True urban legend? Company admits it has software that can listen to people on their mobile phones

Cox Media Group (CMG), an advertising company that is a partner of giants such as Google, Meta and Amazon, will use a tool that can listen to user conversations to target ads. According to documents obtained from its website, the function, called “Active Listening”, uses the microphone of smart devices to capture consumption preferences 404 Media.

CMG’s software essentially brings to life a popular conspiracy theory: smart devices always listen to youThe document describes a tool that can capture ambient sound (e.g. conversations), identify topics being discussed or mentioned, and add those points to the user’s profile. These preferences will then be used to target ads with higher relevance.

The resulting leakage 404 Media is a feature presentation slide for potential clients. “Active Listening” is available for $100 per day (R$563 in direct conversion) to collect weekly data from a group of users within a 10-mile radius, or $200 per day (R$1,126) within a 20-mile radius.

“Smart devices are capturing real-time intent data by listening to our conversations. Advertisers can combine this voice data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers,” CMG explained.

“We use AI to aggregate this data from over 470 sources to improve campaign execution, targeting, and performance,” he continued.

However, The slides do not specifically state which devices recorded the speeches The slides are limited to explaining the “Active Listening” suggestion, but do not explain exactly how it works.

In the presentation, CMG says its clients include Amazon, Google and MetaHowever, the document does not state that the giants used the solution for advertising purposes.

Instant boycott

As soon as possible 404 Media He reported the leak to Google Gigante das Buscas announces removal of CMG from its partner program“All advertisers must comply with our Google Ads policies as well as all applicable laws and regulations,” the company said.

Even if the target does not take the same precautions, The company announced that CMG was a “general partner” and said it does not use “Active Listening” to target ads. The Mark Zuckerberg-led company said it would explore details about the tool.

Similarly, Amazon said it never worked with CMG’s active listening solution.

Your mobile phone warns you about microphone usage

If you are using an up-to-date version of iOS and Android, Your device will notify you when any app enables the microphone to capture sound. Apple and Google added this functionality in 2021.

This way, when some components of your mobile phone (for example the camera or microphone) are activated, the user is notified of the event.

However, not all smart devices offer visual cues for audio capture. Smart speakers like the Echo Dot and Google Nest Mini rely on audio capture to respond to user requests at all times.

Known espionage

This is not the first visit to this site. 404 Media Learns about ‘Active Listening’: A November 2023 report detailing CMG’s discussions on the legality of espionage.

From the company’s perspective, it’s perfectly permissible to hear what users are talking about on their devices, and the company even states that consumers agree to have their conversations recorded in the terms of use of the app or service.