Tengrinews.kz - One of the main partners of the advertising service platform Cox Media Group (CMG) has admitted that the social network Instagram listens to users for advertising purposes, according to the website 404 Media.
According to media reports, Cox Media Group, which works with Google and Meta, stated directly in its presentation that the Active Listening feature allows artificial intelligence to eavesdrop on conversations near the smartphone and analyze user behavior.
Active Listening captures sounds from smartphone microphones. The algorithms of this program enable the display of targeted advertising to users. For example, after saying 'I need a new T-shirt,' users might see a surge of targeted T-shirt ads.
It is noted that after the information about Active Listening was made public, Google and Meta immediately removed any mentions of CMG from their resources. Amazon commented to the media that they are aware of the service but have not used it. Facebook promised that they have started verifying the information.
Also, there was such a case that Instagram was blocked in Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the blocking of Instagram in the country. He spoke of "digital fascism" in connection with the death of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas.
