Many users often wonder how Instagram seems to know exactly what they want to search or buy. A common experience is talking about a product, such as clothing or a gadget, and then seeing it appear as an ad shortly afterward. This has led to long-standing rumors that Instagram and its parent company, Meta, secretly listen to conversations through phone microphones.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and a former Facebook executive, recently addressed these claims. He dismissed the idea as nothing more than an “age-old conspiracy theory.” Mosseri explained that secretly recording users would be a massive invasion of privacy and is not how the platform operates.
Instead, Meta relies on advanced data analysis and artificial intelligence to deliver targeted ads. By studying likes, clicks, and user interactions, the system predicts what content or products people are most likely to engage with. This makes ads feel highly personal, without the need to spy on private conversations.
Mosseri admitted that even his wife has questioned how ads can appear so precise, joking that it sometimes feels like the app is “reading your mind.” However, he stressed that the technology behind these ads is based purely on algorithms and AI-driven targeting, not secret recordings.
Despite these reassurances, many users remain skeptical. Some continue to report that simply mentioning a product aloud is followed by related ads on Instagram, fueling the belief in so-called “mind-reading ads.”
Meta insists this is only the result of powerful algorithms that anticipate user interests with impressive accuracy. Still, as the company increases its reliance on AI, the fine line between smart targeting and unsettling precision remains. This ongoing tension keeps conspiracy theories alive, even as Meta strongly denies any form of eavesdropping.
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