Cox Media Group's Controversial Active Listening Technology Raises Privacy Concerns

In Leak, Facebook Partner Brags About Listening to Your Phone’s Microphone to Serve Ads for Stuff You Mention 🔗

One of Facebook's alleged marketing partners explained how it listens to users' smartphone microphones and advertises to them accordingly.

Cox Media Group (CMG) has come under scrutiny for its "Active Listening" technology, which allegedly uses artificial intelligence to listen to smartphone microphones and serve targeted ads based on conversations. Leaked documents indicate that CMG claims this service can capture real-time intent data to help advertisers reach consumers. Major tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon were mentioned as clients, leading Google to remove CMG from its partner program. Despite the controversy surrounding the legality and ethics of such practices, CMG has not disclosed how it gathers voice data.

CMG's "Active Listening" software listens to conversations for targeted advertising.
Facebook, Google, and Amazon were listed as clients, prompting scrutiny.
CMG charges for targeted ads based on proximity, raising privacy concerns.

What is CMG's "Active Listening" technology?

CMG's "Active Listening" technology uses AI to listen to smartphone microphones and serve targeted advertisements based on the user's spoken conversations.

Are any major tech companies associated with CMG's Active Listening service?

Yes, CMG claimed that Facebook, Google, and Amazon were clients of its Active Listening service, although Google has since removed CMG from its partner program.

Is it legal for companies to listen to users' conversations via their phones?

According to CMG, it is legal for devices to listen as long as users consent to it through lengthy terms of use agreements that often include Active Listening provisions.