Posted on 01/30/2009 6:30:56 PM PST by rabscuttle385
MILWAUKEE - Watch an advertisement on a video screen in a mall, health club or grocery store and there's a slim — but growing — chance the ad is watching you too.
Small cameras can now be embedded in the screen or hidden around it, tracking who looks at the screen and for how long. The makers of the tracking systems say the software can determine the viewer's gender, approximate age range and, in some cases, ethnicity — and can change the ads accordingly.
That could mean razor ads for men, cosmetics ads for women and video-game ads for teens.
And even if the ads don't shift based on which people are watching, the technology's ability to determine the viewers' demographics is golden for advertisers who want to know how effectively they're reaching their target audience.
While the technology remains in limited use for now, advertising industry analysts say it is finally beginning to live up to its promise. The manufacturers say their systems can accurately determine gender 85 to 90 percent of the time, while accuracy for the other measures continues to be refined.
The concept is reminiscent of the science-fiction movie "Minority Report," in which Tom Cruise's character enters a mall and finds that retinal scanners identify him and prompt personalized ads that greet him by name.
(Excerpt) Read more at tech.yahoo.com ...
Ping!
What then would this camera detect for Obama?
in soviet russia...TV watches you!
But targeting the ads based on who's standing there? Mongo no like.
An empty suit...
Luckily for me, I don’t leave a reflection in any shiny surface. ;)
In America you can always find a party. In Soviet Russia, the Party finds you.
That’s what they make plastic bags for.
Call them: “Camera Condums”.
>>>What then would this camera detect for Obama?
The system might display an ad for a particular cookie.
Razor ads for men, cosmetic ads for women, video game ads for teens??? This is profiling people based on outward simplistic characteristics.
Haven’t we been told that profiling is not politically correct??????
It’s profiling and prejudicial to assume men wouldn’t want to see the cosmetic ads. Same with women and razor ads. Same with the assumption that teens are into the video games and that adults aren’t.
i could go all day.
Fear not, lawsuits will be pressed.
Are you telling me you are not the bright star I see in the East?
I think Sword posted an article a while back about Apple getting a patent on this kind of technology. The premise is so when you’re telechatting you’ll be looking directly at the camera instead of below or to the side. It will almost immediately be co-opted by businesses to watch their employees while they’re working.
I swear, I think they made a book about that...
Wasn’t it called... 1984 or something. I don’t know, all that stuff is fuzzy.
LOL! This time of year that’s Venus. ;)
i was 14 when i read 1984 scared the crap outta me.
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