It is one of the most widely held conspiracy theories in tech: could Facebook be listening to its users in order to target ads at them? It isn’t, says the Guardian’s UK tech editor, Alex Hern, but the company has plenty of other ways to monitor you. Plus: George Monbiot on ‘rewilding’ the planet to combat climate catastrophe

Last week, Facebook said it was planning to demystify how its news feed works in a bid to put an end to a widespread conspiracy theory. Many of its users believe the social media site is listening in to their conversations through their phone’s microphone in order to better target ads at them. It is a claim Facebook and its boss, Mark Zuckerberg, have categorically denied.

The Guardian’s UK technology editor, Alex Hern, tells Anushka Asthana there is good reason to believe Facebook on this: but the company has many other ways of monitoring its users’ behaviour, online activity and habits. And some of them will shock you.

Also today: our columnist George Monbiot on how wide-scale “rewilding” of the natural world can be a powerful means of protecting the atmosphere.