**Previous Episode: [[BDE360]]** **Next Episode: [[BDE362]]** %%Post image thumbnail below.%%  > [!abstract|no-i] **Episode Overview** **Date Aired:** [[09-07-2024]] **Title:** It Really Is That Damn Cell Phone **Episode:** 361 **Description:** The pitch deck from Cox Media Group that details how your conversations are recorded and sold. The future is now! **Link:** https://rumble.com/v5e2fkt-big-dig-energy-361-it-really-is-that-damn-cell-phone.html **Tags:** %%<https://historydraft.com/happened/what-happened/1-January/world>%% ## Replay %% Get embed URL then highlight and hit ALT + I%% <iframe src="https://rumble.com/embed/v5brb0l/?pub=6eeyh" allow="fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" style="height:100%;width:100%; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; "></iframe> <br> ## Greetings & Announcements 1. We're moving back to [Discord](https://discord.gg/nmzc2C6s). I will be archiving and closing the Guilded server in the next couple of weeks. Make sure you have everything you need by September 30th. ## Segments No, you're not crazy. Your phone did hear you. And that's why you're getting all those ads for something you brought up in a private conversation. A method of gathering consumer data called Active Listening is just as bad as it sounds. And word has gotten out that Cox Media Group is actively selling your voice data to whoever wants it. And it turns out... a lot of people want it. Cox media group owns 13 new stations, 50 radio stations, and 35 newspapers and local markets all over the United States. And if you're in one of their demos, there's a non-zero chance they're also keeping your conversations on file. They specifically mention that saying phrases like, "The car lease ends in a month, we need a plan. This AC's on its last leg, and We need a better mortgage rate," is useful for them to set up ad campaigns on behalf of other businesses. A pitch deck obtained by 404 Media shows that CMG is able to pinpoint down to a 10-mile radius anyone who's talked about a product or service, and then push ads to those people through pretty much any digital means you can imagine. They name-drop Google, Amazon, and Facebook as their official partners, which, if true, means all those stories about Google Homes and Amazon Echoes not actually eavesdropping on us are total bullshit. ### Cox Media Group **Parent Companies:** [[Apollo Global Management]] - 71% [[Cox Enterprises]] - 29% <iframe src="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Cox_Media_Group" allow="fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" style="height:100%;width:100%; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; "></iframe> ### Active Listening Ad Targeting [Article Link](https://www.404media.co/heres-the-pitch-deck-for-active-listening-ad-targeting/)  > 404 Media previously reported Cox Media Group (CMG) was advertising a service that claimed to target ads based on what potential customers said near device microphones. Now, here is the pitch deck CMG sent to prospective companies. Google has kicked CMG off its Partner Program in response. The [pitch deck](https://ia600601.us.archive.org/35/items/cmg-pitch-deck-on-voice-data-advertising-active-listening/cmg-pitch-deck-on-voice-data-advertising-active-listening.pdf): <div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 60%;"><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/viewer?embedded=true&url=https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25051283/cmg-pitch-deck-on-voice-data-advertising-active-listening.pdf" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> #### From CMG [Archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20231214235444/https://www.cmglocalsolutions.com/blog/active-listening-an-overview)  It's true. Your devices [are listening](https://archive.is/a1UHc) to you.  %%Footer Starts Here%% --- ![[Brain Icon 1.png|center]] <b><font color="#ffffff"> <center>You might not have noticed it… but your brain did.</center> </font></b> --- ### Tags ### Linked Pages & Footnotes