happens on servers where stores informationas can also be the case with platforms such as Facebook or Google Maps, which can know the location of the owner or the route taken by him at a given moment.

This is why he stressed the importance of “being attentive and knowing exactly what you can offer and what you can keep quiet about” when it comes to download information to a device behind which the contracted servers, platforms or social networks are located.

He explained that technology and artificial intelligence (AI) have impacted society such that citizens cannot disappear from the world, but they can “be cautious” when loading and holding on to that technology.

Yáñez-Luna recommends that you do not make information that you do not want used public on these platforms and that you only upload what you want.

He further emphasized that artificial intelligence It is not a new topic and has been worked on for many years, but it has gained notoriety thanks to the advancement of more powerful processors capable of working on algorithms very quickly.

This allows “to process all the information in a few seconds”, underlined Yáñez-Luna.

Failed experiment

Regardless of the experts’ statements, the truth is that the most recent evidence allows us to approach the issue more calmly. In a report by cybersecurity firm Wandera, its engineers conducted specific experiments investigate whether mobile phones actually listen to users without their knowledge.

The fieldwork took place in a room with sound, where they placed two phones, a Samsung with an Android system and an Apple iPhone, playing a pet food advertisement for 30 minutes. Two more identical telephones were placed in a quiet room.

Despite keeping applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Google Chrome, SnapChat, Youtube and Amazon open and granting all necessary permissions, cybersecurity specialists they found no evidence that the phones were listening secretly.

“No relevant advertisements or significant increases in either variable were observed on phones placed in the room with sound,” they concluded.