A leaked document puts Cox Media Group (CMG) in the running for ‘Sleaziest Company Award,’ with it admitting that it listens to people using their phones’ microphones.

Many users have long suspected, and joked, about their phones listening to them. According to a CMG marketing document and blog post, that’s exactly what the company is doing. CMG admits to listening to individuals’ conversations and using AI to deliver relevant ads in response to those conversations.

The Deleted Blog Post

CMG calls its service “Active Listening.” In a deleted blog post, that is available via web archives, the company describes the feature in a way that would creep any normal person out.

Imagine a world where you can read minds.

One where you know the second someone in your area is concerned about mold in their closet, where you have access to a list of leads who are unhappy with their current contractor, or know who is struggling to pick the perfect fine dining restaurant to propose to their discerning future fiancé.

This is a world where no pre-purchase murmurs go unanalyzed, and the whispers of consumers become a tool for you to target, retarget, and conquer your local market.

It’s not a far-off fantasy-it’s Active Listening technology, and it enables you to unlock unmatched advertising efficiency today so you can boast a bigger bottom line tomorrow.

The blog post details how the feature works.

Our technology is on the cutting edge of voice data processing. We can identify buyers based on casual conversations in real time. It may seem like black magic, but it’s not-it’s AI. The growing ability to access microphone data on devices like smartphones and tablets enables our technology partner to aggregate and analyze voice data during pre-purchase conversations.

The result? Advertising efficiency and timing taken to a new level. We set specific keywords relevant to your product and service so we know who needs you, why they do, and where we can target them. With this unprecedented understanding of consumer behavior, we can deliver personalized ads that make your target audience think: wow, they must be a mind reader.

Interestingly, CMG even addresses the legality of the feature, saying the fine-print buried in multi-page user agreements makes Active Listening legal.

We know what you’re thinking. Is this even legal? The short answer is: yes. It is legal for phones and devices to listen to you. When a new app download or update prompts consumers with a multi-page terms of use agreement somewhere in the fine print, Active Listening is often included.

The Leaked Document

In a document that was leaked to 404 Media, CMG charges clients $100 day for weekly data sets targeting a 10-mil radius, and $200 a day for data sets targeting a 20-mile radius. Under a section labeled “The power of voice (and our devices’ microphones),” the company says the following:

• Smart devices capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations
• Advertisers can pair this voice-data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers
• We use AI to collect this data from 470+ sources to improve campaign deployment, targeting and performance
• You reach your potential customers before your competitors

CMG goes on to say that “consumers leave a data trail based on their conversations” and that “processing voice data with behavioral data identifies an audience who is ‘ready-to-buy.'”

Interestingly, the document says CMG is a Google Premier Partner, Amazon Advertising partner, and a Facebook marketing partner, a concerning claim given how much data those three companies have access to and how widespread their apps are.

According to Futurism, the alleged partners are quickly distancing themselves from the company. Google said has removed CMG from its Partners Program and Meta is reviewing CMG to see if it violates the social media company’s guidelines. Amazon’s response was even stronger, saying it has never worked with CMG.

The Need for Comprehensive Privacy Rules

CMG’s admission underscores the need for comprehensive privacy rules that all companies, organizations, and agencies must abide by. With the proliferation of smartphones, tables, and virtual assistants, devices people use throughout the day—for both personal and work needs—collect massive quantities of data.

What’s more, CMG’s acknowledgment that fine print, buried in multi-page user agreements, is the legal authorization for its creepy activity illustrates how much the deck is stacked against users concerned with their privacy. Companies have increasingly been making license and user agreements so long, and written in difficult-to-understand legalese, that it makes it extremely difficult for the average user to know exactly how their data will be used, or what permissions they are surrendering.

Unfortunately, without clearly defined, legally binding privacy rules, companies like CMG will continue to take advantage of users, abusing their trust, and spying on them.