For advertisers, it may seem like the perfect fit. Integrate a technology into mobile apps, games for the most part, that identifies ads playing on television to push similar ads on mobile, even if the mobile is not used actively.
News about such a system comes just days after LG announced the integration of AI into its televisions to determine the emotions and beliefs of viewers.
The startup Alphonso has apparently created the technology and it is already being used in hundreds of apps and games, some of which are available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
It works by capturing audio samples using the device’s microphone. These are turned into hashes on the user’s device before they are submitted to a remote server. The hashes are checked against a database of hashes of television ad sound samples to find matches.
A report by The New York Times — you need an account to read it, or archive.is — has additional details.
- Sound can be recorded even if the mobile phone is in a pocket or if the apps are running in the background.
- Some of the apps are clearly aimed at children (Alphonso told the NYT that it did not approve of that).
Alphonso told the New York Times that the entire process is highlighted in the application’s description and in the privacy policy. Users need to accept these before the technology can start recording anything.
While technically correct, it is clear that many users do not read the description or privacy policy before hitting the install button in the mobile app stores.
The only way to prevent giving your okay to the recording of audio is to read the description and privacy policy carefully before hitting the install button. A search for Alphonoso may be the quickest option in this regard.
I shall make a mental note never to buy an LG TV. This whole AI business is getting out of hand. Instead of improving the functionality of a given device it’s now being employed to bombard us with f*cking ads!