No Free Lunch — Google to Track Wi-Fi Users

Posted By: 'Okie' | 2:50 pm — 4/7/2006 | 2 Comments See comments below:

Free — the most powerful word in marketing. Google, maniacal-marketing-machine that it’s turning out to be, sure knows how to use it. The company is wiring San Francisco to provide “free” Wi-Fi to everyone, but there’s a catch, (isn’t there always?)

Google aims to be able to track its users to within 100-200 feet of their location through new wireless networks in order to serve them with relevant advertising from local businesses.

The leading Internet search company, which depends on advertising for 99 per cent of its revenues, was selected on Wednesday by San Francisco as its preferred bidder to provide a basic free wi-fi Internet service covering the entire city.

Sure sounds like the ad-driven society in Minority Report, doesn’t it?

Funny isn’t it,
Google won’t help the feds track down child pornographers
, but it will help advertisers track you down, and spew relevant ads into your browser — but that’s the price you pay, for FREE . . . (db)

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This entry was posted on Friday, April 7th, 2006 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Media Doin' It Wrong, SciFi Becomes SciFact. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.  |  Print This Post Print This Post  |  Email This Post Email This Post

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2 Comments on “No Free Lunch — Google to Track Wi-Fi Users”

  1. Google location tracking.

    Imagine the terrorist group trying to coordinate their plans from different sites around town all being arrested, or killed, within seconds of one another with no time to realize they had been discovered.

     

  2. I guess as long as your activities are above board there will be no problems. Except when your laptop screen starts flashing, “TURN RIGHT AND ENTER SAM’S SHOES FOR A GREAT SALE!!!”

    Way to go Okie! Another great post as usual.