404 Media, a website focused on tech news Claim did (via The Guardian) that CMG is storing conversations captured by device microphones through active listening software and targeting ads based on that. The publication cited a pitch deck it obtained from Cox Media Group to prove its claim. The pitch deck showed that the company is promoting its “active listening” software, which targets ads based on what people say near their device microphones.
While the presentation doesn’t reveal whether the users’ voice data being captured comes from a smart TV, smart speaker, or a smartphone, the slide in which the company is explaining the power of voice (and our devices’ microphones) reportedly shows an image of people looking at their phones.
Let us tell you that 404 Media had launched this software of CMG in December last year itself. Information CMG had given it access to the technology and then CMG had allegedly called this process voice data. The report further states that CMG’s deck lists Facebook, Google and Amazon as its partners. While being a partner does not necessarily mean that they all use CMG’s technology, all these companies have themselves denied any kind of involvement.
The report states that Amazon, for its part, has said it has never worked with CMG and Google removed CMG from its partners program after a 404 report. Facebook’s parent company Meta said it is investigating whether CMG violated its terms of service.
Even if the big tech giants are not using such services, it is clear that people’s privacy has no importance in the world of technology. If the open capture of users’ conversations by a big firm can be called voice data, then our privacy is definitely in danger.
