Facebook partner admits smartphone microphones listen to people talk to serve better ads

In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that one of Facebook’s alleged marketing partners, Cox Media Group (CMG), has been using sophisticated technology to listen to users’ smartphone microphones and advertise to them based on their conversations.

This claim was highlighted in a pitch deck intended for prospective customers, where CMG described its “Active Listening” software as a tool that employs artificial intelligence (AI) to “capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations.”

According to a report by 404 Media, which obtained the leaked documents, CMG’s technology enables advertisers to pair voice data with behavioral data, allowing them to target consumers who are actively discussing specific topics.

This method, if true, represents a significant invasion of privacy, raising ethical concerns about the extent to which companies are willing to go to gather consumer data.

In the same pitch deck, CMG claimed that major tech companies, including Facebook, Google, and Amazon, were clients of its “Active Listening” service. However, the response from these companies has been varied and cautious.

After being contacted by 404 Media, Google swiftly removed CMG from its “Partners Program,” signaling a possible disavowal of any association with the controversial practice. Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has since initiated a review of CMG to determine whether the media group’s actions violate its terms of service.

Amazon, on the other hand, provided a somewhat ambiguous response. A spokesperson for Amazon Ads stated that the company “has never worked with CMG on this program and has no plans to do so.” However, they also mentioned that if any of its marketing partners were found to be violating company rules, appropriate action would be taken.

This isn’t the first time that CMG’s “Active Listening” technology has come under scrutiny. This latest leak marks the third instance in the past year that 404 Media has reported on CMG’s controversial voice-targeting service.

Back in December, the independent news outlet exposed a marketing company for boasting about similar technology on a podcast and also uncovered details about CMG’s “Active Listening” feature.

These revelations add fuel to the fire of long-standing suspicions that advertisers may be using smartphone microphones to eavesdrop on users’ conversations.

Despite these concerns, CMG has yet to respond to inquiries from media outlets like Gizmodo, which sought additional information about the technology.

As the tech industry continues to grapple with issues of privacy and data security, the alleged practices of CMG highlight the potential risks posed by the misuse of AI and voice recognition technologies.