Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) continues to poke its head into the location-based marketplace. The internet search leader has made multiple efforts to provide products and services that let users track friends, family and themselves. While these are cool products and rather big-brotherish at the same time, there is an ulterior motive here: data collection.As if Google did not need more data about its huge customer base, finding out where its users are, where they have been regularly and for how long could prove immensely useful in highly-targeted advertising in the near future. Don't kid yourself: this is what Google is after here. Once it knows the routines and leisure patterns of millions of its regular users (and new customers too), let the ads come in: via cellphone, text message couponing, an automated voicemail possibly -- the sky's the limit.
Here's another one that seems a little creepy but useful at the same time: if you're a Google Gmail user, people you send email message to can see where you're writing them from. Now, it's not 100% accurate since that "location" is based on your computer's IP address, but for the road warrior set and others who travel, knowing where an email sender is could prove useful to the Gmail user -- both sender and recipient. Be aware, though, that Google is watching -- and some day, the most highly-targeted ads will show up in your field of vision. If you're long on GOOG shares, this is still the holy grail for the company: 100% custom and personal advertising messages, sent at the most lucrative time to motivate users to a purchase. That's power.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-13-2009 @ 4:57PM
KG said...
Google's tech is simply awsome : map/address locator pictures on line; cell-phone locator and now email locator. Probably duplicating the technology our NSA probably uses.
3-08-2009 @ 10:01AM
renee said...
It is very sad that most scam email come for "email" account..I have collected 5 as of today...not to mention the past 50 in the last 2 months. I do believe that either you are unaware of the misuse of gmail or you just dont monitor. Help us that use CRAIGSLIST for one, in protecting ourselves from your users.
Thank you.