Google patent uses background noise to generate targeted ads

If you’ve surfed the web long enough, you’re probably aware of Google’s ability to create ads based on the content you were looking at and your location. Now it looks like Google has a patent that aims to take things to the next level by analyzing the background noise of your phone conversation and delivering ads based on your actual location.

At the moment, Google ads are generated based on your location as in your country, but this patent would actually deliver ads based on your actual, precise location, so if you answered the phone while in the cinema (which is a big no-no by the way!), ads could be generated for movie offers, while a call answered at the gym could generate ads for gym equipment, vitamin supplements, etc.

Sounds like an invasion of privacy, doesn’t it? The good news is that Google takes your privacy seriously and it was mentioned on the patent that “it is important to respect the privacy of the users”, and revealed that users would have the option of enabling or disabling the feature. So, anyone else finds this patent a little creepy? [Patent filing]

Tyler Lee
Categories: Web
Tags: Google, Patent