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Amidst growing concerns about data privacy and the increasing sophistication of ad targeting, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has publicly refuted allegations that the platform secretly listens to users’ conversations to personalize advertisements. In a recent video, Mosseri dismissed the long-standing rumor as false, citing the significant battery drain and ethical implications of such a practice. He instead attributed targeted ads to factors like user browsing history, the interests of their connections, and random chance. This denial arrives as Meta, Instagram’s parent company, unveils its intention to leverage AI-powered chatbots to enhance ad personalization, further fueling the debate surrounding online privacy.