Meta Isn't Recording Your Mic. The Social Graph Is Just Better.
Instagram and Meta ads do not record ambient audio. Here is the math behind why social graphs and call transcripts feel like surveillance.
OpenAI Bugging Incident, Are Your Devices Listening? Xbox Launches Remix Lab | Diet TBPN
With John Coogan, Jordi Hays · Sunday, October 18, 2026
John Coogan and Jordi Hays discuss an amateur corporate espionage attempt at OpenAI involving a $15 bugging device hidden behind a television. They also explore claims surrounding ambient audio recording in smartphones and LG Smart TVs, Apple's smart home moves, Microsoft's new Xbox Labs initiative for modding and vibe coding, and Kelly Clarkson's viral retail feud with Brooklyn store Art of Play.
Key takeaways
- Wired debunked phone microphone spying in 2017, and former product manager Antonio Garcia Martinez confirmed the technical barriers on The Joe Rogan Experience in 2022. Read more →
- Gamers Nexus released a two-hour investigation alleging that LG Smart TVs function like spyware, scanning local networks for connected smart devices. Read more →
2 articles from this episode
LG Smart TVs Record Audio Offline and Store Plain Text Transcripts
A Gamers Nexus investigation reveals LG Smart TVs record audio offline, store plain text transcripts, and tap public Wi-Fi to send data.
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