How AI Spies On Your Phone Conversations
A leaked pitch deck from Cox Media Group (CMG)—a marketing partner who actively works with Facebook, Google, and Amazon—has brought to light the existence of "Active Listening" technology that uses artificial intelligence to capture data from real-time “private conversations” on mainstream smart phones and other microphone-enabled smart devices.
This technology, as described in the document obtained by 404 Media, claims to leverage AI to analyze voice data collected from smartphone microphones, combining it with behavioral data from over 470 sources.
CMG utilizes a sophisticated approach that combines voice data processing with behavioral information analysis to pinpoint consumers on the verge of making a purchase. This technology enables the company to curate highly specific audience lists for advertisers, focusing on potential customers within carefully defined geographic regions.
The leaked document also outlines an intricate process leveraging AI at every step. It begins with the collection of real-time intent data, pulled from conversations captured through smart device microphones. This voice data is then analyzed in combination with online behavioral information, allowing the system to identify patterns and signals that signal a consumer's readiness to buy. Based on this analysis, the AI generates targeted audience lists, which are continuously refined through ongoing assessment of website traffic and customer data.
CMG touts this AI-driven strategy as a game-changer for advertisers. The company makes bold promises, claiming its technology can "instantly grow and target a hyper-relevant audience" while simultaneously reducing click and acquisition costs. By positioning itself at the cutting edge of predictive marketing, CMG brags that its system can anticipate consumer needs and behaviors, giving its clients a competitive edge in the fast-paced world of digital advertising.
This ‘forward-looking approach’, the company suggests, allows advertisers and Big Data to reach potential customers before their competitors even have a chance to react.
Historical Context
Smartphones spying on our conversations to serve targeted ads has been a concern of the public for years. As usual, mainstream media repeatedly gaslit the public into thinking it was an ‘urban legend’. Certainly the ‘myth’ has taken on a life of its own, fueled by countless anecdotal reports of people seeing ads for products they had only spoken about, never having searched for them online.
Of course, we already know that the camera on an Apple iPhone is constantly taking invisble pictures of your face without your consent, every 5 seconds.
Facebook, Google, and Apple have consistently denied spying on the general populace. In 2016, Facebook issued a statement categorically rejecting claims that it uses microphone audio to inform ads or change what appears in users' news feeds. The company emphasized that it only accesses microphone audio when users have given the app permission and are actively using a specific feature requiring audio, such as recording a video.
Google has repeatedly stated that it does not use ambient audio to target ads, asserting that its voice-activated features only work when users intentionally activate them. Apple has also maintained that its devices do not listen to users for advertising purposes.
In a 2018 U.S. Senate hearing, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explicitly stated, "We do not listen to what's going on on your microphone and use that for ads," calling it a "conspiracy theory." While what Zuckerberg says is technically true, a third party like CMG is doing the dirty work for these mega corporations. We are able to see clearly how legal due process of data privacy no longer applies to billionaires.
If you want to avoid being spied with your phone’s microphone and camera while using your device, we recommend a degoogled smartphone with an open source OS like GrapheneOS and Above Phone. These innovative tools will make sure that you won’t be leaking your data through your phone’s microphone or camera.
Resources
https://www.404media.co/heres-the-pitch-deck-for-active-listening-ad-targeting/
https://www.theverge.com/2016/6/3/11854860/facebook-smartphone-listening-eavesdrop-microphone-denial
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/phone-listening-facebook-google-ads/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/us/politics/zuckerberg-facebook-senate-hearing.html