454
Hundreds of smartphone apps are monitoring users through their microphones
(www.the-independent.com)
this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2025
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Technology
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Yeah, most people just click beyond that in a millisecond because it's just an an annoyance between them and the needed dopamine.
I think app stores can do a whole lot more, especially with he insane amounts of money they're earning from it (hello and fuck you, apple). They can make microphone access a special privilege that requires the developer to make a special request that gets verified on the app store before the app can be released, for example
I think a middle ground may be having that requirement for background mic usage, or usage without a specific user prompt that turns on a mic.
Lots of apps have legitimate use for the mic. Apps having legitimate use for the mic while you're not actively using the app on screen are more limited and need stricter permissions.
I'd also like to have a hardware mic mute switch that physically disconnects the mic, so I can just keep it off unless I want it like I do with the mic and Webcam on my computer.