It’s hard not to think this story is just creepy in so many ways…
But, Google filed a patent on a technology that essentially serves ads based on the background noise of your phone calls. The abstract from the patent explains:
Information about an environmental condition of a remote device is received, the environmental condition being determined based on a signal output from a sensor of the remote device or a sensor coupled to the remote device. An advertisement is identified based on the environmental condition, and the advertisement is provided to the remote device.
So, if I am speaking to someone on the phone about the horrendous heat down here in South Florida, am I going to receive some type of advertisement for air conditioning or fans? It appears with this technology, I just might.
Because this patent is just merely a submission, that doesn’t mean this is definite. But, can you imagine what this could mean for advertisers? How far could this really be taken?
Just playing devil’s advocate for a moment, could we also say that this is another means for receiving highly targeted (perhaps even helpful) ads based on our current environmental needs? Maybe I do need to buy a fan to ward off the heat.
Nonetheless, I still don’t think it will be accepted by the masses without extreme resistance.
Image credit: Duchamp
