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Microsoft Patents the Mother of All Adware

Posted by Zonk on from the clippy-has-a-couple-cheap-watches-to-offer dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Ars Technica has an article on the mother of all adware patents filed by Microsoft: 'It's such a tremendously bad idea that it's almost bound to succeed. Microsoft has filed another patent, this one for an "advertising framework" that uses "context data" from your hard drive to show you advertisements and "apportion and credit advertising revenue" to ad suppliers in real time.' Ars discusses this disturbing concept, which was originally unearthed by Information Week and we first discussed last week."

2 of 378 comments (clear)

  1. No by InvisblePinkUnicorn · · Score: 4, Informative

    According to TFA:

    "The software would also free advertising from its traditional browser yoke. "A word processor may display a banner ad along the top of a window, similar to a toolbar, while a graphical ad may be displayed in a frame associated with the application. A digital editor for photos or movies may support video-based advertisements," the patent application says.

    So no, Adblock in its current form wouldn't do squat.

  2. Re:"Context data" by creepynut · · Score: 4, Informative

    That's ok, anyone who was a real Empornium member has moved onto Cheggit.net since Targetpoint bought E. ... so I've been told.