Just Say NO! to Corporate TV News!

Originally posted by quintar

As today’s multichannel television is transformed through computerization and sophisticated set-top boxes, technology is now being put into place with the goal of collecting information from individual consumers and families. This information will be harvested in data profiles, which will then be used to target individual consumers with personalized advertising. The same technologies that threaten privacy on the Internet, including data mining, user modeling, and intelligent agents are now being adopted by the U.S. television industry.

Source

Looks like it has began.

yes and that document is dated June 2001 so it's probably been in place for years!

Well I always wondered how they can 'accurately' determine ratings unless they know who's watching what.

How many times have you heard 'we're being watched by millions of people all over the world'... that could be just a lie, or they know from confirming it.

TV was a wonderful tool and still is, but as anything, when used improperly, can do more harm than good.

That document has a section that talks about targeting specific types of advertisements to each household so it seems that they really are aware of each person's TV-watching habits.

Here are a couple of paragraphs from the document:

For the first time ever, companies are able to collect detailed information about what each user of the system is doing, which shows they watch, when and how long they watch, what advertisements they see, whether they change channels during ads or shows, and more. Moreover, as additional features are added onto the system, even more information is collected, including what Web sites are visited, what is read on the sites, which Internet newsgroups are used, the duration of time on the sites, and what purchases are made.

Unlike personal computers, which give users control over their
actions and choices, the new ITV systems are generally based on a sealed “black box” controlled by the company, giving users little or no ability to make decisions to protect their own privacy. The systems are proprietary, making it difficult, if not impossible, even for advanced users to identify what the system is doing.

[edit on 15-8-2007 by annestacey]

I am interested in WHY it is that the primary advertisers on MSM are:

1) drug companies (viagra...etc)
2) financial companies (mortgages / debt consolidation)
3) major corporations pimping their stock not their products (DOW, ADM)
4) weight loss products (I personally feel tortured by nutri-system commercials. LOL!)


What is astounding to me is that I do not know one person who cares or is interested in these products/services/corporations. But it does indicate how pathetic the powers-that-be think we are: FAT, IN DEBT, SICK, GREEDY CONSUMERS. Maybe, as whole, we are. But I think that it is more likely that they WANT us to be. Easier to control.

my television service provider was so shocked that I decided to cancel my tv service just for no reason. They kept trying to offer me all these deals, or asking if I'm switching to a competitor vendor. I just explained that I just don't want the service. Made me think how as soon as one customer stops lining their pockets, there's hell to pay.

Lately I've been getting tons of junk mail (from the same provider) asking and informing me of all the 'new' deals they're offering, JUST FOR ME!


what a joke...