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Onstar Navigation System to Deliver In-Car Spam
pneuma_66 writes: "According to the New York Times (Free reg, don't cha know) navigation systems, like OnStar, are planning to deliver ads based on the car's location. For example, the system will 'notify' the driver of sales in nearby stores. The vp of OnStar says "The privacy and the confidentiality of our subscribers are of the utmost importance", well lets see how the big companies play with this new wealth of information."
The best way to battle spam is to create a hotmail account to have the spam delivered to. Whenever you sign up to something online you use that account unless you trust them not to spam you or sell your address. I do this and I believe I only once got spammed at my regular e-mail address.
Oftentimes there will only be one person in the car and hence he/she wont be able to look down to see the ad.
OnStar is a voice system, not computer/LCD. There's a little button that basically places a cellphone call to a directory service, and also sends your GPS location. From there, you're talking to a real person (or, as in the case of ads, listening to a recording, like on the radio). There won't be a requirement to look anywhere in order to receive the information.
Now something more realistic (if it isnt there already) would be having the system allow a user to query information about nearby hotels, malls, restaurants, etc.
That's pretty much what OnStar's good for right now, aside from auto-calling in an emergency. You can press the OnStar button, and ask somebody where there's a hotel, gas station, movie theater, italian restaurant (and I think they can even make reservations), or as in an example another poster provided, the nearest tittie bar.
Yes! That guy!
This service is free for the first year and only $150 a year after that. Right now on some of the car websites there is a bigger concern that police and the IRS will be able to get the tracking data of where you've been. Just like the story about the guy who had his bank account drained by a rental car company for his alleged speeding. On Star, to some, is just another form of big brother watching ou every move.
In other news tonight, over 75% of OnStar subscribers are considdering canceling the service, or maybe just driving into the store window "to your left that has a great sale on plus size jeanes."
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
In the ad world this is known as pushing. The concept is to put ads where you never got them before. Cell phone, pager, and car when the radio is off, etc. They want you to see ads in church, on the beach, in the shower, and NASA is working on allowing commercial sponsorship of space missions. Can you see the Pepsi logo on the side of a rocket? I can.
It will get much worse. You know that networked refrigerator they keep telling us is going to come? It too will have ads.
Free software has ads. Spending on advertising is going down as people become trained to ignore them. Just 10 years ago there where 2 less minutes of commercials per 30 minutes of programming. You now see 6 times the number of ads you did 10 years ago (sorry can't think of the source).
Ads are getting more intrusive by the day. Remember when you would get your receipt and it would have coupons on the back? Those are too easy to tune out. Now you get a separate piece of paper with coupons on it.
You used to buy something and it would come with a free gift. That free gift has turned into a discount somewhere else. More advertising.
When will this change? It won't. What can you do to avoid all of this? Nothing. Well nothing unless you live like I do, which is not recommended.
o Text based browser.
o No pager
o No cell phone
o TV is not plugged in
o no VCR
o no DVD
o Listen to NPR, the ads here are even getting an out of hand for "commercial free programming"
o don't own a car
You see fewer ads on the bus because you can bury your head in a book and not have you eyes locked on the road where all those billboards, A-frame signs, and faux-hot-air balloons are.
o Don't shop at the big stores. Hit the thrift stores and antique stores.
o Eat at mom and pop places and not places with BigThemePark adverts on the tray liners, YBotherBox adds on the drinks and movie tie ins on the to go bags.
o and the list goes on.
To explain, no there is too much, let me sum up: This should come as no surprise.
Ascii artist &