Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has put to rest a widely circulated myth among social media users that the platform listens to private conversations and serves ads based on them.
Instagram does not use your microphone to target ads, he said, adding that ad recommendations were based on user activity and interests, not personal conversations.
"This is a myth-busting video about something I've had a lot of passionate conversations about," Mosseri said in the video. "We do not listen to you. We do not use the phone's microphone to eavesdrop on you," he added.
If Instagram were secretly listening to your conversations, it would be a "gross violation of privacy", you would drain your phone's battery, and you would notice and you would actually see a little light on the top of the screen letting you know that the microphone was on, he said.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)
So why do you sometimes see ads for things you've recently talked about? It's not because Instagram listened to you, it's because the platform uses other signals like you recently talked to somebody about or tapped on something that was related or even searched for that product online on a website, maybe before you had that conversation, he mentioned.
Mosseri further mentioned, "We actually do work with advertisers who share information with us about who was on their website to try to target those people with ads. So if you were looking at a product on a website, that advertiser might have paid us to reach you with an ad."
The third reason could be that sometimes you notice an ad after you've already seen it, even if you didn't pay much attention at first. Later, when the topic comes up in conversation, it feels like Instagram "knew" it. "We scroll by ads quickly. And sometimes you internalise some of that, and that actually affects what you talk about later."
And the last reason could be pure "coincidence". Mosseri admits that no matter how much he explains, some people won't believe it, but he wants to set the record straight that Instagram does not eavesdrop on users' conversations.
These comments came at a time when Meta announced that it would begin using people's interactions with its generative AI tools to personalise content and advertising across its apps, such as Facebook and Instagram, starting on December 16.
Users will be notified of the changes from October 7, and they will not have an option to opt out, the social media giant said.
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