Are You Watching Your TV or Is Your TV Watching You?

In their latest attempt to differentiate themselves from their competitors, Intel has announced their proposal to use facial-recognition technology in combination with Internet TV to target specific ads to an individualized audience. This technology was first brought to my attention while listening to an American Public Media Marketplace segment the other day, and I was immediately intrigued as visions of 1984’s Big Brother were invoked. Intel’s product will come in the form of a TV set top box, similar to Microsoft’s Kinect device for the Xbox 360, that contains a built-in camera that will recognize the viewer. This allows the Internet TV to deliver personalized ads based on a specific audience. “So for instance, if it’s your 6-year-old kid,” the TV might say, ‘Hey Junior, here’s some cartoons you can watch.’” In contrast, the television would advertise food programs and travel related shows for myself. “It really is just about personalization, having the ability to recognize you and then give you options that’ll recognize you,” Michele Reitz, an analyst at Gartner, a global technology research company, explains. 

Commentators compare Intel’s foray into the living room to how Apple revolutionized the smartphone with the Iphone. At this point, the living room is one corner of the market that hasn’t been captured yet. In a crowded technology marketplace, personalized Internet TV represents an opportunity for Intel to distinguish itself from Apple, Google, and Samsung. However, people’s hesitancy to allow the camera into the intimacy of their living space represents a hurdle that Intel may have underestimated, as evidenced in the comments below received by Reuters.com. That being said, such reluctance can be overcome.  A Kinect owner explained that when he first purchased the product feelings of paranoia overcame him for the initial few weeks of its usage, but “For now, I’ve gotten used to Kinnect looking at me, just like most people have become accustomed to Google tracking what they do on the web.” 

So what’s the difference? Is it simply Google’s familiar targeted advertising in a new form? Or is there something inherently different about a device that tracks and recognizes you? Comments and tweets received by Reuters illustrate a divided consumer base.“Gee, that’s all we need, for kids to be exposed to kid-targeted ads constantly while they’re watching TV. . . .,” one user comments. On the other hand, “Why grind on Intel?! Wouldn’t you want to pay less each month for only the channels you really watch?? The problem here is not Intel, it’s the cable and satellite companies that charge for packages containing useless and never watched channels at a premium!,“ exclaims another commentator.

In any event, the idea of someone or something tracking you every time you turn on the TV creates a few goose bumps. Then again, if you don’t want it, don’t buy it. Bear in mind that this is just one example of the use of facial recognition technology — remember when Facebook introduced a form of such technology along with its tagging feature a few years back? Intel isn’t the only company seeking to break into the market so future discussions may lie ahead.