Does *any* google user ...
... have even half a clue as to why I drop all of the gootards IP traffic on the floor for privacy reasons? And if not, why not? Are you all hard of thinking?
There's many a slip between patent and product, but it seems Google is eyeing (sorry) the revenue opportunities for Google Glass beyond flogging a fashion accessory to tech tragics. The Chocolate Factory's latest patent proposes extending "pay per click" models to the world of meatware by tracking what you're looking at, in case …
Well as you are using a PC (I presume not permanently through a VPN) and as you probably use a Bank Card to pay for things and walk around the streets in a town or city, you have far more privacy worries than using Google.
But I don't think anyone, whether a Google User or anyone else, cares what *you* do or why you do it.
why I keep as much of my personal life out of Google's way as I can. I may be old fasioned but some of this stuff is just getting WAAAAAAY too creepy for me.
Yes, but that's exactly why Google Glasses exist: they will catch you wether you want it or not. The whole BS story about possibly be able to opt out only goes for the Glasshole itself, not for its victims. This is again an abuse of that glaring hole in privacy laws globally: it may no longer be legal to directly acquire data from someone, but Facebook and Zygna together have been demonstrating for years that that "problem" is easily bypassed by getting a 3rd party (formerly known as "friend") to collect said information instead.
As for the main article:
Vulture South is just as interested to know whether Google's considered the legal implications of running anything a Glass user looks at back to a server just to work out whether the wearer is looking at a half-naked, lingerie-clad Victoria's Secret advertisement, or a half-naked, lingerie-clad girlfriend in the privacy of their home.
This indicates that the author still hasn't worked out Google's relatively simple MO: it does first and says sorry later. As long as the fines it receives remain as minuscule as they have been, there is no business reason to change that MO, which is why I won't trust them, and why Glassholes are explicitly barred at our offices where we handle client data and client meetings. It's more a reminder - in certain areas we don't even allow mobile phones.
If they track not just where the glasses go, hear and see, but also what you personally focus on, it suggests they'll have a better memory of my life than I do. Thankfully my brain filters out much of the mundanity but this won't, it could feel very creepy indeed.
What also if it becomes self aware and starts checking out the talent whilst I'm just trying to read on the beach? The future is a whole new world of problems.
Your problem is the need to switch off the device carried by someone else. Personally, I think I may have to buy some stage blood and decorate a well work cricket or baseball bat with it, than tag it "Glassholes only". Maybe that will get the message across and prevents me from having to do this for real.
On the plus side, it neatly identifies the people I do not want as friends. It's not all bad if it visibly tags the clueless.
This will slowly end up with a massive infrastructure in place that no one ever really sees, but which will make sure prices are fluctuated according to what you've viewed and how you've lived your life.
You and your significant other want a trip to Vietnam this summer? Better not talk about it before hand or view ads, or the trip will be much more expensive when ordering time comes around.
The unseen hand of the market will become a lot more real than was ever thought off, and it wont benefit the consumer in the least!
We're a good way down the road now I think, at least with regard to perceived wealth. The more you're worth, the more choice you're thought to have, the more companies will bend over backward offering freebies, discounts, lower tariffs etc in the hope of getting your trade, even though your ultimate spend might not actually be any different.
I'm not so sure Amazon don't already use some form of interest/click based differential pricing.
"You and your significant other want a trip to Vietnam this summer? Better not talk about it before hand or view ads, or the trip will be much more expensive when ordering time comes around."
This would not make any sense. If you have a customer who a hot lead the last thing you'd want to do it turn them away by upping the price as another supplier will just step in with a more reasonable price, Or they'll just visit Cambodia instead. You'd be better off doing a limited time special offer so that they impulse buy and don't seek out a new supplier.
If you are talking about a monopoly with a single supplier then the risk of fines for this would be so big that it could put them out of business. But then this supplier would already knows the percentage of the population that needs this product and it will be profiteered accordingly.
"...and it wont benefit the consumer in the least!" For most things, outside of essential services or monopolies the consumer is king. They ultimately set the price through supply and demand. The more competition the better - hence why the Android/iPhone/WMobile etc battle is so good for consumers (especially with multiple manufacturers).
This kind of technology should have the oversight of a responsible government agency to make sure the information gathered is not abused.
In addition anybody who repeatedly looks at violent or anti-social images will clearly be potential terrorists or criminals so they can be detected way before they are a real threat and will be 'redacted' accordingly.
It is coming, and you will not be able to opt out.
I'm not saying that Google is planning it, but the NSA has brilliantly demonstrated that it will happily hijack any existing infrastructure to acquire the data it craves, whether that is illegal or not.
The fact that Google is thinking of doing this means that the NSA is thinking of ways to mine it.
And that is where we hit the Total Surveillance Society.
And the sheeple will go on munching...
For the benefit those who haven't heard of it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuecat , it was a PC-attached barcode scanner who's entire purpose in life was for users to scan their packet of chips, and have it direct you to a website that had more information on said chips. And now that it knows you like those chips, direct you (proabably though non-direct means) to websites or stores where you can buy more chips.
Released in 1999, they gave them away for free at Radio Shack (the scanners, not the chips).
By 2005, a liquidator was desperately getting rid of 2 million of the things for 30c each. They still appear to this day on eBay for $25 each, though they're probably still worth free.
If google glass does the same, and charge what they do, you too can expect to buy a google glass in 10 years on eBay for about $4000. For historic reasons only you understand, and it can't even read barcodes.
As soon as Samsung's eye-tracking arrived, I widely posted a basic algorithm that goes even further than that:
forced tracking of ads:
If eye(x,y)<>adCenter(x,y), then eye(x,y)=adCenter(x,y)
So, they will charge a premium for advertisers who want to insure users ARE looking at their ads.
Maybe the Luddites had a point...