[LINK] Google developing eavesdropping software

[Craig Sanders]

On Thu, Sep 07, 2006 at 09:38:46AM +1000, Tom Worthington wrote:
> At 04:52 PM 9/4/2006, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> >Google developing eavesdropping software Audio 'fingerprint' for 
> >content relevant ads
> >By Faultline Sunday 3rd September 2006 08:02 GMT The Register
> >http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/03/google_eavesdropping_software/ ...
> 
> The TV-Anytime Metadata Specification took a more direct approach for 
> Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) such as the TiVo. Not only did it 
> have metadata about what TV programs are on when in the Electronic 
> program guide (EPG), but also provision for metadata about the people 
> watching the programs, so that ads can be targeted to them 
> <http://www.tomw.net.au/2002/mka.html>.
> 
> A suitably equipped PVR or a PC with a TV tuner card could look up 
> the EPG to see what a program was about and then supply suitable ads 
> for the viewer. An even more targeted system would read the closed 
> text captions for the deaf transmitted with the program and used that 
> to select ads, much as good does for web pages 
> <http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/adwords.shtml>.

i must be missing something here because i just can't fathom why anyone
would want to buy or use a TV or PVR that did this.

i'm sure advertising people would love it, but why would the end user
want it - or even tolerate it?

the idea just makes me want to recoil in horror - it's so creepy.


craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au>           (part time cyborg)