News and journalism
Cox Falsely Claimed To Target Ads Based On Conversations, FTC Charges
Wendy Davis, MediaPost, 2026
Read the originalRead on October 17, 2026
- What it is
- A MediaPost report of the Federal Trade Commission's May 2026 settlement with Cox Media Group, which had marketed an "active listening" ad service to small businesses. The FTC said the service did not listen to consumers' conversations.
- How much weight it carries
- Trade press that quotes the FTC's complaint and announcement directly. It is secondary to the FTC's own release, which I could not open, and it reports the FTC's allegations, not findings after a trial.
Facts taken from this source
- Cox Media Group agreed to pay $880,000 to settle FTC charges that it falsely claimed to offer active listening ad targeting to small businesses.
“Cox Media Group will pay $880,000 to settle charges that it misled small businesses by falsely claiming to offer” (Opening paragraph)
- The FTC said Cox Media Group's active listening service did not listen to consumers' conversations or use voice data at all.
“This service did not, in fact, listen in on consumers’ conversations or use voice data at all,” (Second paragraph)