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“Some believe that iAd could eat up half the mobile ad market in the future while most think that Apple is really out to challenge Google,” Purcher reports. “More importantly perhaps is that actual paying customers of iAd’s services, like Nissan, have seen their ad time-traffic soar ten-fold. All the more reason why Apple is seeking to further fine-tune their target marketing capabilities – and in today’s patent report we’ll take you on a short trek through the mindset of the ad industry as it schemes to further burrow their tracking technology into Apple’s iOS devices like only Mad Men could.”
Apple’s patent features “techniques and supporting systems to track users and site visitors across multiple networks of mobile media properties as the users interact with the properties via mobile web, SMS, within mobile-device resident applications and conventional ‘wired’ content sites,” Purcher reports. “Various aspects of Apple’s invention facilitate the tracking and profiling of users of mobile devices and media. More specifically, the techniques described in the patent enable uniform user tracking across the major pillars of mobile media interaction–web, SMS, application usage and wired-to-mobile–using a network-resident cookie and hash matching.”
Read more in the full article, which includes patent application illustrations, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lava_Head_UK” for the heads up.]
I am not a number! I am a free man!
I will not be tracked, categorized, micro-marketed to, cookied, or checked in, or followed.
Apple: “You are number 6.”
Me: “Who is number 1?”
Apple: “That would be telling. Be seeing you!”
omg.
apple is the village.
Ads are a fact of life in a capitalist system.
I would rather the ads were targeted to me, so they’d at least potentially be of interest.
Don’t need snow shovel ads when you live in Phoenix, as MDN likes to say.
Cue “Minority Report” comment…..
I’d rather let Apple gather information about me than Google. Apple would only use it to target ads to make them more relevant to me. Google would use it to build a profile of me so it could track my next move and maybe even tell me what to do next (according to Schmidt).
I’d rather be raped by someone I like and admire than be raped by Google.
What bullshit, rape is rape.
@ theloniousMac
Is Jobs ‘Number Two’?
@Big Als MBP
It’s not rape if I trust them with my information and don’t have a problem with it. That’s called consensual.
@Big Als MBP
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True. But I’d still rather it came from a model than a granny – lesser of evils, you understand
@ Big Als MBP,
You equate information gathering with taking it up the bum?
You’re weird dude.
The government (at least in the USA) already tracks your phone and can even use the microphone (and the camera I think) to spy on you
Personally if I had the choice between usg google and apple spying on me I would rather apple. Especially since apparently all they’ll do with it is change the adds on the screen
I am employee zero.
@ theloniousmac–
Nice Maiden reference.
If I’m correct, most cars now have a GPS system and recorder inside to keep track of your speed, braking etc that could be used by insurance companies in an accident. The police could use this info for whatever reason via a warrant.
Now our phones are going to do the same. It’s creepy and big brother-like even if this is capitalism. That’s what shareholders and assholes like to push because it serves their interests. The fact is that it’s an invasion of our privacy over and over again and we better speak up now to show our distain for this type of actiity up front. What I want is an off switch to data collection techniques on my iPhone.
Apple or not, I don’t want them collecting info on my activities so that they could pawn it off to their own iAd agency. Unless they subsidize my phone deeply, buzz off. We pay enough to Apple as it is. They can’t have it both ways.
Ah the village.
… can’t see the big weather balloon though.
I like this tweet Manton quotes from Petteri Hiisilä:
|| If you’re not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you are the product being sold.
The part I find funniest about this article is that, as I read it in the MDN iPhone app, a Google ad sits at the top of the page. I thought MDN was iAd all the way? So much for loyalty.
@Joe and Stephen
What whack jobs you two are! So you think the government has the manpower to track every single one of the millions upon millions of cell phones and the phantom GPS device in our cars?
What complete idiots you are!
@Joe and Stephen
It’s very simple: wrap your phone in aluminum foil. It just works! I haven’t tried the entire car yet, just the engine compartment where I think the GPS and black box are housed. Smirk!
@ Excitable RicMac
Talk about being retarded. New cars come with black boxes. When there’s an accident, the insurance and the police use the data from the black box to determine what state the car was in prior to the accident (e.g. speeding, too slow, brake problem etc).
If you’re not aware of this, come out of your cave, Ricky. Do you where Ricky Mouse ears too? ha! Grow the Fk-Up.
Who do you trust Apple or Google?
Please fix the app on start up , some times will not load !
If you dont want to be tracked, turn off your cell phone.
Turn it back on when you have stashed the loot and are back home in bed with your alibi…
Derek,
You are right. Turn off the cell and take the bus or subway. That’ll fool em!
Joe,
Go back and read your first post, wasn’t about a black box but some mystery GPS thing. And YOU were all paranoid. Can’t fix it now with name calling!
I believe Apple will use the info to better our experience and create more income for them to make better products. I trust them. Google is a data mining company they will collect everything they can then sell to who ever they want.
This is my belief , cant prove it to be true.
“I’d rather be raped by someone I like and admire than be raped by Google.
What bullshit, rape is rape.”
And hyperbole is hyperbole, good job guys
@ TheConfused1
MAIDEN refence?
Lololololol….
Noob.
I’m not too crazy about any company tracking my habits. At least not without me having some knowledge and or control. Apple included. Guess I’m not a real fan boy. It’s funny how so many comments are from people who act as though if you don’t like something AAPL does, you’re an idiot. Or worse, you like Microsoft and all they make! Sort of like being around a bunch of pissed off 12 year olds who can’t play sports so all they know how to do is try to make fun of those who can. Common sense,perspective and opinions. Realize that we all have opinions. C’mon kids grow up. Even MDN sometimes reacts to negative articles about AAPL with diplomacy. Not often though. But hey, they don’t get paid to be objective. Sad.
Maybe I’m just old fashioned but I DO turn off my cell phone and I don’t use GPS. As for the issue of consumer tracking I don’t care if it’s Apple, Google Microsoft or Jesus Christ. I don’t like it and would rather be given a choice. But here’s the problem, you are denied the choice, so as much as possible I minimise my exposure to tracking technology.
And weekend et al. I totally agree with you guys; tracking sucks.
Aluminum Foil Hats For Sale !
@Ricmac
Every GPS Satnav unit that I am aware of tracks your route. This information is held in nonvolatile memory and is sometimes used to update maps by the Satnav manufacturers. When you have an accident, this information can be retrieved to see where you have been and how fast you have been travelling – if your Satnav is on of course. Didn’t realise that?
What, you guys don’t remember The Prisoner?
Maiden Reference… Iron Maiden was referencing The Prisoner!
If you haven’t seen it, well, you should. In a world in which our government continues to grow like some unstoppable monster who’s only source of food is our own productivity, and corporations along with the government seek to control the Internet, how we can talk to one another, and know how many hairs are up each of our asses… this is a series to see.
Patrick McGoohan as The Prisoner
So, “their ad time-traffic soar ten-fold” from what it was. What was it on? Google? Bing? Yahoo? DO YOU THINK ANY OTHER COMPANY WANTS A “TEN-FOLD” INCREASE IN A MUCH LESS CROWDED AD SYSTEM? THINK ANY OTHER COMPANY WILL WANT A “TEN-FOLD” INCREASE WITH THEIR AD EFFORTS WITH APPLE?