(The Economic Collapse Blog)—Have you ever been thinking about something and then an ad for that very thing comes up on your phone? It isn’t just a coincidence when that happens. Our phones are the greatest surveillance devices that have ever been created in the entire history of humanity. When you carry a phone with you, you are carrying around a microphone, a camera, a location tracking device and a social media hub all rolled into one. Tech companies are literally collecting thousands upon thousands of data points on each one of us, and all of that information is fed into extremely sophisticated algorithms.
There are many apps that specifically request access to your microphone or camera. Some apps want access to both.
Giving apps such permission is a very dangerous thing to do. There are some apps that are specifically designed to pick out keywords from conversations that you are having with your contacts.
That is just one of the reasons why you may notice an ad for something that you were just discussing with a friend pop up.
Your phone has the ability to track everywhere that you go as well. So if you driving down the highway, you may get an ad for a nearby hotel. That is just the way that it works.
Of course we also willingly offer vast amounts of data to the big tech companies by searching the Internet and by interacting with others on social media.
In fact, your Facebook profile is literally a treasure trove of personal information. Don’t put anything on Facebook that you don’t want the entire world to know.
Our phones are far more advanced than most people realize. According to one expert, our phones can even determine when we are asleep…
Phone sensors have become very good at automatically capturing data, including whether you’re moving, walking, sitting or sleeping. “The machine-learning algorithm on your phone detects the phone screen hasn’t been turned on in two hours, no apps have been used, it’s after 11 p.m. on a weekday and the phone is charging. Therefore, we assume you’re asleep,” explains Dominic Sellitto, a clinical assistant professor of management science and systems at the University at Buffalo School of Management. “There’s so much that these phones collect about you, but they use this data to infer even more about you.”
All of the information that our phones collect is processed by extremely sophisticated algorithms. And those algorithms are very good at showing us eerily accurate ads…
Imagine this: you’re casually chatting with a friend about planning a trip to the Maldives. A few hours later, you open your smartphone, and guess what? You’re bombarded with ads for tropical getaways, swimsuit sales, and “best hotels in the Maldives” suggestions. Coincidence? Or is your phone secretly tuned into your every thought? Welcome to the era of advanced AI technologies that sometimes make it feel like our smartphones are practically reading our minds.
Of course what we are experiencing now is just the beginning.
As AI technology continues to grow at an exponential rate, we are rapidly getting to a point where your phone will know you “better than even your closest friends might”…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the backbone of modern smartphones. We may think AI is limited to voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant, but it’s everywhere — from predictive text to facial recognition to those eerily accurate recommendations you get while shopping online. AI works by gathering vast amounts of data and analyzing patterns to predict behaviors. So no, your smartphone isn’t literally reading your mind, but it’s collecting and analyzing a lot of information about you.
When you use your phone, you’re leaving behind a trail of digital breadcrumbs: what you click, how long you scroll, your search history, and even how fast you type. AI crunches these numbers to understand you better. Essentially, your phone is getting to know you — your habits, preferences, and patterns — better than even your closest friends might.
So what could a tyrannical government do with this sort of technology?
If authorities had access to every single detail of your life, there would be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
And the fact that most of us are constantly being watched, monitored and tracked is certainly not good for our mental health.
A new study that was recently released discovered that constant surveillance can increase feelings of stress…
The latest study found that unconscious processes were affected by being watched, with participants in a study performing faster when under surveillance.
That may seem like a positive thing, but scientists say it puts the brain in constant fight-or-flight mode, something that can be stressful and taxing.
The impact is likely worse on those with mental illness, particularly conditions where people may be hypersensitive to being observed, like schizophrenia or social anxiety.
I definitely do not like to feel like I am being watched.
So I do not carry a phone around with me.
These days, that puts me solidly in the minority.
We have raised an entire generation of young Americans that have become accustomed to being constantly glued to their phones.
But many of them have also become accustomed to having their parents pay their phone bills…
When Kaylynn St. Peters turned 27, she got a job doing entertainment booking, but her excitement took a slight hit when her dad saw it as a sign it was time for her to start paying her own phone bill.
“I was kind of riding that high until they kicked me off,” St. Peters said.
While some may believe your late 20’s is a tardy start to taking on such a task, on average, people start paying for their own cell line at age 27, a responsibility 76% of Americans consider one of the ultimate signs of adulthood, according to a new AT&T survey. Still, 32% of people don’t start paying their own cell phone bill until they are 30 or older and 18% don’t take it on until after they’ve turned 40.
I was quite stunned when I saw those numbers.
Even if young adults are still living at home, they should at least be paying for their own phones.
We live in a world that is so different from the one that many of us grew up in.
When I was young, a “phone” was something that sat on the wall and that would ring once in a while when someone was trying to call.
Today, most of the population has become completely addicted to “phones” that can perform thousands of different tasks and that are constantly spying on them.
Have these phones made our society a better place? I certainly don’t think so.
Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
Bypass Big Tech Censors
Starting the Day With a Scripture-Inspired Roast Helps Center Your Thoughts on Eternal Truths Amid Temporal Pressures
The world can seem chaotic, especially right after we wake up. Many believers start their mornings reaching for something familiar — a hot cup of coffee — yet end up settling for mediocre brews that do little more than deliver a caffeine jolt. The daily grind of life, with its endless distractions, news cycles, and responsibilities, can leave even the most faithful feeling spiritually parched alongside their physical fatigue. What if your morning ritual could do more than wake you up? What if it could ground you in truth, nourish your body with exceptional quality, and quietly advance a kingdom purpose at the same time?
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The challenge for today’s Christians runs deeper than finding a decent cup. In an age of convenience-driven consumerism, it’s easy to support companies that dilute values or remain silent on matters of faith. Many believers want their everyday choices — from what they drink to how they spend — to reflect discipleship rather than just convenience. Promised Grounds solves this by weaving Christian excellence into the entire process: beans nurtured with prayerful stewardship by farming families, roasted as an offering rather than a commodity, and packaged with Bible verses to encourage a mindset of gratitude and purpose from the first sip. Reviewers consistently praise the smooth, rich profiles — whether enjoyed black in a drip maker, iced on a warm day, or shared in fellowship — noting how the quality stands toe-to-toe with premium secular brands while delivering something far more meaningful.
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