Privacy In the Confessional: Is Your Smartphone Listening to Your Sins? by Jonah McKeown

By Jonah McKeown, CNA Staff, Oct 28, 2024

Jonah McKeown is a staff writer and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, as a producer for public radio, and as a videographer. He is based in St. Louis.

CNA Staff, Oct 28, 2024 / 06:00 am – Anyone who uses a smartphone has likely experienced the same unsettling phenomenon — a pointedly placed advertisement that seems to show up right after you’ve discussed a topic or product.

Could it be true that your phone is “listening” to your private conversations?

It’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer — and one that has bred enough uncertainty that bishops are starting to issue bans on smartphones in that most private of Catholic spaces: the confessional.

Here’s what you need to know about the privacy concerns surrounding smartphones and how one Catholic diocese is responding.

Protecting the seal …