Google Nest? Amazon Alexa? Apple Siri?

At least TikTok definitely uses data somehow from microphones, without any (explicit) consent.

So they've hacked the permissions on the phone?

I don’t know how, I haven’t looked at or reverse engineered the code. What I do know is that topics I discuss with friends and family suddenly appear in the form of ads and user generated content in my FYP, when none of us has done a search or engaged in other online activity associated with them. Sometimes literally while we’re talking.

Isn't this just because they have so much data on you already?

e.g. what are 3 30 year olds in Toronto talking about this saturday? likely the drake concert, winter tires and xmas related things..

Even if your scenario were accurate, it's unlikely their data processing algorithms would pin the conversation down to within the hour of it happening, given that the schedules I keep are not fixed or typical in any way. Also, in my case for some of these, it's exceptionally unlikely given the individuals involved (a 20-something guy and a 40-something guy with odd senses of humor and esoteric interests in a romantic relationship).

Every voice assistant enabled company store voice audio. Some by accident. Some to "make" voice assistant better. Some to do other stuff with it. Your voice is stored for undisclosed time on their servers. It does not have to be stored for long. Unknown contractors look at the footage of your iRobot,tesla.

No regulator will find any proof of anything though, as regular employees will not have access to such crucial data. Regulators will also can be fooled by the maze of interfaces and servers.

There is also incentive for governments to "not see" any wrongdoings of the companies, if they profit from surveillance system.

Ad business is like Palantir in lord of the rings. You do know know who is watching on the other side.

All you have is some "vague" promise from corporations that your data are properly removed.