Overview
- The FTC accepted proposed consent orders on May 21 and 22, 2026, requiring Cox Media Group to pay $880,000 and MindSift and 1010 Digital Works to pay $25,000 each.
- The agency found the advertised 'Active Listening' service did not harvest consumers’ voice data and instead consisted largely of reselling email lists bought from data brokers.
- The companies told clients that consumers had ‘opted in’ to voice‑data collection but the FTC says no genuine consent was ever obtained.
- The orders would force redress to harmed CMG customers, ban misrepresentations about advertising features and consent, and become final after a 30‑day public comment window.
- Regulators say the case signals closer scrutiny of fabricated AI claims and opaque data‑resale chains and could deter firms from marketing unverified audio‑targeting capabilities.