There is a question that, if you deal with technology and digital at all, you are always asked. “But is it true that the smartphone listens to us? Because the other time I was talking about a pair of shoes and then I saw the ads for that exact model”.

Usually, this observation can be answered in a somewhat philosophical tone. I generally say that we have such an intimate relationship with our device that maybe we searched for that thing on Google or interacted with a themed post on Instagram and we don’t remember it. And no, to date we have no proof that our smartphones listen to us.

How Your Smartphone Listens to You: Active Listening by CMG

For some time now, however, an American newspaper called 404 Media has been conducting a series of investigations on a company, Cox Media Group. A company that, as its primary activity, produces in-depth journalism programs on various televisions in the United States. But it also has a marketing division, whose flagship product, according to documents obtained by 404, is called Active Listening.

In the first investigation, published last December, the American specialized newspaper collected a series of information (including pages from the CMG website, currently unavailable), which describe how this technology works. At its core, there is the collection, via the microphone of devices connected to the network such as smartphones or smart TVs, of information from what people say in their daily conversations. The client, the company interested in advertising, can indicate a specific area where they want this active listening to take place, usually within a rather limited radius.

At that point, the system uses devices like smartphones and smart TVs to capture phrases that people say in everyday life. It’s not about listening to everything, but isolating those expressions that indicate a need or a desire. For example, if someone says: “Our air conditioner is about to break down”, this becomes a signal for the system. At this point, artificial intelligence comes into play. The captured phrases are analyzed to identify the main themes: problems with the car, needs for the home, financial needs. Each word is transformed into data that helps outline a profile of the potential customer.

Once CMG has identified this audience, it begins to send targeted ads. Ads can appear in a variety of formats: YouTube videos, Google and Bing results, and ads during audio or video streaming. These ads are designed to directly address the needs expressed by people in their conversations, making them particularly relevant.

This August, 404 Media obtained a set of slides with which CMG presents the service to companies. And it confirms what emerged: Cox Media Group sells and offers this technology, claiming a partnership with Google (which removed the company from its Partner Program), Amazon and Meta.

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This is a first indication, but it is not definitive proof that the smartphone is listening to us. It is not clear, in fact, how CMG collects data, whether through a specific app or with an integration in some of the apps that users use. Whether CMG’s technology works or not, it is certain that identifying users’ desires and proposing personalized advertising is the basis of how the Internet works as we know it. Everything we do online is data, which contributes to the creation of a user/consumer profile.

This profile has two main functions: it helps algorithms provide us with tailored content; it gives companies the ability to reach a potentially interested audience. And so it makes sense – even if morally wrong – for companies to try, in every way, to identify our needs: it is the business model. Maybe it is what we should be worried about.