"Marketing Company Admits to Eavesdropping on Phones and Smart Devices for Targeted Ads"

Cox Media Group (CMG) claims to have the capability to listen to ambient conversations through embedded microphones in smartphones and smart devices to gather data and target ads, according to marketing materials and a pitch given to an outside professional. This revelation confirms long-held suspicions that smartphones may be listening to people for ad targeting purposes. It is unclear if this capability is currently being used on devices in the market, but CMG advertises it as a marketing technique for the future. Concerns about data privacy and surveillance are raised by this development.