Remember, how we all thought that our phones were listening to our conversation, but we had no proof? Well, now we have. The long-held suspicion became reality after a marketing firm confirmed that the smartphones come with software to listen to users. The firm, whose clients are Google and Facebook, has admitted that it uses phone’s microphone to collect information. This means, when you spoke to your mom about buying a coffee maker, your phone was also listening. And then it rained ads telling where you can buy it. You let it go, thinking you might have googled it. But this isn’t the case. The report, published by 404 Media, stated that it is not just what you search for but also what you speak near the phone that gets you the ads.
What is Active Listening software?
According to a report, Cox Media Group, a major player in television and radio news, revealed in a presentation to investors that its Active Listening technology utilises AI to collect real-time data on user intentions by monitoring and analysing conversations, effectively eavesdropping on discussions to gather insights. Furthermore, the company also wrote in the pitch deck that this tech allows advertisers to combine voice data with behavioural data, enabling them to precisely target consumers who are actively considering a purchase, creating a powerful tool for targeted advertising.
According to the report, the company also claimed that this tech helps in collecting the data trail left by the consumers “on their conversations and online behaviour”. It notes that the AI-powered software collects and analyses “behavioural and voice data from 470+ sources.”
It is the third-time in a year that 404 Media has blown the lid off around the shady Active listening software. In December, it exposed the marketing company for promoting invasive technology on its podcast. Read more here, about the December case. Not just that, it also shed light on Cox Media Group’s secretive Active Listening feature, bringing attention to the potentially unsettling practice of monitoring and exploiting users’ conversations for data.
Meta and Amazon have taken steps
The recent leak has created a ripple effect. Since Meta and Amazon are directly related to the marketing firm, both have decided to take this matter in their hands. The details have prompted Meta to conduct a thorough review and analysis of the agency’s terms of service to ascertain if they have been collecting and utilising user data without explicit permission, potentially violating their contractual obligations and compromising user trust.
On the other hand, Amazon denied any involvement in the marketing agency’s data privacy fiasco and made it clear that it does not plan to work with the agency. It has also issued a stern warning, stating that it will take swift legal action if it finds that any of its partners have breached its terms of service, emphasising its commitment to protecting user data and upholding its standards.
In their opinion, Cox Media Group once stated in a now-deleted post, that the users agree with the Active Listening tech every time they download a new app. It said, “We know what you’re thinking. Is this even legal? It is legal for phones and devices to listen to you. When a new app download or update prompts consumers with a multi-page term of use agreement somewhere in the fine print, Active Listening is often included.”
It claims that the existence and utilisation of listening software are typically buried in the dense and often overlooked terms of use agreement that users hastily agree to when installing a new app or updating an existing one, allowing the software to be deployed without explicit consent.