U.S. Media Titan Cox Media Group Claims to Collect Information for Ad Targeting by Listening to Users' Smartphone Microphones

Cox Media Group (CMG), a behemoth in publishing and media in the United States, has been found utilizing highly sophisticated technology to activate microphones on users' smartphones to collect conversations, which are then used to serve personalized ads based on the content of those conversations.

In presentations shown to potential clients, Cox Media Group promoted this technology as a way to attract customers to advertise through various means. The group describes its "Active Listening" software as an AI-powered tool capable of capturing real-time intent data by listening to conversations.

Notably, according to information obtained by 404MEDIA, Cox Media Group's technology allows ad networks to match voice data with behavioral data, enabling them to target consumers actively discussing specific topics.

If these methods of listening and ad targeting are true, they represent a severe invasion of privacy. Our everyday conversations could be collected by malicious apps or ad networks, posing significant privacy leak risks.

Cox Media Group's presentation also claimed that major tech companies, including Facebook, Google, and Amazon, are clients of its active listening technology services, suggesting that these companies might already be using this technology to listen to users.

When 404MEDIA contacted Google to inquire if it uses such technology to listen to user conversations, Google quickly removed Cox Media Group from its partnership program but did not provide further details.

Facebook's parent company, Meta, responded to the news by stating it had initiated a review of Cox Media Group to determine if its actions violated Facebook's server terms.

Amazon's response was somewhat ambiguous. An Amazon advertising spokesperson claimed the company had never collaborated with Cox Media Group on this project and has no plans to use the technology. Additionally, if any marketing partners are found to violate regulations, appropriate actions will be taken.

Thus, it can be confirmed that Facebook, Google, and Amazon indeed have collaborations with Cox Media Group, although whether these partnerships involve actively turning on users' smartphone microphones to listen to conversations remains uncertain.