But it’s been well-documented in the press that Google has
set its sights on a much broader, more pervasive presence. Not only does Google own other social media
entities, such as YouTube, but it also has sponsored the development of new
technologies, such as Google Glass®.
Google Glass® is said to have the ability pack the power of a smart
phone in the frames of sunglasses or even prescription glasses. The touted benefit is hands-free access to
the information you get in a smart phone.
The fear some have of the new technology is the mini-camera
that Google Glass® features. They worry
that the ubiquitous nature of such technology not only makes it possible for
more and more people to capture still and moving images of each other just
about anywhere, but that we won’t even be able to detect it as much when a
camera is being used to photograph or take video of us.
To be sure, the omnipresence of security cameras today has
created an atmosphere where no one can reasonably assume privacy when out in
public or in certain office buildings or commercial facilities.
The one refuge we can still count on is our living room,
right? Maybe.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Google could be
working on a television set-top box with a motion sensor and a video camera
that could have the ability to track our movements, record our voices and
monitor our behaviors.
The business objective of such technology, we are told, is
to help marketers better understand our tastes, wants, needs and behavior
patterns to better meet our expectations.
The International
Business Times described it this way, “…two people cuddling on a sofa
watching TV might see a commercial for a romantic Disney cruise, while an
arguing couple might see a pitch for couples’ therapy.”
This was how the publication described the application of a data
collection technology that is at the center of a patent application field by
Verizon Communications Inc.
I still don’t like it when Microsoft Word does
“autocomplete” to finish words I start and makes bad assumptions on
where I was going. I can only imagine
how I will feel when my TV doesn’t get my jokes, or doesn’t agree with the clothes
I’m wearing and makes judgments.
Apparently, I’m not alone.
There is a bill before congress that will require that
consumers consent to the collection of such private data based on “ambient
action.” The bill has been described as
the “We Are Watching You Act of 2013.”
What this all reinforces is that the technology industries
are evolving from a former stance of using the latest advances to making life
easier for the user, to collecting data on the user for sale to a third party. The paradigm shift is that technology is no
longer about the user but is now about the “watcher.”
In other words, the real money in the future is on data
collection, a form of commercialized voyeurism.
The more personal, the more valuable.
The more valuable, the more revenue.
It goes from there.
This raises a number of questions. What is the role of technology? What rights should telecommunications
companies and other technology providers have to the most private information
on users? Can we trust them with the
data?
I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty good idea on how
I’d answer all of the above. Where I sit on my couch is none of my TV's business.
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