Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Google Forbids Advertising On Glass

Posted by timothy on from the ban-those-stupid-foam-markers dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Contrary to widespread thought, Google Glass will not be an advertising platform: 'Google Inc has lately told app developers that they are not allowed to present ads to Google Glass users and they are also not permitted to sell users' personal and private information for the fulfillment of advertising needs. The internet company has explicitly and openly said that the Glass platform should and must be clean and clear of any ads whatsoever, because the technology is designed to facilitate internet browsing and other related activities, therefore, the featured podium cannot be used to advertise products as it will cause the user experience to diminish.' Seems like Google is going for hardware-only revenue on this one." You're not supposed to resell the Glass hardware, either.

3 of 274 comments (clear)

  1. what's the difference? and who does this benefit? by F9rDT3ZE · · Score: 4, Interesting

    what is the difference between "presenting ads to Google glass users" and "internet browsing"? Is Glass going to come with built-in ad-blockers for all web pages? Are they going to build special software to prohibit Glass-specific advertising on web pages that are not in any kind of partnership with Glass? This seems to me like a way of controlling the advertising revenue streams for Google more than anything else, since Google's pages are larded with ads and Glass will inherently drive traffic to those pages, both inside and outside of the Glass environment. I wonder if it even raises antitrust implications, as it tremendously biases the products toward Google's advertising & commerce platforms while pushing others out.

  2. Re:I think I'll wait for something Free by DragonWriter · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As in libre Free. You can't prevent ads without either an onerous EULA with over-the-top enforcement or some hardcore DRM.

    The no ads is a provision of the agreement required to use the API that lets web apps connect to glass, its not enforced by EULA or DRM

  3. Re:Just means they will make their money another w by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's not about active ads. I'm sure they'll get revenue for passive advertising. You're wearing glass, you search for a restaurant, you get a list of local restaurants with directions... I can see pretty easy ways to embed ads into that whole process, and display USEFUL ads.

    Most folks don't have problems with advertising that helps them find what they're looking for.