September 3rd, 2006
Say It Ain’t So…Google Plans To Listen In On PC Users?
By David Johnston
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
The Register is reporting that Google may have plans for the future to use the microphones of PC users to eavesdrop on what is going on in their environment. They would apparently be listening for things such as a television or radio show or commercial, or even your phone ringing.
The first thing that came out of our mouths when we heard that Google is working on a system that listens to what’s on your TV playing in the background, and then serves you relevant adverts, was “that’s cool, but dangerous”.
The idea appeared in Technology Review citing Peter Norvig, director of research at Google, who says these ideas will show up eventually in real Google products - sooner rather than later.
The idea is to use the existing PC microphone to listen to whatever is heard in the background, be it music, your phone going off or the TV turned down. The PC then identifies it, using fingerprinting, and then shows you relevant content, whether that’s adverts or search results, or a chat room on the subject.
And, of course, we wouldn’t put it past Google to store that information away, along with the search terms it keeps that you’ve used, and the web pages you have visited, to help it create a personalised profile that feeds you just the right kind of adverts/content. And given that it is trying to develop alternative approaches to TV advertising, it could go the extra step and help send “content relevant” advertising to your TV as well.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would ever want any software on my PC accessing any kind of input devices in order to collect data about me, especially because I frequently leave my computer on for 24 hours a day. I just hope that Google comes to its senses before releasing something like this.
John Corliss says:
Either all of the employees at Google have some kind of rare, exotic disease that strips the individual of COMMON SENSE, or else they’re getting subsidized by Homeland Security. Regardless, anybody who attaches either a microphone or an internet camera to their system is pretty much fair game these days. I have neither.
September 4th, 2006 at 3:41 am
Billy Smith says:
If google starts doing this, I will never use google again. It’s that simple.
Billy Smith
September 4th, 2006 at 8:43 am
OffBeatMammal says:
Do no evil?!
hmmm… eavesdropping on people who, until now, felt it okay to trust Google.
Wonder how long before the records are seized by some Federal office keen to sift through the audio to listen for the word “terrorist”….
September 4th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
allen says:
Don’t be Evil means don’t help the US gov’t, don’t be Republican and do censor results for foreign governments. Somehow Microsoft is the evil empire while these guys get a free ride on their personal 737.
September 4th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
M Dinger says:
If the calendar didn’t say September, I’d would swear it was an April fool’s story. But then the source is the Register… (tounge firmly in cheek)
September 5th, 2006 at 4:58 am
Charles says:
Slow down everyone… who said Google is getting a free ride? And by my scorecard they have been doing a fine job. How about let’s wait until someone has actually seen this software being throwing stones. So they censored results to get into China… that is what any business entity will have to do to let capitalism get a foothold there.
Also, since when is being a Democrat not being evil? Your party affiliation has nothing to do with your capacity to cheat and steal. Democrats are guilty of the same actions Republicans get called out for.
September 5th, 2006 at 7:45 am
Charles says:
I mean… how about let’s wait until someone has actually seen this software “before” throwing stones…
September 5th, 2006 at 7:46 am
Sven Lowry says:
The technology could be put to much better use. If it could look for specific words and phrases, like “what’s” or “I wonder which” and then log that sentence so the next time you load up google it shows you results for all the things you asked for in the day.
September 5th, 2006 at 10:48 am
Eric N. says:
“Email from: Google Snoop
Subject: We Overheard
Body:
It seems as though you’ve used the bathroom 10 times in the last 2 hours. Here are some targeted ads to help you ease your stomach.
Google Snoop”
September 5th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
Lockergnome's Tech News Watch says:
Say It Ain’t So… Google Plans To Listen In On PC Users?
David Johnston of RealTechNews writes: The Register is reporting that Google may have plans for the future to use the microphones of PC users to eavesdrop on what is going on in their environment. It would apparently be listening for things such as a t…
September 7th, 2006 at 11:30 am
Paul Higgins says:
While I sympathise with the sentiments of those who commented we should wait and see, I can’t help but think if we do that we may walk blindly into a situation we dislike, and complain when it’s too late. If I stood outside your window with a camera and a recorder, and said we want to know what stock to hold in our store for you, you would quite rightly not be impressed and ‘escort’ me off your property. Why do we see electronic intrusion as less unacceptable? We are already ‘spied’ on by cookies etc under the guise of consumer profiling/targeting. I don’t like any of it, never use cookies unless absolutely necessary and always clear internet caches as soon as I leave a site. I also run a batch file to clear all temporary files when I start and shut down my PC. Maybe I’m a little paranoid, you might say. I just do not like these intrusions. However innocent they may be, unscrupulous people can misuse the information gathered.
September 8th, 2006 at 7:49 am