At a trade meeting with prospective buyers, the Active Listening software was presented, and in the tests one of the partners explained how it listens to the microphones of the users' smartphones and presents them with corresponding advertisements.
As the 404 Media website reports and based on documents leaked to its reporters, television and radio news giant Cox Media Group (CMG) claims its so-called “Active Listening” software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to “capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations on mobile".
"Advertisers can combine this voice data with behavioral data to target consumers with relevant ads."
In the same presentation, CMG considered Facebook, Google and Amazon to become customers of the service. 404media has contacted Google about its partnership with CGM and they have advised that they have removed CGM from their website listed at "Affiliate Program". This prompted Meta to admit that it is looking into CMG to see if anyone is violating its terms of service.
An Amazon spokesperson, meanwhile, told 404media that the ad industry “has never partnered with CMG on this program and does not intend to. It also added that if one of its marketing partners violates its rules, the company will take action.
All of this history reinforces users' long-held suspicions about advertisers using our phones to listen to us. And Active Listening software isn't new.
In an old CGM announcement of November 2023 we read: “We know what you're thinking. Is this legal? Is it legal for phones and devices to listen in on you? When a new app download or update asks consumers for a multi-page terms of use agreement, Active Listening will be included somewhere in the fine print.”
Beyond whether or not it's legal, CMG didn't say how it obtains its alleged voice data, saying only that it can identify users who are "ready to buy" and create targeted ad lists based on their interests.
He charges for this service $100 per day to target people within an 18km radius and $200 per day to target people within a 35km radius.
