Comcast developing technology to view you in your living room?

[techs]

http://newteevee.com/2008/03/1...to-start-watching-you/
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/...ries-deny-wants-spy-tv
http://www.prisonplanet.com/ar...508_comcast_denies.htm

CABLE GIANT Comcast is backpedalling furiously away from the unguarded revelation by its Senior Vice President of User Experience, Gerald Kunkel, that it's developing spy cameras built into cable boxes to monitor customers.

Comcast has denied that it is developing camera devices built in to cable boxes that monitor consumers as they enter the room, despite the fact that Vice-President Gerard Kunkel admitted to a journalist that such a move would represent a "holy grail," and rival companies like TiVo and Microsoft have already filed patents for similar technology.

The idea being that if you turn on your cable box, it recognizes you and pulls up shows already in your profile or makes recommendations. If parents are watching TV with their children, for example, parental controls could appear to block certain content from appearing on the screen. Kunkel also said this type of monitoring is the ?holy grail? because it could help serve up specifically tailored ads. Yikes.


Kunkel said the system wouldn?t be based on facial recognition, so there wouldn?t be a picture of you on file (we hope). Instead, it would distinguish between different members of your household by recognizing body forms. He stressed that the system is still in the experimental phase, that there hasn?t been consumer testing, and that any rollout ?must add value? to the viewing experience beyond serving ads.


While this might be a P&N type post, the incredible ramifications qualify it as an "everyone" needs to know issue.
I guess George Orwell was right. Just got the dates wrong.

 

[Bateluer]

If the rolled out such a technology, I would hope that people would have the sense to immediately cease doing business with Comcast.

 

[Anubis]

sweet another use for duck tape


covering up the big brother eye in your cable box

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I would not own any technology that is going to "monitor my body shape and custom tailor my viewing experience".... I am perfectly fine doing all of that on my own without my cable box watching me....

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus
I would not own any technology that is going to "monitor my body shape and custom tailor my viewing experience".... I am perfectly fine doing all of that on my own without my cable box watching me....

no kidding, who wants your TV box insulting you when you get fat? "I don't recognize you, no cable TV for you!!!"

"Here's some weight loss ads, fatty"

 

[Arcadio]

Who is this "George Orwell" character you speak of?

 

[bonkers325]

this would be great if you could use it to view other 'body shapes', preferably those of hot wimmenz

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: Arcadio
Who is this "George Orwell" character you speak of?

Srsly?. Read 1984, great book.

Originally posted by: Anubis
sweet another use for duck tape


covering up the big brother eye in your cable box

Hahaha, yeah no doubt.

 

[jjones]

Originally posted by: Scouzer
"Here's some weight loss ads, fatty"

lol

 

[LS21]

sweet, itll extract my favorite tv shows from facebook, detect me in front of teh television set, and only show product ads related to that show fed in from amazon.com

 

[JulesMaximus]

What if it sees you whacking off? Maybe it could be programmed to dim the lights and put on some soothing music.

 

[effowe]

There's no way this would ever be abused, comcast would never let the government peek into your home in real time without a warrant. I fully support these boxes.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: effowe
There's no way this would ever be abused, comcast would never let the government peek into your home in real time without a warrant. I fully support these boxes.

Yes, I suspect anyone who would not welcome such a wonderful technology into their home is most likely a terrorist or drug dealer.

 

[biggestmuff]

theinquirer? prisonplanet?

 

[LS21]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Yes, I suspect anyone who would not welcome such a wonderful technology into their home is most likely a terrorist or drug dealer.

true. if youve got nothing to hide, youve got nothing to be afraid of

 

[manowar821]

The funny thing about Orwellian devices is that they don't work very well if you smash the fuck out of them with a hammer.

Not that this isn't disturbing, because it is.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

in a previous life as a cable installer, i sometimes joked with customers about cameras in the cable boxes.

me: "see that little circle behind the plastic? that's a camera." (really the IR receiver)
customer: "wtf??!!"
me: "it's so we can track who's watching what, so we can bring you shows you like and commercials you'd be interested in."
customer: "oh, well, ok."
me: "nah, i'm just yanking your chain"

dammit, my idea was 10 years ahead of it's time. how much money am i not making from this? interestingly, out of the handful of times i pulled this joke, not one person said "get this shit outta here!"

 

[polarmystery]

Nope, I don't like it. Sometimes my gf and I will watch some pr0n albeit softcore and it turns us on so we start going to town. I'd rather not have somebody watching the camera recording a free peep show. Screw that SH!T

 

[Kalmah]

Scenario: Wife and kids are watching tv.
I walk into room, it detects my presence and recalls what I normally watch.
The next commercial is a prOn commercial.
.... busted

 

[PokerGuy]

Now THERE's some reliable sources

 

[Gooberlx2]

From the technogeek perspective, that sounds totally cool. From a skeptical point of view, I would never trust Comcast with that kind of technology, not ever.

 

[sonambulo]

Here's an idea: Throw your TV out the window and light the remains on fire. Problem solved.

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
What if it sees you whacking off? Maybe it could be programmed to dim the lights and put on some soothing music.

BOW-CHICKA-BOW-BOW! :music:

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: sonambulo
Here's an idea: Throw your TV out the window and light the remains on fire. Problem solved.

How would that get rid of the camera in the cable box?

 

[Lalakai]

and the legal foundation is already being established. Comcast may promise to never release data or images harvested from their units, until an FBI agent issues one of their favorite letters, then Comcast rolls over, hands over files on 50,000 people, and both Comcast and FBI are beyond reach of any lawsuits.

yep yep yep, of course i trust them. I mean, Tuskogee wasn't really a government sanctioned operation; just some renegade doctors. Hmmmm, so where do you think they take people now, on extrodinary extradiction flights?