A marketing firm has admitted using phones to listen to conversations to place targeted ads. Cox Media Group (CMG) revealed in a pitch deck to investors that it employs artificial intelligence to capture real-time intent data by listening to conversations. This data is then paired with behavioral data to target in-market consumers.
The presentation indicated that consumers leave a data trail based on their conversations and online behavior. The AI-powered software collects and analyzes both behavioral and voice data from over 470 sources. The slideshow lists CMG’s clients, including Facebook, Google, and Amazon.
However, Google removed CMG from its “Partners Program” website after being contacted by 404 Media.
Cox’s data collection methods exposed
A Google spokesperson said, “All advertisers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations as well as our Google Ads policies, and when we identify ads or advertisers that violate these policies, we will take appropriate action.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, reviewed CMG to see whether any terms of service were violated.
A Meta spokesperson said, “Meta does not use your phone’s microphone for ads, and we’ve been public about this for years. We are reaching out to CMG to clarify that their program is not based on Meta data.”
An Amazon spokesperson told 404 Media that its advertising arm has never worked with CMG on this program and has no plans to do so. The company stated that it would take action against any partner that violates its rules.
The report also revealed the existence of CMG’s “Active Listening” feature. A document from November 2023 stated, “It is legal for phones and devices to listen to you. Active Listening is often included when a new app download or update prompts consumers with a multi-page term of use agreement somewhere in the fine print.
CMG and Amazon have been sought for comment.
