Is Google Becoming Big Brother?

What could potentially cause both conspiracy theorists to tremble in fear and marketing research types jump for joy? Google's potential "eavesdropping" on us while we are online.

According to an article by The Register, Google is investigating the possibility of using our computer's own built-in microphone to listen to the ambient sounds in the room while we are online and serve more relevant ads to us as a result. That means that if Google overhears the user's TV playing the season finale of Survivor in the background, the user could be served ads for Survivor paraphernalia in real time.

I can hear the civil libertarians now, upset by one more assault on our privacy. Would this data be saved and sold? Would this data be used by the government to help track supposed terrorists? I think it's unlikely that all terrorists listen to certain radio stations while online or that they would have planning meetings while surfing the net so the likelihood of that is rather slim. I also doubt that Google is in the business of catching criminals, or even wants to be...

As for selling the data, there's already so much data about each of us being sold daily that one more type is hardly worth commenting on.

Would it really be that upsetting for Google to track and learn just how inane my TV watching habits really are? Not really. Perhaps embarrassing, but invasive, probably not. No more so than the grocery clerk who checks me out handing me freshly printed coupons for similar items to those I just purchased.

Could it be misused or abused? Perhaps. But I feel pretty confident that if this became more of a possibility, hackers would have a heyday creating ways to disable the microphones in our computers. Just like pop-up blockers and spam blockers, the eavesdropping blockers would be ubiquitous. Never fear, the hackers will be here. And if you don't want to install the hack, just surf the web in total silence. ;-)

And as the marketing research folks will tell us, it's become a common thing for people to use targeted coupons and shop using targeted ads and this will become common too. If it really ever happens. It could be seen as a convenience by some.

There are lots of sides to this issue, but at the moment, it's just all in the investigative stages.

What are your thoughts about this? Does it upset you? Do you think it's another great marketing advance? Leave me a comment telling me what you think. Keep it clean, though. This should be an intellectual discussion, of sorts. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.