Voice Sniffing

What does voice sniffing mean?

Eavesdropping by a voice assistant

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."

Example

I'm certain Alexa was voice sniffing our conversation yesterday because I received three ads for Home Depot today

Related Slang

Categories

Updated December 19, 2018

Voice sniffing definition by Slang.net

This page explains what the slang term "Voice sniffing" means. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the Slang.net team.

We are constantly updating our database with new slang terms, acronyms, and abbreviations. If you would like to suggest a term or an update to an existing one, please let us know!