News Summary

• This anonymized data then is resold by numerous advertising companies.The company added that it does not "listen to any conversations or have access to anything beyond a third-party aggregated, anonymized and fully encrypted data set that can be used for ad placement" and "regret[s] any confusion..
• The statement continues:Advertising data based on voice and other data is collected by these platforms and devices under the terms and conditions provided by those apps and accepted by their users, and can then be sold to third-party companies and converted into anonymized information for advertisers..
• in conversations.In a statement emailed to Ars Technica, Cox Media Group said that its advertising tools include "third-party vendor products powered by data sets sourced from users by various social media and other applications then packaged and resold to data servicers.".
• CMG also mentioned placing a tracking pixel on its customers' sites before entering the Listening Stage, which was only described as: "Active Listening begins and is analyzed via AI to detect pertinent conversations via smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices..
• "Before Cox Media Group sent its statement, though, CMG's claims of collecting data on "casual conversations in real-time," as its blog stated, were questionable..
• An archived version of the Active Listening site provided a vague breakdown of how Active Listening purportedly works.The website previously pointed to CMG uploading past client data into its platform to make "buyer personas.".