Facebook partner admits to eavesdropping on smartphone microphone conversations for advertising

Cox Media Group (CMG) - a large advertising media company, whose clients include Facebook and Google, has admitted to using the "Active Listening" feature to eavesdrop on conversations through phone microphones to collect data for advertising purposes.

404 Media acquired CMG's pitch deck published in November 2023. In the deck, CMG pitched Big Tech companies on a technology used for surveillance and active listening called "Voice Data."

CMG publicly announced that they use AI-powered Active Listening software to collect real-time data by listening to phone users' conversations. The ad content, CMG said, most people always have a smart device within a 5cm radius, so when they talk about their plans for the weekend, about the need to renovate the kitchen or which SUV is best for the family... This helps businesses know who needs them and use the collected data to target ads effectively.

CMG also emphasizes, “Don’t just know what they’re searching for — know what they’re talking about.” The company eavesdrops without regard for consumer consent and privacy.

The document reveals that CMG's clients include Facebook, Google, and Amazon, but does not specify whether they use Active Listening tools.

404 Media has reached out to Google for comment on its relationship with CMG. The search giant has since said it no longer works with the company.

Meta, meanwhile, said it does not use users' phone microphones for advertising and has been open about it for years. Meta will investigate CMG to see if the company has violated any of its terms of service.

Amazon said it has never worked with CMG on the program and has no plans to do so.