“It’s true,” the advertising company claims. Your devices are listening to you

“There is little evidence to suggest that.”Your devices are listening to youBut that hasn’t stopped people from believing that big tech companies are watching their every word. And now, a marketing firm under Cox Media Group is throwing fuel on the fire with its claims that it can spread “active listening” through your smartphone, smart TV, and devices. Others to target ads to their customers.

It was first reported by 404 mediaCox Media Group Local Solutions plastered the theory on its website as an advertising strategy. “With active listening, CMG can now use audio data to target your ads to the specific people you are searching for,” the company wrote.

CMG has since redirected the Active Listening page on its website, but you can find it at Internet Archive, and is still listed as a strategy. Marketing asks you to “imagine” what it would do for your company if you could target customers using specific phrases in their everyday conversations. “The air conditioner is on its last stop!” Use the company as an example. The marketing company appears to be promoting the conspiracy theory, the privacy nightmare, that your phone’s microphone records everything you say and sells it to advertisers. CMG Local Solutions offers very few details on how to do this, and its claims are questionable, to say the least.

Cox Media Group and its marketing arm did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment.

Previous research has shown very little evidence that your phone’s microphone is listening to you. There is more conclusive evidence that combining your search queries with social media use and biscuit It’s more than enough for advertisers to track your data and understand your life. However, CMG Local Solutions appears to be making advertising deals with “active listening” as a product.

Is this legal? “Yes, it’s perfectly legal for phones and devices to listen to you,” CMG Local Solution says. This is because consumers typically give their consent when accepting the terms and conditions for software updates or app downloads. However, the marketing company provides very few details about how the data is actually collected or Who is providing it to them, and these claims cannot be verified. Apple also lets users know if their microphone or screen is actively recording through a small icon on your screen, so you can potentially know if your iPhone is monitoring ambient sound .

The marketing company says it builds audiences using audio data and retargets ads to users across live streaming, social media, YouTube and Google search. CMG Local Solutions says it has partnered with Google for 12 years, and lists other partners such as Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon. These partners and the FCC did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment.