Despite the denials, "your devices are listening to you," says ad company

[Cal Jeffrey]

Can you hear me now? It's happened to all of us. You're having a conversation about painting your house, and the next time you go on the internet, you are served with ads for paint. Coincidence? That's what Google and others have said for years, but are they telling the truth?

Recently, a Cox Media Group (CMG) advertising subsidiary called Local Solutions started a marketing strategy claiming it could use "Active Listening" technology to target a customer with pinpoint accuracy. The method allegedly uses smartphones, smart TVs, and other connected devices to listen in on users to glean insights into what they might want to purchase.

"With Active Listening, CMG can now use voice data to target your advertising to the EXACT people you are looking for," read the pitch on a now-deleted marketing page. Of course, the Internet Archive snagged a copy as proof.

The material provides examples of how the company could harvest conversations to promote various products, from air conditioners to home loans. However, Local Solutions didn't explain how it gathers this voice data, making the claim sketchy. Furthermore, Gizmodo notes that neither Cox nor Local Solutions would comment on the dubious assertion.

A company spying via users' devices seems totally illegal. However, Local Solutions says it's not, claiming that users gave up their right to privacy when they agreed to terms of service.

"It is totally legal for phones and devices to listen to you," the company says. "That's because consumers usually give consent when accepting terms and conditions of software updates or app downloads."

Google's Always Listening pic.twitter.com/iidVLxRbqV

– SpongeBob Memes (@spongebobreddit) January 23, 2021

If Local Solutions genuinely uses voice data for targeting, it is doubtful it directly listens through a user's device. More likely, other companies, specifically Google, Apple, and perhaps Samsung, would provide such data for a fee. However, all claim they don't do that, and there is no smoking gun proof that they do.

"Google is listening to us through our phones," is a long-standing conspiracy theory turned meme that no studies have proven true. Google has firmly denied such accusations. It and other companies have made software and hardware solutions to protect users from the rogue use of cameras and microphones.

Yet the phenomenon of targeted advertising directly related to private conversations continues to be a thing. The most logical explanation is that advertisers know you so well from profiling your searches, cookies, and social media postings that they can predict what you need and when you need it. Still, the timing of these ads seems too perfect for it just to be a coincidence. What do you think?

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/101227-despite-denials-devices-listening-you-ad-company.html

 

[yRaz]

They have to be or else Alexa wouldn't know I said "hey Alexa". This is pretty easy to check be finding out the mac address of the device and see how much data it's sending and to what IP. If you say something and see a spike in data that is consistent with amount of bandwidth used to send an audio file then you know it's recording any noise you make.

Be nice if this stuff was open source to see what they're doing but these major corporations are protecting us by only allowing hackers to get into the source code for us.

 

[redgarl]

Good luck with me... I dont have mobile data and I never used a google account on my phone beside an anonymous one... and never on wifi either...

Bite me google...

 

[FaTaL]

A girl is no one....

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Are they listening?

No. Because I keep my phone on the other end of the house, much to the annoyance of anyone I talk to, and the only other devices I have with mics are my desktop, which runs linux and I control, and my laptop, which spends the majority of its life turned off in a laptop case in the closet. My TV is "SmArT" but has no voice controls, and has no internet access. Nothing else I have uses the internet.

And it will stay that way.

 

[BigMeatyClackers]

Best to just assume anything with a microphone and network connectivity is listening

 

[p51d007]

It still amazes me how people will "commit a crime" and are SHOCKED that their cell phone data (pinging)
puts them at the scene of the crime.
Yes, that's why a lot of the apps, browsers and what not are FREE. YOU are the money maker every time you run an app, browser or search for something.

 

[hahahanoobs]

If it's as wide spread as it's made to seem, more users would be speaking out about "suspicious ads" after conversations rather than just hearing about a handful spanning years in the news.

Doesn't mean you're not being spied on cause you are. Even your car spies on you...

 

[antiproduct]

This video is pretty relevant and very fitting (and funny) for this topic:

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Data collection even existed in the days of the land line. My neighbor's friend worked for a TELCO selling long distance packages back then, and said the longer they keep you on the phone the more information comes up on the their screen such as your purchases, car rentals, airlines, hotels and many other things.

My comment my be off tangent but the concept of data collection has always existed no matter by what method. Technology today only makes it easier.

 

[Anton Longshot]

Ads?
My screens are MINE and I refuse to allow companies to display virtual salesmen on equipment I own.
What would come next? Ads on the walls of my living room? On my vehicles? My toilet paper? Ad tattoos? Hah!

Furthermore, if EVERYONE blocked ads the advertisement business would die, and the creepy stuff they do would die with them.

 

[yRaz]

What would come next? Ads on the walls of my living room? On my vehicles? My toilet paper?

I'm all for toilet paper ads. "taste my A** whoever you are trying to advertise at me!"

 

[dirtyferret]

I'm all for toilet paper ads. "taste my A** whoever you are trying to advertise at me!"

only the softest, strongest, and mathematical impossible (1 jumbo roll equals 700 normal rolls) TP from the good people of Charmin should be used on your A**

 

[MakeMSGreatAgain]

Are they listening?

No. Because I keep my phone on the other end of the house, much to the annoyance of anyone I talk to, and the only other devices I have with mics are my desktop, which runs linux and I control, and my laptop, which spends the majority of its life turned off in a laptop case in the closet. My TV is "SmArT" but has no voice controls, and has no internet access. Nothing else I have uses the internet.

And it will stay that way.

So how to you use it then? DNLA or whatever that service is where you have videos stored on a local server? Or do you just hook a computer up to it and access local video storage? Or are you doing something else super clever?

 

[Lowhangingfruit]

Google, Apple, and Samsung are only 3 of the countless manufacturers out there who make phones and other smart devices with mics and wifi connectivity.

They could be telling the truth, but they only speak for themselves, not for your robot vacuum quietly sitting in the corner.

 

[yRaz]

only the softest, strongest, and mathematical impossible (1 jumbo roll equals 700 normal rolls) TP from the good people of Charmin should be used on your A**

I swear the true purpose of the LHC is to solve the mysteries of toilet paper math. We're going to have a new Boson called a "Charmin"

 

[captaincranky]

All they can reasonably expect to get out of me is, some fapping noises, some suspiciously wet farting gurgles, and/or while, I'm calling the cats for dinner.

Over the years I've built enough strength of character via talking to myself, which has allowed me to cut back on mumbling quite a bit as well.

only the softest, strongest, and mathematical impossible (1 jumbo roll equals 700 normal rolls) TP from the good people of Charmin should be used on your A**

Only our Madison Avenue ad men / con artists / propagandists, could fabricate a decade long (?) advertising campaign out of the seemingly eternal question that doubles as a snarky answer, "does a bear sh*t in the woods".

 

[Uncle Al]

Here is a clear case the DOJ should prosicute EVERY company engaged in the illegal activity to include manditory jail sentences for senior executives that encourage OR tollerate this activity .... no exceptions!

 

[captaincranky]

Here is a clear case the DOJ should prosicute EVERY company engaged in the illegal activity to include manditory jail sentences for senior executives that encourage OR tollerate this activity .... no exceptions!

But then unfortunately, "Big Brother" will be obligated to listen to everything as well, to determine who the "bad guys" really are.

As if they aren't already.

Surely you're aware that, "invasion of privacy" is always abbreviated to various combinations of three capital letters

 

[Thanthan]

I think one reasonable explanation (I sincerely doubt Google/Apple bosses want to go to jail, which is probably where this would end up if proven true), is that people are actually seeing the ads but not thinking about them before they have a conversation, and then only notice the ads on the topic after they have their conversation, imagining it then to be because of the conversation.

 

[Thrackerzod]

I don't even have a cell phone and never have. I know that's weird now but I have no use for one. No social media accounts and no Alexa type listening devices in my house either. If ad companies want to listen in on me they'll have to come to my house to do it.

 

[Neatfeatguy]

Ads?
My screens are MINE and I refuse to allow companies to display virtual salesmen on equipment I own.
What would come next? Ads on the walls of my living room? On my vehicles? My toilet paper? Ad tattoos? Hah!

Furthermore, if EVERYONE blocked ads the advertisement business would die, and the creepy stuff they do would die with them.

This is what they're going for:

 

[nitebird]

I don't think so, first because it's not needed. Our searches and browsing tell all and do we consent to have those monitored. Second because if was a whistleblower, then the repercussions would be beyond what these companies can endure.

Earlier voice assistants did send audio data to process but only after detecting the trigger phase, which is unreliable. If you don't want "hey alexa/siri/etc" to misfire and send your audio away, disable them.

 

[Vanderlinde]

There's some weird Android builds that do have recordings automaticly turned on. Head to privacy, turn it all off. On top of that install adguard. Problems fixed.

 

[kinetix]

Remember Black Mirror Ep 1? or Minorirty Report? or a lot more.
well, "the future is now"!!!