LEAKED DOCS: How Your Phone Is Secretly Listening To Your Conversations

For years, people have suspected that their phones are secretly listening to their conversations. A new leak has just made those fears look even more real.

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A recently leaked pitch deck from a company called Cox Media Group (CMG) shows that big tech companies might be using a service to listen to what you say through your phone, laptop, or smart speaker. This service, called “Active-Listening,” uses artificial intelligence to pick up and analyze what you’re talking about in real-time.

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Google, Amazon, and Facebook are explicitly touted as CMG clients, but these tech giants have denied accusations that they are listening to users’ conversations

Here’s how it works:

  1. Listening In: The software listens to conversations you have through your devices. It then collects data about what you’re talking about and your intentions.
  2. Creating Targeted Ads: This data is used to figure out what ads to show you. For example, if you chat about wanting to buy a new car, you might start seeing ads for different car models.
  3. Big Tech Involvement: According to the leaked document, major companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon are clients of CMG. This suggests they could be using this software to target ads based on your conversations.
  4. How It Works: The pitch deck describes a process where CMG’s software listens and collects information from any microphone-equipped device. Advertisers then use this information to tailor ads specifically for you.
  5. Tech Giants’ Denials: Even though the pitch deck shows these companies might be using this software, they deny that they listen to your conversations. Google has removed CMG from its partners list, and Amazon says it never worked with CMG on this program.
  6. Legal or Not?: The leaked documents reveal that this kind of listening might be legal, thanks to the fine print in app terms of use agreements. This means that even if you didn’t realize your device could be listening, it might be doing so under the terms you agreed to.

So, if you’ve ever noticed that ads start popping up for things you were just talking about, this might be why. The leak has raised big questions about privacy and how much these tech companies really know about us.

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Daily Mail tech reporter Rob Waugh tested whether Google was listening to him last year
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Smartphone users have long suspected that their devices are listening to them and serving up targeted ads. But tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Amazon have denied these claims. 

The story has created a buzz, with people wondering if their devices are truly eavesdropping and what this means for their privacy.

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