Cox Media says it can target ads based on conversations

Dec 18

Dec 18 Cox Media says it can target ads based on conversations

If true, this seems like a non-sequitur in an increasingly privacy-first advertising world. To be fair, the posts have now been archived.

In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind boast, Cox Media Group claimed in marketing materials that it can use microphones in smartphones and other web connected devices to listen in on people's conversations, and then target ads to people based on those conversations.
“It's True. Your Devices Are Listening to You,” the Cox Media Group (CMG) Local Solutions division wrote on a website (now archived) touting “active listening” technology. “With Active Listening, CMG can now use voice data to target your advertising to the EXACT people you are looking for.”
A separate blog post dated November 28 says the company's technology “detects relevant conversations via smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices.”