Yes, our phones are listening to us. But they’re not the only ones. So are companies, and they’re using our conversations to target us with ads, according to an investigation.
We’ve all been there. You mention something one day – a new jacket, a holiday, double glazing – and sure enough the next day ads for it are all over your social media.
In the past this has always been waved off by big tech as evidence of its superior ad tracking and our own paranoia. You might not think you’ve searched for something, but actually you lingered on an Instagram post about a similar product and bam! It knows you’re in the market.
And in another sense, our devices are always listening to us. If you use Siri, Alexa, Cortana or other voice-activated assistants, they have to be listening out for the keyword to jump into action.
But the idea that anyone else could be listening to your conversations too is beyond horrifying – yet that’s what a US-based media firm appears to be offering to its customers.
An investigation by 404 Media found Cox Media Group subsidiary CMG Local Solutions offers a product known as Active Listening, which it says can identify customers ‘based on casual conversations in real time’.
‘It may seem like black magic, but it’s not-it’s AI,’ it writes in a blog post, now redirected to the CMG Local Solutions homepage.
‘The growing ability to access microphone data on devices like smartphones and tablets enables our technology partner to aggregate and analyse voice data during pre-purchase conversations.’
Cox Media Group is an Atlanta-based company that owns a number of TV and radio stations.
The post continued: ‘What would it mean for your business if you could target potential clients who are actively discussing their need for your services in their day-to-day conversations?
‘No, it’s not a Black Mirror episode – it’s Voice Data, and CMG has the capabilities to use it to your business advantage.’
While 404 Media was not able to confirm the technology it is advertising actually works or has been deployed, it spoke to a marketing professional who said a CMG representative provided the prices of the product.
On LinkedIn, a senior sales consultant for the company, Chris Marxmillar, notes in his bio: ‘Ask me about our NEW product – ACTIVE LISTENING.’
The company itself also noted that the return on investment is ‘already impressive’.
And online, on another page since redirected to the homepage, the company writes: ‘With Active Listening, CMG can now use voice data to target your advertising to the EXACT people you are looking for. Don’t wait, give us a call today!’
The blurb sits beneath the headline: ‘It’s true. Your devices are listening to you.’
According to CMG Local Solutions, the software is geo-sensitive, allowing clients to ‘claim’ a territory in which they can listen into conversations.
‘Active Listening begins and is analysed via AI to detect pertinent conversations via smartphones, smart tvs and other devices,’ the website reads.
Examples of ‘pertinent conversations’ include ‘A minivan would be perfect for us’, ‘Do I see mould on the ceiling?’, ‘We need to get serious about planning for retirement’ and ‘We need a better mortgage rate’.
Once potential customers have been identified through their chats, CMG Local Solutions can then deliver tailored adverts for their clients through streaming TV, audio, YouTube, display ads and search, according to the organisation.
‘The result? Unprecedented understanding of consumer behavior, so we can deliver personalised ads that make your target audience think: wow, they must be a mind reader,’ the redirected blog post reads.
Mind readers, or maybe something else.
The anonymous marketing professional briefed by CMG told 404 Media said after the call they immediately disabled microphone access across their devices.
‘I immediately removed all my Amazon Echo devices and locked down microphone permissions on things like my phone as receiving confirmation they are doing things like this have confirmed my worst fears and I, for one, will not take part in it,’ they said.
It still appears there is very little information about how the software works, and stricter privacy and data rules in the EU mean it may never be deployed on the continent – but potentially could be in the UK post-Brexit.
In addition, previous studies by software and security companies such as NordVPN have tried to prove whether or not advertisers are listening in, but have never found concrete evidence.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem beyond the realm of possibility that Active Listening is a real thing, and could become more common – especially given how many ridiculously long and complicated terms and conditions we’re faced with almost daily, and rarely (or never) read before tapping accept.
How to stop your phone listening in
There are a number of ways your phone can legitimately listen in if given the right permissions.
On iOS, the first steps to protecting your privacy are:
- Turn off Siri. In settings, go to Accessibility > Siri and toggle off ‘Always Listen for “Hey Siri”’.
- Secondly, check which apps have access to your microphone. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and toggle off any that you don’t want to have access. Some will require it to function, such as Zoom or Duolingo if you’re practising speech, so you may want to leave them on or toggle on and off as you use the app.
On Android:
- Go to Settings > Privacy > App Permissions > Microphone, and toggle off the apps you do not want to have access.
- Disable Google listening by going to Settings > Google > Account Services > Search > Voice > Voice Match.
MORE : Hurrah! Google Maps will no longer dob you into the police
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