A marketing firm called Cox Media Group has recently revealed that it is listening to user conversations via their smartphones through its so-called "Active Listening" Software. With this, the company will push advertisements that users will see on certain platforms based on the heard conversations as unveiled by a report.
The famed media conglomerate is known for its massive partnership with Meta's Facebook and Google, among other Big Tech clients.
Cox Media Group Confess That It Listens to Your Conversations for Ads
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404 Media's recent exposé unveiled how Cox Media Group (CMG) privately confessed that it can listen to user conversations via a person's smartphone to help them deliver the most appropriate ads in their online experience. It was revealed that CMG admitted this via a slide deck unveiled to investors, detailing how it can listen in on a conversation.
This was made possible through CMG's "Active Listening" software according to the New York Post, and it also uses artificial intelligence to obtain "real-time data."
Later on, its AI will analyze these collected data across over 470 sources, with the consumers leaving data trail "based on their conversations." That being said, it was not revealed how many users were affected by this spying.
Cox Media Group's Big Tech Partners: Facebook, Google, Amazon
In CMG's presentation, the radio and television news conglomerate also unveiled its three Big Tech partners for advertising and marketing. This includes Amazon Advertising, Google (as a Google Partner), and Facebook (as a Facebook Marketing Partner).
Google has since removed CMG from its 'Partners Program,' while Meta claimed that Cox Media Group is under review. On the other hand, Amazon denied that CMG was its partner.
All Big Tech companies denied using customers' microphones to spy on their conversations, claiming that these are violations of their ad policies.
Targeted Ads and Snooping on User Data
Targeted ads have been a significant issue in the digital world as they have been reportedly collecting user data to give users the most appropriate campaigns based on their interests. In 2022, Meta vowed that it would block advertisers from targeting users in their ad placements, particularly in sensitive categories like health, politics, religion, and more.
Big Tech companies have since faced significant issues regarding ad targeting and spying on user data which allow advertisers to maximize their reach.
That being said, there are companies like DuckDuckGo that offer tools to prevent trackers from spying on user data and their sensitive information.
While these online trackers have since been promised to be removed like Google's cookie storage, Meta's privacy solutions, Apple's App Tracking feature, and more are in place, there are still scrutinies present.
Cox Media Group recently admitted that it spies on user's conversations via their phones using its advanced software, all for the betterment of its ad targeting service.
