About This Project
Demystifying the surveillance economy through technical clarity.
They Are Listening is an independent research initiative designed to separate technological fact from widespread paranoia regarding smart device audio recording.
The core thesis of this site is that the public focuses on the wrong threat model. People worry about rogue engineers listening to their living room conversations. While that happens occasionally as a byproduct of "quality assurance" programs, it is not the business model.
The actual business model is metadata extraction and identity resolution. It is algorithmic, scaleable, and entirely automated. It is about linking the fact that a commercial played on a screen in a specific room to the mobile device sitting on a couch in that same room, thereby proving the efficacy of an ad spend.
Methodology
The information presented on this site is derived from:
- Patent filings by major tech conglomerates regarding cross-device tracking.
- FTC settlement documents and enforcement actions (e.g., Vizio, Amazon).
- Academic research on Wake Word engine false-positive rates (e.g., Monnoyer et al.).
- Decompiled SDK documentation for data brokers (e.g., Alphonso, Silverpush).
Funding & Privacy
This site contains no trackers, no analytics scripts, no affiliate links, and no advertising. The typography is self-hosted. The site is generated statically. We do not want your data.