A recent report has confirmed a long-held suspicion: your phone really is listening to you. A marketing firm whose clients include major tech companies has privately admitted to using artificial intelligence to capture real-time intent data by listening to consumers’ conversations and subsequently placing targeted ads based on the information gathered. Cox Media Group, a television and radio news conglomerate, revealed in a pitch deck to investors that it uses AI-powered software to collect and analyze behavioral and voice data from over 470 sources.
This voice data is then paired with behavioral data to target in-market consumers. The slideshow includes claims that Facebook, Google, and Amazon are clients of Cox Media Group. However, Google has removed CMG from its “Partners Program” website after being contacted by the media outlet 404 Media.
A Google spokesperson stated, “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, is also investigating whether CMG has violated any of its terms of service.
Cox Media’s AI-powered data capture
“Meta does not use your phone’s microphone for ads and we’ve been public about this for years,” a Meta spokesperson said.
“We are reaching out to CMG to get them 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, raising concerns over its legality. “We know what you’re thinking.
Is this even legal?” the company noted in a statement from November 2023. “It is legal for phones and devices to listen to you. When a new app download or update prompts consumers with a multi-page term of use agreement, somewhere in the fine print, Active Listening is often included.
The Post has sought comment from Cox Media Group and Amazon regarding these revelations.
