Google has developed new fingerprinting technology to know what computer users are viewing on TV while sitting behind their PC. The PC’s mike is listening in on sounds in the room to be able to get TV program fragments to launch special Google-ads for the occasion later.
Read about this here: http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17354&ch=infotech&sc=&pg=1
In the old days these practices were qualified as a hacking and spying technique, now that Google plans to do this is presented as a neutral “new fingerprinting technology”.
Is Big Commerce free to do whatever they like to-day? Seems so, in the old days of the Wild West, one would say: “Where can we find the Sheriff?” But there is no one in sight, I’m afraid,
the fingerprinting technology used in the Google prototype makes it impossible for the company to eavesdrop on other sounds in the room, such as personal conversations, according to the Google team. In the end, the researchers say, the only personal information revealed is TV-watching preferences.
As RejZoR already mentioned. it that's still something you object to, turn off your mike or just unplug it.
It is not a just about how easy this can be evaded, just by uninstalling the mike plug or whatever you have to do. My objection is about the privacy invasive character of this scheme.
If it this allowed they not only listen in to the tv sounds but everything that sounds in that room. If you have a bowel disposition, Google is gonna serve you up with an ad for laxatives, just considering the sounds that come from that room…
Now jokes apart, in the old days this would be a big thing, now everybody does not care anymore. How come Big Brother all of a sudden has become Mr Nice Guy now? And who or what is regulating your privacy fences nowadays beside you?
Surely it is covered in their Terms & Conditions in a similar way that Gmail can monitor your email and collate information for marketing purposes, etc. The very reasons I didn’t take up any offers to get a Gmail account.
in a similar way that Gmail can monitor your email and collate information for marketing purposes, etc. The very reasons I didn't take up any offers to get a Gmail account.
That way is only a little different than using Google search. It also displays those small advertisements. Only based on the content of the email you are reading instead of your search words.
I never had got any spam/advertisement email to my gmail account, cause it is not my spammer site given email address.
What polonus posted instead is a bit more crazy as funny as it sounded, voice recognition. Put radio on and then look at your computer screen what addies you are shown, heh. Or if the mic can hear your bedroom, maybe to recognize you need Viagra, but cause you are a bit far away from screen, it uses your multimedia speakers to advertise.
Next is if you have your web cam on and it can image recognize you have a balding hair, it will show you hair loosing preventing drugs.
The technology is already there, and they are using this in anti-piracy video. Read here: http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/77603
If they can do that for video tracks, they can do it for audio and everything that is digitalized (comparing digitized short samples for genuinity). This is also the reason that soon there will be nothing outside digital TV, and all analog TV worldwide is slowly being phased out, they want to check on every bit and byte they own. This is also why your MediaPlayer is not playing anything out of the sustained formats.
And then in a time and age, where you need only three fixed points in space to localize anything within some inches on planet global village, nothing is astounding anymore, at least to me. The only thing I hope they won’t filter out is the “human factor”. You can proof there was a virtual being typed this posting, but there is a human being behind it as well.
