Voice Sniffing
Eavesdropping by a voice assistant
Example
I'm certain Alexa was voice sniffing our conversation yesterday because I received three ads for Home Depot today
Related Slang
| AI | Artificial intelligence |
| To search the Internet | |
| app | Application |
| Earjacking | Listening in on someone else's conversation |
| convo | Conversation |
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Voice sniffing is when a voice assistant listens to conversations for words that indicate an interest in some type of activity, which can be used for advertising purposes. It is similar to "eavesdropping" but applies to voice assistants, such as Alexa, Google, and Siri.
When the voice assistant device detects certain words, such as "like" or "love," it begins to analyze the audio and gather keywords. The voice assistant then sends the keyword data to the content provider, such as Amazon, Google, or Apple, who then generates a profile for the user that can be used to advertise to the user. The term was coined in 2018 when Amazon filed a patent for an algorithm that enables Alexa to "voice sniff."