Yousef Abu Dayeh, Aisha Al Attiyah, Haya Al Kubaisi, Ahmad Al-Obaidan, Mooza Al Thani, and May Khin, Carnegie Mellon University Qatar; Ben Weinshel and Lorrie Faith Cranor, Carnegie Mellon University; Yuvraj Agarwal, CMU
Digital platforms leverage user data to deliver personalized ads, yet users suspect that offline behaviors, spoken conversations, drive targeting. We surveyed 35 participants using mixed methods to explore beliefs about audio-based ad targeting. 63% of participants indicated that they thought audio-based ad targeting is used. We assessed whether participants would find other explanations for such targeting compelling, finding that technical/legal clarifications had limited impact, with distrust in voice assistants correlating strongly with belief persistence. Low trust in voice assistants and high concern about device listening correlated with these beliefs; staff reported greater worry than students. Our findings highlight enduring folk theories of ad targeting and the limits of technical correction.
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