Yes, You're Being Tracked -- By That Mannequin Over There
Don't know about you but I'm getting pretty sick of all the weight loss ads tracking me wherever I go on the Web. I know it's probably because I have a Weight Watchers account but enough already. And now when I go to a store, according to smartplanet.com, I can look forward to "in-store system(s) that sp(y) on our eye movements and immediately flash advertisements at us on nearby screens, corresponding to what we’ve just been looking at, the BBC reports ." I may never go shopping again. If that isn't spooky enough, Rose Eveleth at the same site reports that researchers are currently working on algorithms that factor in "things like the floor plan of the area and a behavioral model that predicts where people are likely to move." And where are these eyes? In mannequins. Fortunately, both apps are still about five years away. But with cameras everywhere, it's only a matter of time before department stores and Web sites know when you sleep