12 common tech myths you should stop believing today
Given the ongoing privacy scandals that have surrounded Facebook over the past year, there are plenty of reasons why the general public may be skeptical of the social network.
But a persistent myth that's floated around for years is the idea that Facebook eavesdrops on personal conversations and then later serves ads based on what you say. That simply isn't true, says Facebook.
The belief came about as people began to come forward with stories over the years in which they had encountered Facebook ads that closely mirrored recent conversations. For example, one couple saw wedding ads the day after they had gotten engaged, before they had even told anyone, as the BBC reported.
Facebook issued a statement in 2016 to debunk this claim. "Facebook does not use your phone's microphone to inform ads or to change what you see in the News Feed," the company wrote. "We show ads based on people's interest and other profile information â not what you're talking out loud about."
