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Pay-For-Visit Advertising

Posted by kdawson on from the maybe-the-fbi-will-have-to-pay-royalties dept.

theodp writes "US patent office documents released Thursday show that a startup named Pelago is seeking a patent covering Pay-For-Visit Advertising, which uses GPS, Bluetooth, or RFID on your mobile devices to track your travels to see if you wander into a place of business that appeared in an ad shown earlier on your cellphone, PDA, or laptop. To maximize ad revenue, phone calls are also tracked to see if you dial a number associated with an ad, and financial transactions are examined to see if you make a purchase from an advertiser. The application goes on to note that the system may be of interest to government agencies. Pelago just raised $7.4M from the likes of KPCB and Jeff Bezos."

7 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Can't I just have the chip implanted already? by PoliTech · · Score: 5, Funny

    I really dont want to carry all those gadgets around, especially at the beach. So if you could just inject that RFID tag into my neck right here...

  2. It begins by MarcoG42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I've never been one of the people that sports a tinfoil hat, and now I can't because they'll know when I go to the store, what I bought, how much I payed for it and what I was thinking when I bought it.

    --
    If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.
  3. Now I will generate revenue for somebody by crovira · · Score: 4, Funny

    without my knowledge of who, what or where, just by going to work everyday.

    1. Set up a surveillance society,
    2. Watch everybody all the time,
    3. ???
    4. Profit

    Steps 1 & 2 are already happening whether we want them to or not. Its a done deal.

    But the greedy little prick wants to patent it too.

    God I wish I had balls that big.

    --
    MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
  4. Re:no thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Oh and you shouldn't use a credit, debit card or checks for any of your transactions, forget about Buying stuff online or mail order. And don't forget to post anonymously on slashdot!
  5. I have two simple, effective words for Pelago... by fallen1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fuck. You.

    --

    Dream as if you'll live forever.
    Live as if you'll die tomorrow.
    ~Anonymous~

  6. Wunderbar by Cleon · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh, yay. Yet another way for big business to keep track of places we go, the food we eat, the air we breathe.

    It's only a matter of time before toilets start detecting our DNA in order to show us targeted ads on the the stall door while we take a shit.

    --
    Gifts for Geeks - Stuff that really matters!
  7. Re:Data bill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Your spelling and grammar are so bad that I think it gave me cancer.

    "Cell phones and PDA users may end up having to pay the data bill for ads that they may not even want, and how many people will want to waste their batteries on Bluetooth for this?