Can a smartphone really operate in covert wiretapping mode?
For many years, a conspiracy theory has been widespread among ordinary people that phones “eavesdrop” on users even when they are turned off. For example, to register keywords and then show relevant contextual advertising. Some have noticed that after discussing a specific subject offline, they then see ads on Google about this topic.
The mysterious phenomenon goes even further. You don't even have to say the keywords out loud. Google starts showing ads even the toothpaste you accidentally brushed your teeth with. Scientists talk about the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (illusion of frequency), but the general public does not really believe in such a simple explanation.
However, recently a theory about the operation of a smartphone in hidden wiretapping mode received indirect confirmation.
Slides from the pitch deck (short presentation) of CMG Local Solutions, a subsidiary of Cox Media Group (CMG), have become publicly available. They describe in detail a new method of so-called active listening. The corresponding page has already been removed from the company’s website, but is preserved in the Internet Archive:
The method uses machine learning functions, combining user voice data with his behavioral data from the Internet for hyper-targeted advertising.
In other words, a person’s profile now includes not only Internet surfing history and other personal data from the phone, but also “voice data” in “active listening” mode.
CMG Local Solutions pitch deck slides:
CMG representative explainedthat “CMG companies do not eavesdrop on conversations and only have access to aggregated, anonymized and fully encrypted data sets from third parties that are used to serve advertising.”
In other words, CMG purchases existing voice data sets from third-party providers. This means that some mobile applications on a smartphone can work in listening modethat is, record and recognize the voice/voices of people in the background.
The slides mention some tech companies such as Google, Meta and Amazon, although they all deny involvement in the active listening program.
A Google representative said that working in this mode violates Google Ads rulesand Google intends to identify advertisers who violate these rules and take “appropriate action.” Specifically, Cox Media Group was removed from the Google Partner Program as part of the review process.
The data comes from mobile applications that record sound in the background, supposedly with the consent of the user, if he did not uncheck the corresponding item in the terms of use when installing the program. Research has shown that 91% of people agree to terms and conditions without reading them. Among people aged 18−24 years, this figure is 97%.
The fact is that even without hidden wiretapping, smartphones collect a lot of confidential information about the user, including geolocation (GPS coordinates are sent to the server every 15 minutes):
Analysis of traffic between the Pixel 9 Pro XL smartphone and Google servers revealed authentication packets with coordinates every 15 minutes
The user's coordinates are tracked even with the GPS function disabled.
The social graph (relatives, friends, colleagues and other contacts), place of work, interests and hobbies, political preferences, etc. are also analyzed. All this information is collected through data brokers and sold to advertisers, who receive a ready-made profile, that is, a “digital double” of a real person. Having digital profiles of the population of an entire country, you can conduct various sociological experiments, as well as target advertising.
In order for an app to actively listen, it must be granted permission to access the microphone. On Android and iOS devices, this permission is explicitly requested when you install or update the app.
Apps can also request background access, which allows them to continue listening even when the app is not in use. There are several ways to detect microphone use: iOS now shows an orange or green dot in the status bar when the microphone or camera is in use. Android also has visual indicators that alert users when the microphone is being actively used.
It should be added that voice assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google are also constantly listening to the user in the background, as they need to catch trigger words like “Hey Siri.”
