Verizon to Spy on What You're Doing Thru Your TV
by Lisa Rollins
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posted Dec 7 2012 12:00AM
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Okay, THIS bothers me! It’s just too creepy, like something out of a Twilight Zone, but it's true.
Verizon has applied for a patent for the idea of using customers' TV set-top boxes to see and hear what people are doing in front of their TVs, and then using that information to tailor what ads will show up during commercial breaks.
For example; a couple snuggling in front of the TV might mean they’ll see ads for romantic vacations, flowers or even condoms.
Verizon also envisions being able to detect a person's mood from what they're doing, such as singing a happy song, and then featuring ads intended for happy people. The patent filing even suggests that the tracking system could communicate with a smartphone or tablet a viewer might have in their hands, seeing the websites the person is looking at, reading their email drafts or looking at what ebook they're reading.
The patent's filing has yet to be approved, however, and this envisioned system may not actually come to pass, with LiveScience.com noting that companies file patents on many ideas that never become a reality.
So what do YOU think of this idea Verizon wanting to patent of technology that would use sensors in a TV set-top box to see what YOU are doing in front of the TV at that moment, and then tailor the ads they see to that?
HATE IT!!!
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