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.

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.

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:

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.

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 ...