The documents of Cox Media Group (CMG), one of the marketing partners of such tech giants as Facebook, Google, Amazon, and others, state that it uses artificial intelligence-based Active Listening technology to collect data on user conversations in real time. Futurism writes about this with reference to a report by 404 Media.
After 404 Media published a report with information about the company's documents, Google removed CMG from its affiliate program website. At the same time, Meta, Facebook's parent company, also launched an investigation into CMG for violations.
Amazon, another company named by CMG as one of its partners, said in a comment to the media that it "has never worked with CMG on this program and has no plans to do so." The company representative also added that if one of the marketing partners violates the rules, the company will take the necessary measures.
This is the third time that 404 Media has reported on Cox Media Group's questionable technology. In December 2023, the publication criticized the company for using active listening technology, as well as for openly boasting about it on a podcast.
A deleted blog post from Cox Media Group stated that active listening technology is completely legal, as it is usually included in the terms of use of various programs somewhere in the small print.