Comment This is a Marketing Person's DREAM! (Score 2) 94
Sure the government could start to do some really scary things with this technology, but has anyone thought of the sorts of annoying things marketing people could do with this?
How's about applying the technology to mall security cameras, and linking the visual recognition with a marketing database so that a band of roving salespeople can "point you in the right direction". Or even more annoying, how's about salespeople standing outside of store doors accosting people by name to try to get them in the store, but since the faces are linked to marketing databases, they only choose people that fit their "target market".
Taking things to the next level, stores would be able to effortlessly track each individual customer that shops in their store. With this technology, simply walking into the store tells them your name, address, social security number, phone number, e-mail address, credit history, checking/savings account balances, crimminal record, sexual preference, television viewing habits, and the list of recent stores that you've shopped in. Paying cash to remain anonymous to marketing people no longer will work.
An even more screwed-up use would be using video monitors that display advertisements based on who happens to walk by them. A camera looks at your face, figures out what you like, then displays only the commercials that fit your profile. It's kinda like when you use search engines on web pages and all those porno advertisements start popping up -- except everyone else walking by sees the commercial too. Imagine cameras and LCD screens at eye-level in bathroom stalls and urinals that shove commercials in your face while you're doing your business.
Just a few paranoid thoughts...
How's about applying the technology to mall security cameras, and linking the visual recognition with a marketing database so that a band of roving salespeople can "point you in the right direction". Or even more annoying, how's about salespeople standing outside of store doors accosting people by name to try to get them in the store, but since the faces are linked to marketing databases, they only choose people that fit their "target market".
Taking things to the next level, stores would be able to effortlessly track each individual customer that shops in their store. With this technology, simply walking into the store tells them your name, address, social security number, phone number, e-mail address, credit history, checking/savings account balances, crimminal record, sexual preference, television viewing habits, and the list of recent stores that you've shopped in. Paying cash to remain anonymous to marketing people no longer will work.
An even more screwed-up use would be using video monitors that display advertisements based on who happens to walk by them. A camera looks at your face, figures out what you like, then displays only the commercials that fit your profile. It's kinda like when you use search engines on web pages and all those porno advertisements start popping up -- except everyone else walking by sees the commercial too. Imagine cameras and LCD screens at eye-level in bathroom stalls and urinals that shove commercials in your face while you're doing your business.
Just a few paranoid thoughts...
