FTC Fines Marketers Nearly $1 Million for Not Actually Listening to People’s Conversations
The Federal Trade Commission has fined Cox Media Group and two partners nearly $1 million for misleading customers about an AI ad service. The companies falsely claimed their 'Active Listening' service could target ads based on conversations captured from smart devices. Instead, the service involved reselling email lists without proper consumer consent, violating FTC regulations.
- ▪Cox Media Group and its partners will pay nearly $1 million to settle allegations of misleading advertising.
- ▪The companies claimed their service could target ads based on conversations captured from smart devices, which was false.
- ▪The FTC stated that the service involved reselling email lists obtained from data brokers, not actual listening to conversations.
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Conspiracy theories about advertisers secretly listening to our phones have been around for years. Now, three companies are in trouble for allegedly pretending they could do just that. The Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday that Cox Media Group and two of its partners will pay nearly $1 million to settle allegations that they misled customers about an AI-powered ad service that they claimed could target consumers based on conversations captured via their smart…
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