Facebook and Google are listening to you through your phone, marketing firm reveals

https://nypost.com ^ | 9/3/2024 | Ariel Zilber

[bitt]

Your long-held suspicions are confirmed, according to a report: Your phone really is listening to you.

A marketing firm whose clients include Facebook and Google has privately admitted that it listens to users’ smartphone microphones and then places ads based on the information that is picked up, according to 404 Media.

Cox Media Group, the television and radio news conglomerate, admitted in a pitch deck to investors that its “Active Listening” software uses artificial intelligence to “capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations,” according to the report.

“Advertisers can pair this voice-data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers,” the company wrote in the pitch deck.

CMG noted in the deck that consumers “leave a data trail based on their conversations and online behavior” and that the AI-powered software collects and analyzes said “behavioral and voice data from 470+ sources.”

The slideshow includes claims that Facebook, Google and Amazon are clients of CMG’s “Active Listening” service.

Google removed CMG from its “Partners Program” website after it was contacted by 404 Media to comment on the matter.

“All advertisers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations as well as our Google Ads policies, and when we identify ads or advertisers that violate these policies, we will take appropriate action,” a Google spokesperson told The Post.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, admitted that it was reviewing CMG to see whether it violated any of its terms of service.

“Meta does not use your phone’s microphone for ads and we’ve been public about this for years,” a Meta spokesperson told The Post.

[KarlInOhio]

Did you activate the search feature? With Amazon Echo, one you say "Alexa" the rest will be going to their server for interpretation and action. They claim that listening for the activation word is local and not retained. I expect them to retain and advertise when you activate search. I'm more worried if it is spying when it should be in idle.

One time my Echo picked on Jeopardy:

Mellisa.
What is sleigh?
Yes!

Which was interpreted as "Alexa, play Yes" and some songs from Yes started.

[Menehune56]

If you turn off Siri or Alexa are they still listening? Or just sending everything you say to headquarters?

[CIB-173RDABN]

My cell phone is sitting in front of my monitor as I watch Youtube videos. I don’t care how “smart” AI is I don’t think they can figure out just what is going on in my home (since I am retired not much. Most Youtube video is just music).

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Here’s a strange one. A house in my neighborhood is for sale, and I went online to see what it is selling for. Now I am getting emails from realtor.com. I didn’t hive them my email address when I looked on their site.

[Poser]

Just turn it off. (the microphone)
Depending upon your operating system, you can go to settings and tell you phone not to listen or provide any information to outside sources.
For iphone:

Turn off Siri
To turn off Siri, you can:

Go to Settings

Tap Siri and search

Toggle off Listen for “Hey Siri,” “Press side button for Siri,” and “Allow Siri when locked”

Tap Turn off Siri in the pop-up

Manage microphone permissions
To manage microphone permissions for each app, you can:

Open Settings

Tap Privacy & Security

Choose Microphone

Toggle the switch on or off for each app

Turn off Live Listen
To turn off Live Listen, you can:

Tap Settings > Accessibility, then select Hearing Devices

Tap the name of your hearing device under MFi Hearing Devices

Tap End Live Listen

Turn off location services
To turn off location services, you can:

Go to Settings > Privacy, then select Location Services

Turn the toggle off

[Sgt_Schultze]

“All advertisers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations as well as our Google Ads policies, and when we identify ads or advertisers that violate these policies, we will take appropriate action,

CMG’s behavior would seem to violate anti-wiretap laws in the states where 2 party consent is mandated. Lawsuits should commence.

[bigbob]

I just hope they attempt to perform some of the acts I suggest to my phone

[bitt]

I mentioned a person’s name at a dinner party...

the next day there was a google link to that (obscure) person on my phone

[Antoninus]

The most egregious of these for me was this: I had a conversation with a friend about a colleague whose house was infested with bedbugs. Less than an hour later, I had exterminator/bedbug ads showing up in my FB feed.

Things have gotten a lot better since I started using the Brave browser, though...

[sonova]

Don’t know about every one else, my old Samsung/Android gets no ads ever of any kind.

I have no doubt that it’s listening to me, though.

[xoxox]

have been saying since before the interwebs that your personal info ought to be owned by you and therefore you are owed a royalty whenever commercially exploited.

[xoxox]

Welp, I guess it’s not just me, then.

[conservativesister]

Sitting in my office the other day talking to an employee and SIRI said “please repeat your question”

[ProgressingAmerica]

It’s UBPorts/Ubuntu Touch on a Fairphone 4.

[steve86]

I have Google Assistant on Android turned off and have never noticed an ad that seemed tied to any audio input. Since I often have talk shows playing you’d think this would happen if it was possible with Assistant off.

However, I do get ads based on words I type in Messages or even Signal, but not many since I am normally using Brave.

[ProgressingAmerica]

My most important objective was to get off of big tech platforms so I was not financially supporting the Democrat Party anymore.

App considerations where secondary. I want first and foremost to support little tech.

I guess it just depends on how badly you want to win the next election. ???? If you don’t(and future elections), people can stay right where they are at on big tech and have fun with all future elections. It is what it is.

But I felt hypocritical staying on big tech and also being a whiner. One had to be eliminated since being on big tech and whining about big tech doesn’t work. Now I can whine with impunity.

[ProgressingAmerica]

It wasn’t easy, Linux on phones is like it was 15 or more years ago on computers.

If you’re good at figuring things out then installing does work. It requires particular (can be retail) known-good devices. Most hardware providers keep their operability secret. No way around it.

The linux I used is customized for phones, but I would however recommend purchasing a Linux phone for someone who’s dedicated enough to get off of big tech like I am but not looking to tinker. Its the more expensive option.

https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/
https://ubports.com/en/supported-products

The way I learned was i got a cheap old phone ebay and wrecked it repeatedly. I’d be happy to have long drawn out/rambling conversations about it.

On a computer, Linux is arguably easier to install than Windows is and Linux Phones will get to that place eventually it is just going to take time and ingenuity.

[Openurmind]

Thank you! I am hip to rooting phones and bricking them. Done a few myself. :)

But from what I understand it is easier on android tablets with cell because they are a hybrid. You do have to use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) and Fastboot to do it. But the big question is will calling and text be supported? That would be my big issue. If not then I am just making another Linux tablet with no phone.

https://robots.net/tech/how-to-put-linux-on-a-tablet/

[Openurmind]

Thank you!

[fruser1]

They need to expand wire tapping laws to cell phones.