Published in News

Verizon wants to listen to you conversations

by on05 December 2012



Will tell advertisers what you say


Verizon has filed a patent for a DVR that can watch and listen to the goings-on in your living room so that it can be reported to companies so they can target you with adverts.

So if you are having a spat, you can instantly be sent adverts from divorce laywers, if you are having sex, you can get adverts from marital aid suppliers and if you are humming a James Blunt song you can be riddled with bullets and chopped into tiny pieces.

This seems old tech to us. Comcast patented similar monitoring technology in 2008 for recommending content based on people it recognises in the room. Google wanted to use audio nd video recorders to figure out how many people in a room are watching the current broadcast.

Verizon gives two examples of the context-sensitive DVR’s use in a couple’s living room. If there are sounds of arguing prompt ads for marriage counselling, while sounds of sex prompts ads for contraceptives. The fact that they think that the use of cameras and mics to target you with adverts in your own home is acceptable, indicates that they really are not on this planet.

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