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The public’s suspicion that conversations are being eavesdropped on through smart devices and that customized advertisements are being run based on that eavesdropping is becoming increasingly likely to be true.

Specializing in in-depth reporting on technology and cybersecurity. Independent Media 404It is a presentation sent to advertisers by the digital advertising department of Cox Media Group (CMG), a large media group headquartered in the United States, on the 26th of last month. Data specialistIt was revealed that ‘you can accurately identify potential customers by analyzing customer conversations’. The media outlet December last year We reported this, but did not release the full text at the time.

In a document titled “The Power of Voice and Microphones on Devices,” Cox Media Group introduced that “smart devices can capture real-time customer intent data by listening to conversations,” and that “advertisers can combine this voice data with behavioral data to target consumers with intent to buy.” They added that “we use artificial intelligence (AI) to collect this data (conversations) from over 470 sources to improve advertising performance.” Cox Media Group called this feature “Active Listening.”

The data also suggests that Google, Amazon, and Facebook have been using this feature for a long time. Cox Media Group introduced itself as “a Google premium partner since the program first started 11 years ago,” “we were the first Amazon media partner, and one of the first four companies in the world to become a Facebook marketing partner.” This seems to imply that these companies have been using Cox Media Group’s technology to improve their advertising performance.

The program starts when an advertiser selects a region. Cox Media Group explains, “Active listening begins in the target region, detecting buyer behavior from over 470 data sources. Once a qualifying consumer is detected, the past behavior of each prospect is analyzed as a whole to predict when and where to show the ad most effectively. The resulting customer list is encrypted and stored so that it can be used at any time.” A weekly prospect list within a 10-mile radius of the target region costs $100 per day, and a 20-mile radius costs $200 per day. “After this data was made public, Google removed Cox Media Group from its ‘partner program,’” 404 said.

Reporter Kim Won-cheol wonchul@hani.co.kr

Source: Korean