Smartphones have been used to collect data on user activity since 2007.
Posted by REAL AF with Andy Frisella, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
REAL AF with Andy FrisellaOct 28, 2026
The claim is a fair paraphrase of the passage, which ties smartphone data collection to the 2007 start of smartphone use. The NYT Wirecutter piece (tier2) says that since 2007 app-privacy controversies over mobile data collection have grown, and Albert Fox Cahn says the shift to mobile devices after the iPhone's introduction brought a sea change in data collection.
What was said
… But, you know, dude, I don't know. Ah, I don't like it. I don't think anybody likes it, but we also have to be honest about it. You know, we've been carrying smartphones around since 2007, and these guys have been collecting data on every single thing that we look at, well, the messages we send. Like, if you guys think that they don't read your DMS and all that shit, you're insane. Like, there's not and I don't think that's right. …
REAL AF with Andy Frisella · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The NYT Wirecutter article states that since 2007, app-privacy controversies over mobile data collection have snowballed, and quotes an expert saying the move to mobile devices brought a sea change in data collection.[3]
Supports. Reuters' timeline places the unveiling of the first iPhone in January 2007, marking the start of the smartphone era the claim refers to.[1]
Supports. Later sources document smartphone data collection, such as Facebook's 2015–2018 collection of Android call and text logs, which is consistent with the claim though it does not date the practice to 2007.[2]
Context. Sources do not give a specific 2007 date for the first use of smartphones to collect user activity data, so the 2007 start point rests on the broader trend described by the NYT piece.[3]
Sources
3 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 tier 2
- 1Timeline: Change at the top of Research In Motionreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2How Facebook was able to siphon off phone call and text logsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3How Mobile Phones Became a Privacy Battleground—and How to ...nytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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