Since the start of targeted advertising on websites and social media, there have been many theories circulating that claim smartphones and other gadgets, including tablets and laptops, actively listen to users' conversations in order to offer personalised ads. Now, a new report has validated these long-standing suspicions.
According to 404 Media, Cox Media Group, a marketing firm whose clients include Facebook and Google, has privately admitted that it listens to users’ smartphone microphones and then places ads based on the information that is picked up. The television and radio news conglomerate admitted in a pitch deck to investors that its “Active Listening” software uses artificial intelligence to “capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations.”
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"Advertisers can pair this voice data with behavioural data to target in-market consumers," the company wrote in the pitch deck.
"Consumers leave a data trail based on their conversations and online behaviour," and that the AI-powered software collects and analyses said "behavioural and voice data from 470+ sources," CMG noted in the deck.
Google removed CMG from its "Partners Program" website after it was contacted by 404 Media to comment on the matter.
"All advertisers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations as well as our Google Ads policies, and when we identify ads or advertisers that violate these policies, we will take appropriate action," a Google spokesperson told The Post.
