I want to add one more thing. The ads weren't just for a travel destination. It would be something totally out of character for us like "Let's build a tree house and rent in out on AirBnb" and there would be ads for renting out tree houses.
They weren't analyzing voice, but what they are doing gets them just as much or more data.
- They watch how quickly you scroll through the news feed at what you pause on, even briefly.
- They have ad deals with many of the sites you probably visit so can determine many of your search terms and interests even if you didn't search those things through Facebook itself.
- They have your friend & family graph and Facebook messenger context. Even if you personally didn't say something, maybe you mentioned it to a friend at some point and they searched it or discussed it in a chat.
Sure but did you have any other interaction with the internet about these topics? Did you search Google for tree house building codes? Did you search Pinterest or Instagram for ideas?
I have heard this anecdote many times but I don't believe Facebook is actually recording everything we say. Mostly because I don't think our phones have that kind of battery life. I do think they have data on essentially everything you do online.
I wonder if it is also possible they associate you with searches your friends have done after being in the same location? So if you chat about going to Bali with your friends or co-workers, and one of them searches for Bali flights, they then display Bali ads to the entire group.
This is true, they are known to monitor location all the time and display ads like this. They will also suggest people to be friends if they find you guys hang out in person a lot.
