Protecting one's privacy is becoming an increasingly pressing need on the part of consumers, who are spied on, and not only online, for commercial purposes: in this regard also the smartphones becomes a weak point, having the ability to record telephone conversations with the aim of placing advertisements oriented precisely to the user's preferences.
All cell phones, especially those equipped with Android, are capable of receiving and recording phone calls via microphone: part of these are redirected to applications such as Instagram or Facebook, although the owner is kept in the dark about everything, at least apparently. And this is due to the fact that the authorization to act in that way has often been provided by the user himself by accepting the conditions necessary to download and install a program on his smartphone. The apps themselves therefore have within them the tools to capture and then transmit conversations in encrypted form, and it is difficult if not impossible to understand which of them is responsible.
The first to end up in the dock are the voice assistants such as Alexa, Siri: in theory they should remain inactive until the owner starts them with a voice command, yet in some cases it has been shown that the recordings started in an apparent stand-by phase.
We move on to third-party apps: it is not unusual for certain programs not to respect privacy regulations, so they can request permission to use the microphone in the download conditions and then record and send the acquired audio data.
So-called targeted advertising is another danger to privacy: the programs collect user browsing information, but there remains strong doubt that to do this many companies, who continue to deny, also use smartphone microphones for this purpose.
Obviously some too spyware, which are installed on the device without the need for consent, are perfectly capable of activating the microphone to steal sensitive data. The same network operators and service providers are authorized to collect some specific data on our telephone conversations and are required, if necessary, to provide them to the authorities.
However, there is a way to protect yourself, that is, deactivating the microphone, also because authorization has often been given unconsciously when downloading an app. You can then open the Google app on your smartphone, log in to your account and click on your profile picture at the top right. Once you have selected “Google Account” you reach the “Data and Privacy” item, then tap on “Web and App Activity”. At this point you can disable the “Include voice and audio activity” option, and by doing so you will prevent unwanted recordings, and then stop saving your activities by clicking on “Stop Saving”.
Once you have confirmed your choices by selecting “I understand”, that's it, and your privacy will be protected again. However, it is advisable, especially if you download frequently, to periodically review the settings.