Last Updated on 07/09/2024 by Arun jain
For years, smartphone users have suspected that their devices were Listening to their conversations To deliver targeted ads. Now, recent revelations suggest that these concerns may be justified.
A leaked pitch deck from CMG Local Solutions, a subsidiary of Cox Media Group (CMG), details a method it calls “active listening”. This method uses AI to combine voice data with online behavioral data to deliver hyper-targeted ads.
“Advertisers can combine this voice-data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers,” says Deck, obtained by 404 Media. He goes on to say that the technology can identify “ready-to-buy” customers and create ad lists based on their spoken intent.
CMG spokesperson said Newsweek that “CMG Businesses never overheard any conversations nor had access to anything other than third-party collected, anonymized and fully encrypted data sets that could be used for ad placement.”
In other words, CMG acquired existing voice datasets from third-party providers to combine with other sources. The company referred to the slide deck as “outdated content for a product that CMG Local Solutions no longer sells,” and added that “although the product never listens to customers, it has long since been discontinued to avoid misunderstandings.”
While tech companies like Google, Meta (Facebookparent company of), and Amazon Deck had CMG listed as a client, all three have denied involvement With an active listening program.
An Amazon spokesperson said Newsweek: “Amazon Ads has never worked with CMG on this program and has no plans to do so.”
A Google spokesperson said Newsweek: “All advertisers comply with all applicable laws and regulations as well as our Google Advertising PoliciesAnd when we identify ads or advertisers that violate these policies, we will take appropriate action.”
According to Google, Cox Media Group has been removed from the Google Partners program as part of its review process. Google takes action when it finds ads or advertisers that violate its advertising policies.
A Meta spokesperson said Newsweek: “Meta does not use your phone’s microphone for advertising and we have been public about this for years. We are contacting CMG to clarify that their program is not based on meta data.”
Meta is investigating whether CMG is violating its terms and conditions and says it will take necessary action.
Third-party data referred to by CMG is frequent Smartphone applications which captures data (voice or otherwise) based on the end user agreeing to the terms and conditions. However, research shows that 91 percent of people agree without reading T&Cs. This rises to 97 percent for 18-24 year olds.
For end users who have already agreed to the T&C, the first thing to do is to check the permissions on such apps.
“For an app to do active listening, it will need microphone access permission. On both Android and iOS devices, this permission is explicitly requested when an app is installed or updated,” said Luis Korons, researcher and Norton security evangelist.
“Applications can also request background access, allowing them to continue listening even when not actively in use. You can detect microphone usage in several ways: iOS now shows an orange or green dot in the status bar when the microphone or camera is being used. Android also has visual indicators that alert users when the microphone is actively being accessed,” Corons adds.
Regularly reviewing app permissions can help identify whether an app has unnecessary access, the security researcher said. But what are the technical differences between how virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa listen and how other apps can perform ‘active listening’ for advertising purposes?
“Assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google listen because they need to hear trigger words, like ‘Hey Siri.’ Once they hear the activation, they indicate that the microphone is activated, letting the user know that they are ‘heard.’ If an app wants to listen, they also need the microphone permission and using that will trigger the icon again,” Korons said.
There are best practices when it comes to eliminating unwanted background listening, Corons added: “Always check the permissions for your voice assistants and use the most limited permissions. For example, only allow Siri or Alexa to be activated when using Wake Word and disable listening when the device is locked.
Post Is Your Phone Really Listening to You? Here’s what we know appeared first Newsweek.