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Billboards are watching you
I recently stumbled upon the above picture that shows a bus-stop poster with a creative use of technology. As I’m an admirer of creativity, I first thought that it was quite cool, then I had a second thought: “Isn’t this a little creepy? Videocam knowing if we are looking or not?”.
A little while after, I came across this article on Newscientist.com that made me really freak out, check a little excerpt for yourself:
For example, a system developed by Singapore’s research agency lets advertising screens detect the genders of passers-by: it will soon be able to tell how old they are, too. IBM has worked on systems that can scan a crowd and estimate numbers, demographics, and where people are looking.
Computer vision is sophisticated and cheap enough to make it possible to spot the logos on your drinks cup or shopping bags, and serve up ads in response – whether to reinforce your choice or promote a competitor.
And now that facial recognition has become a consumer technology it wouldn’t be difficult to install a series of ad screens that tracks individuals as they move through a subway system or mall, greeting them at each turn with a particular message or character.
What are your views on this topic? Do you see these technologies as an opportunity for advertisers or as an unacceptable intrusion in your privacy?
I guess that mentioning PKD and “minority report” is implicit in this article. I think that advertising has gone too far, the same technologies can –and will– be used by totalitarian states to control their people. You may not live in a totalitarian state, but you will if you don’t do something about this. I already live in totalitarian state and know that we are headed in this direction, I hope they won’t see your article.
As much as I want to believe this technology has the sophistication to read facial expressions and company logos, I don’t think the technology is quite there yet for true privacy concerns. Now, if and when advertisements such as this are able to hack into my bluetooth/wireless device and extract data in the form of personal information, comprehend it and pitch a product to me – then we have room for concern.
They don’t have to hack into your device to know who you are, who do you know and what do you do, they just have to match your face on the street to your picture in facebook.
Facebook isn’t a wide open database for advertisers to leech information freely. They could attempt to match my face with recognition software but they will never have access to my private information unless I choose to display it. This is a passive theory of privacy that I’m speaking of, where the information you hold dearly is being stolen without your approval. That is when freedom becomes a thing of the past.
“there yet” why not wait till you can’t go down the road without ads being beamed at you? …
Fact of the matter is THIS tech may not be invasive yet but you can bet your ass police/gov ARE using invasive technologies.
Imagine how annoying it could be?
I’m not into mainstream culture, x-factor and stuff like that makes me heave. Are these going to recognise that fact or like most advertising lump me in with the peons and spam me with base rubbish?
The “wait till its a problem” approach has never ever worked in the course of all history.
Frankly, I think this is pretty exciting stuff. I don’t feel like I have any need for privacy, in fact I do my best to give away my information as freely as possible.
I’d much rather have “relevant” ads beamed at me than viagra spam.
So as long as you’re not affected it’s ok?
Pretty typical attitude and one that’s very short sighted.
No one saw a problem with smoking being promoted through film yet it was the main antagonists when it came to ingraining the culture.
Diamond engagement rings had no place in Japanese culture but due to BS ads and product placement in films ppl now go into debt for these largely worthless lumps of carbon …
(which are again kept in place by lies in adverts. Go buy one then resell it see how much you get. Thats why they are associated with love, so u dont and ruin the inflated market)
Advertising is lies basically, the volume of info on pyschology we have now is beyond your understanding …
and on top of this you want to give them a new and even more invasive way of getting inside your head, which by the way isnt sacred space to them either.
Very very interesting read, thanks
Quite unique design in billboards, must say. This shows how much human intelligence has gained grounds.
What’s funny about about your answer Ty is that even if they don’t know you by name –yet– they will now the patterns of your whereabouts just by following you from billboard to billboard.
Ty: they can turn around and sell that info, they will know exactly what you do, were you do it, and at what time of the day. Cross reference that info and do some data mining and they will profile you to a point were they will know more about you than yourself.
Enter face recognition: the possibilities of this entities finding a picture of you on the internet are huge. How many of your friends tagged you on a picture on any of the social media outlets out there? do you know how many of those are lying around? do you have the time to read the EULA of all the sites you subscribe to and keep up with the changes they make over time to them?
Some food for thought
That’s interesting. I’ll read details when I return from Helsinki today. Br Helge
I happen to have a pretty good understanding of the volume of information available in the psychological literature.
I disagree wholeheartedly with the assertion that advertising is “lies”. Advertising is the force that allows us to enjoy much of what we take for granted every day.
As a strong believer in personal responsibility, it’s up to me whether someone “gets in my head,” and more importantly, how I choose to respond to their attempts.
Definitely a creative, although unnerving, method of advertising the subject matter. For me, however, it is not unnerving due to privacy concerns. Just that it really forces you to think about abuse. GREAT work on that end.
As for privacy—you’re in public. There should be no expectation of privacy. The only difference between what a computer can do and what a human can do is speed—and that falls both directions at this point in time. I can stand a salesperson for my product in a mall kiosk and he or she can look you over and, in an instant, determine your gender, age, ethnicity, relative affluence, etc. A computer can’t do that—yet. But, that’s simply a matter of honing algorithms and harnessing more computing power.
However, if a human in the mall is allowed to do it (which is a protected right, at least here in
the States) why should a machine not be allowed?
Just wait for the machine-rights movement, heh.
into the wild soundtrack
http://formicidae.org/r/?p=serena-williams-outburst-video
Frankly, I think this is pretty exciting stuff.