FTC finalises orders over false active-listening claims

On 27 August 2026, the Federal Trade Commission announced final orders against Cox Media Group and two other firms settling allegations about deceptive advertising services. They had claimed to target ads using conversations captured through consumers' connected devices.

The FTC said the services were not actually based on voice data and consumers had not opted into the claimed listening. The case concerns false marketing representations, not a finding that the advertised recording occurred. The Cox Media Group order requires an $880,000 payment and prohibits misrepresentations about service capabilities, voice-data use, consent and geographic targeting.

For privacy and procurement teams, the case supports asking suppliers for evidence of their data sources and consent claims. Checking how information is actually collected, and whether that matches sales materials, can identify risks that a contract or marketing description alone would miss.