I Talked About "Cat Food" Near My Phone

Everyone has a story. "I talked about a trip to Mexico, and 5 minutes later, BOOM, airline ad."

Tech companies deny this. They say uploading 24/7 audio is too much data. I decided to test it scientifically.

The Protocol

• Subject: Cat Food (I hate cats, never verify owning one, never search for it).
• Method: For 3 days, I would sit alone with my phone and say phrases like:
  "I really need to buy wet food for my cat."
  "Whiskas is the best brand."
  "My cat is so hungry."
• Control: My computer (AdBlock on) vs Phone (Instagram/Facebook active).

The Result

Conclusion: It didn't work. I felt stupid talking to my phone about imaginary cats.

However... The "Coincidence"

On Day 4, I visited a friend's house. She has a cat. My phone's GPS overlapped with her phone's GPS for 2 hours.

The next morning? ADVERTISEMENT FOR PET INSURANCE.

The Real Surveillance

They don't need to listen to your voice. That's inefficient. They track:

1. Location Co-presence: "He is near a Cat Owner -> He might like Cats."
2. Predictive AI: "People of his age usually get a pet around now."

The microphone theory is a myth we tell ourselves because the reality (predictive data modeling) is harder to understand and much creepier.