A recent study has revealed that a significant number of people worldwide have experienced a phenomenon where an advertisement for a product or service pops up on their phones soon after they talk about it or watch it on TV. This personalized product placement is a result of a type of data monitoring called ultrasonic cross-device tracking.
The research conducted by NordVPN shows that more than a third of people globally (36%) have seen an ad for a product or service pop up on their phones soon after talking about it or watching it on TV. What is more concerning is that almost six in ten (58%) consumers do not know how to prevent this from happening. Of those who noticed the adverts, four in ten (42%) said it made them feel tracked and followed.
The majority of people (75%) who recognized this phenomenon first spotted it on their smartphones, with half (52%) seeing it on their computers and a quarter (27%) on their tablets. While information showing people's behavior across devices is extremely valuable to companies, this type of tracking is controversial due to its lack of transparency and security concerns around consumers' data.
Ultrasonic cross-device tracking is a method used to link all the devices you own to track your behavior and location. These ultrasonic audio beacons can be embedded in many things we interact with daily: TV shows, online videos or websites, or apps on our phones. By using ultrasounds, audio beacons can detect when your phone is nearby, and apps on your phone can listen for approximate audio beacons to track what you are doing.
One reason many apps ask for permission to access your smartphone's microphone, even if they don't involve using your voice, is the use of audio beacons. A key part of cross-device tracking is the use of audio beacons, which are embedded into ultrasound - frequencies above the level that can be heard by humans - and can connect with the microphone on our devices without us knowing.
NordVPN cybersecurity advisor Adrianus Warmenhoven advises that while it is impossible to stop ultrasonic beacons from working, you can reduce the chance of your smartphone listening for them by restricting unnecessary permissions you have granted to the apps on your device. For example, you can change app permissions to revoke non-required permissions. Apple now requires apps to ask for permission before tracking you or your iPhone across websites or apps owned by other companies. Additionally, you can use a private browser like Tor or DuckDuckGo rather than the incognito mode in Google Chrome. These browsers do not profile you or save any of your personal data for sharing with marketers. Finally, using a VPN is one of the best ways to protect yourself from being tracked. A VPN encrypts every bit of information about your internet activity and stops IP-based tracking because it masks your IP address.
In conclusion, while ultrasonic cross-device tracking is a relatively new phenomenon, it is already causing concern for consumers worldwide. The lack of transparency and security concerns around consumers' data makes it controversial. To reduce cross-device tracking, consumers can change app permissions, use private browsers, and use a VPN. These steps can go a long way in protecting their privacy and preventing their data from being tracked and shared.
