Google developing eavesdropping software

[Sven77]

The idea is to use the existing PC microphone to listen to whatever is heard in the background, be it music, your phone going off or the TV turned down. The PC then identifies it, using fingerprinting, and then shows you relevant content, whether that's adverts or search results, or a chat room on the subject.

And, of course, we wouldn’t put it past Google to store that information away, along with the search terms it keeps that you've used, and the web pages you have visited, to help it create a personalised profile that feeds you just the right kind of adverts/content. And given that it is trying to develop alternative approaches to TV advertising, it could go the extra step and help send "content relevant" advertising to your TV as well.

http://www.theregister.com/2006/09/03/google_eavesdropping_software/

[MichiganVote]

1. Bizarre

[zreosumgame]

2. uh, no thanks, good thing I know how to physically

disconnect it, even in my laptops

[Sherman A1]

3. Disable the microphone and I suspect the eavesdropping becomes

so very much less effective.

[Wonk]

4. dupe thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2047033

[NashVegas]

5. The Future of Advertising - Gonna Get Interesting

As people of the internet generation take control of their entertainment experience with products like TiVo, iPods (though to a lessor extent than Apple would say), content creation (YouTube), web, advertisers are getting more intrusive and more insistent that it's their right to be intrusive.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. Great.... I've been looking for a place for my

used gum for awhile now...