Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Free Phone Calls... If Advertisers Can Eavesdrop

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the why-are-my-ads-all-about-boobs dept.

Dekortage writes "Today, Pudding Media is introducing an Internet phone service similar to Skype's online service, but without any toll charges. The catch: they are eavesdropping on phone calls with voice recognition software to monitor calls, then push conversation-relevant the ads to the subscriber's computer screen. Interestingly, during tests, "conversations [were] actually changing based on what was on the screen," said the president. "Our ability to influence the conversation was remarkable.""

11 of 246 comments (clear)

  1. How do I tag? by stewbacca · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Where's the "sheeple" tag? How do I tag a /. article?

  2. Three words. by Poromenos1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ig-pay atin-lay.

    --
    Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
  3. Re:So, it's like the NSA... by CaptainPatent · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...but somebody is cashing in on ad revenue at the same time?
    Seriously, though, I'm not to the point where my phone bill is so expensive I'd do this. Cable TV on the other hand... That's what I thought initially, then I realized that the consumer is the one adapting to the business model. This means that instead of unknowingly and unintentionally giving up rights, the customer is completely in the know.

    Additionally, they are offering you phone service in return, so for some people this may be a business model for them and they wouldn't mind the company "cashing in" on ad revenue instead of their own pocketbook. It's true that I wouldn't adapt to this, but I can see where it may be warranted.
    --
    Well, back to rejecting software patent applications.
  4. riight. by apodyopsis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I wonder if their software can detect if I dial the speaking clock and leave it off hook?
    http://www.telephonesuk.co.uk/speaking_clock.htm

    Seriously, this sounds a little intrusive. Voice recognition my ass, I bet there is a clause in their contract stating the call may be recorded for future training, enhancement, fun, profit and any damn reason they like. 'Scuze me while I reach for my phrases and codes book.

  5. Re:Time to learn an obscure foreign language by rhartness · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Which raises my question, will the receiver of the phone call know that they are being eavesdropped upon? What about their rights? Idiots occasionally call me and I don't want to have to worry about this. BTW, I didn't RTFA. The answer could already be in there.

  6. Re:It'll fail. by Culture20 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They'll switch over to a
    "Your free seconds have expired, please praise the product displayed on your screen to continue this call"
    format soon enough.

  7. Except that ... by IgnoramusMaximus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Except that this is a legal morass in the making.

    Sure, they got an opt-in of the caller but do they have opt-in from the recipient?! So some imbecile calls you on that thing, and without warning you are being monitored/recorded by some inane corporate NSA-wannabe operation, with no idea by whom and where your call is being listened to, and retained for purposes you can't predict.

    The only way I can see this being even remotely legal in many places is if you get a message in the vain of "The party calling you has opted for recording of this call for undetermined purposes by any and all corporate afilliates of afilliates of the NSA-wannabies who paid the sheep in question for his call, Press 1 to accept the incoming call, Baaaaah, Press 2 to indicate that you still have a brain..." or some such.

    1. Re:Except that ... by IgnoramusMaximus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They are not keeping logs? Don't make me laugh. How would they even keep statistics of what is going on with their ad system?! How would they prove to their customers, the ad buyers, that they are actually popping them in context, instead of simply cheating and doing it at random?!

      You've confused corporate-speak with reality.

      In real life, in order to do voice recognition function, it has to be tuned on real data. In order to tune it, you have to collect samples, listen to them yourself and then compare the results to the automated recognition system. That is what they, by necessity, must do. Furthermore, the very process requires that your conversation is recorded, in some stages of the process, in digital form, even if that recording is supposed to be discarded further on. It is tivial for the employees or an unscrupulous business person to take advantage of that. And I guarantee you that in the fine, fine print of your "free service" agreement you agree to not hold them responsible should your conversations find their way to the "stupidest phone calls evah!" web site or some such.

      In short, when you sign for this shit, you are as good as recorded for any and all uses the corporate crooks can think of today or will think of tommorrow.

  8. Re:So, it's like the NSA... by IgnoramusMaximus · · Score: 2, Insightful

    AT&T isn't an opt-in service. This garbage is.

    Really? Is it for the recipient of the call? How does he/she know that the call is being recorded?

  9. Re:While I personally... by pimpimpim · · Score: 2, Insightful

    One point is, does the person on the other end of the line know that the conversation is 'voluntarily wire-tapped'?

    --
    molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
  10. Cool!!!! by phoenixwade · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A service specifically designed for the "I have nothing to hide, so I don't care if they wiretap" people!

    Now I just need to figure out if someone I know is using the service....... So I can sell them a Bridge........

    --
    A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.