Cox Media Admits to Using Smartphones to Spy on Private Conversations on Behalf of Facebook, Google, Amazon [Video]

Last Updated on September 7, 2024

Cox Media Group (CMG), a TV and radio news corporation, admitted to its investors in a pitched deck that its “Active Listening” software “capture[s] real-time intent data by listening to our conversations.”

404 Media reported that such marketing firms listen to smartphone microphone activity to determine pushed ads.

CMG’s pitch deck stated, “Advertisers can pair this voice data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers.” Consumers “leave a data trail based on their conversations and online behavior,” which machine learning AI collects and collates.

Facebook, Amazon and Google are said to be among the many clients CMG works with. However, after the release of 404 Media’s report, Google removed the company from its “Partners Program,” reported The New York Post.

Amazon responded to 404 Media, denying any …