[Flipside]

http://thedrum.co.uk/news/2012/02/20/plan-uk-release-electronic-hoarding-can-determine-gender-and-deliver-tailored#comment-24153

A new billboard in Oxford Street will use a camera to examine people's facial structure, decide their gender and then, if they are deemed female, show them a reel about discrimination against women across the world. The company that created it want to expand the software to include things like hair colour etc in the future to target their ads.

Not only is the irony of an organisation against discrimination paying for something like this almost palpable, this country has laws against Discrimination based on gender, and things really get rocky once you include the Transgender community as well.

Can you imagine walking past a billboard in a shopping centre and having it announce to the world that you could buy cream X for that bald patch, or that you wouldn't be so fat if you ate Health-Food Y? I could see those billboards having a very short shelf-life.

[Qent]

The technology is interesting. The basic idea is like Internet ads taken to IRL... but WHOOPS that's out in public.

Are there any possible applications in a more private environment? I might like to have a PC that recognizes me by sight.

Can you imagine walking past a billboard in a shopping centre and having it announce to the world that you could buy cream X for that bald patch, or that you wouldn't be so fat if you ate Health-Food Y?

Or have it publicly announced that you look like the opposite gender.

[Flipside]

Yup, in the privacy of your own home, it's another matter, Yahoo etc target ads based on your browsing history etc, which is, to a certain degree, at least a bit more of an accurate way of deciding your tastes/nature than some kind of 20th century version of Physiognomy.

Thing is, if I chose to install something that allowed my Webcam to 'recognize' me, that would be my own choice to install, it could, for example, be another level of security, a biometric password, kind of, and I could remove it if got on my nerves, but to have not only the act of recognition forced upon me, but also allowing algorithms to decide what is best for me as a consumer is scary to say the least

[Qent]

Hey, doesn't everyone hold the copyright to his own image or something? It's about time I got paid royalties for seeing ads.

[Flipside]

They get over that by claiming that the data isn't stored

But yeah, there is actually an interesting IP question about the next generation of 'targeted' ads

[Nuke]

im glad its legal to own shotguns in america. well its probably not legal to shoot at advertisements, but regardless if i feel like im being targeted with a threatening corporate propaganda campaign i will respond rather violently.

[newman]

Commander Sheppard, our records show you recently died. May we interest you in these traditional Asari burial robes made of the finest materials...

The future.. is here. Run for the hills. Run for your lives

[Mars]

I seriously wonder if one could defend themselves in court rather effectively after kicking the **** out of that thing. . .

[newman]

You could try the "it was for science!" defense..

[NGTM-1R]

Yup, in the privacy of your own home, it's another matter, Yahoo etc target ads based on your browsing history etc, which is, to a certain degree, at least a bit more of an accurate way of deciding your tastes/nature than some kind of 20th century version of Physiognomy.

It does assume you're the only one to use the computer, though, which is...troublesome, at times.

[Mr. Vega]

Because only women are interested in women's rights.

[Klaustrophobia]

oh god.  not this again.   

[samiam]

Yup, in the privacy of your own home, it's another matter, Yahoo etc target ads based on your browsing history etc, which is, to a certain degree, at least a bit more of an accurate way of deciding your tastes/nature than some kind of 20th century version of Physiognomy.

I agree, they shouldn't go off of facial features, there should be boob detectors for this kind of thing. Would discourage male obesity, too.

[deathfun]

Nothing would make a fat guy want to lose weight more than a device thinking he was a woman because of his breast size

[BloodEagle]

Nothing would make a fat guy want to kill himself more than a device thinking he was a woman because of his breast size

Fixed that for you.

[Nuke]

there have already been studies linking advertising to mental illness. unfortunately im not in the habit of bookmarking every article on the net that i read in hopes that i can use it as a source in a forum post, so i aint got a source for you. if i did that i wouldn't have time for procrastinating, doing illegal drugs, and plotting the death of the entire universe.

[deathfun]

Nothing would make a fat guy want to kill himself more than a device thinking he was a woman because of his breast size

Fixed that for you.

Touche

[X3N0-Life-Form]

Commander Sheppard, our records show you recently died. May we interest you in these traditional Asari burial robes made of the finest materials...

I was thinking the same thing while reading this

[NGTM-1R]

Because only women are interested in women's rights.

Forget that, I'm reasonably sure the real problem is that it assumes only women are interested in women's underwear.

[FireSpawn]

there have already been studies linking advertising to mental illness. unfortunately im not in the habit of bookmarking every article on the net that i read in hopes that i can use it as a source in a forum post, so i aint got a source for you. if i did that i wouldn't have time for procrastinating, doing illegal drugs, and plotting the death of the entire universe.

Expand your plans recently, Nuke?