[Patent Discovery] Mobile ad serving platform will pause video ads if you're not watching them.

[Arika]

DISCLAIMER:

I know this isn't standard "news" and just because it's been patented, doesn't mean it will come to light (hopefully).

 

Summary

A user over on reddit has discovered a patent from August 2020 that will force users to pay attention to mobile ads using facial recognition and eye tracking. If the system detects that you are not paying attention, playback of the ad will be paused until you look back.

 

Quotes

Quote

A biometric recognition module that recognizes system users by one or more biometric characteristics; and wherein the monitoring and tracking method comprises, a user downloading a digital application (app) using the API; the user selecting content to view; and the biometric recognition module determining whether the user is actually viewing the selected content.

 

 

BACKGROUND

[0002] Digital content is presented for many reasons and consumed for many reasons. As an example, advertisers commonly present short video advertisements on various user devices. When a user chooses an advertisement to view, a video is played. Often the choice process involves the user clicking on the piece of content. There are various current method of verifying whether users chose a piece of content, including record how many clicks a piece of content receives from any users. But it is not traditionally possible to verify that the content has actually been watched by an individual user who chose the content. In another example, users may be required to view content of an indeterminate length for purposes such as compliance with a professional continuing education requirement or an employer education requirement, etc. Various methods of verifying compliance are currently available, such as including audible codes at unpredictable times during the content presentation. The codes are then entered by the user to prove that the user has consumed the content. However, such methods do not verify that the user actually consumed the content, even if watching the content is part of the requirement being complied with. It is desirable to have a method and apparatus for verifying that a user is actually viewing the video content. It is also desirable to have a method and apparatus for tracking user viewing of content in a manner that is permissible by the user and useful for the content provider (for example to reward users for consuming content and to more effectively focus future content presentations).

 

 

 

(FIG 6 appears to be an example of the eye tracking, the the peaks being when paying attention and the troughs indicating the user has looked away)

 

 

My thoughts

So yeah, i think we all know that ads are getting more and more obnoxious, but this does step over the line quite a bit. Now while this patent does appear to be for a series of apps that you download to watch ads and get rewarded, If proven to be effective i can easily see this being thrown into....well everything. Most devices have a front facing camera these days and i have 0 doubts that if this was implemented, they would have ways of checking if camera permissions have been disabled, or if the camera is covered. Fire up those adblockers.

 

Sources

 original reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/k59cyn/patent_for_a_mobile_adserving_framework_that_uses/

Patent: https://uspto.report/patent/app/20200275160

 

[Ashleyyyy]

how are they detectng it? using your camera? as if everyone will grant all apps camera permissions lmao

[Moonzy]

another reason to hate selfie cams other than when i accidentally turn it on and see myself

[minibois]

Quote

will force users to pay attention to mobile ads using facial recognition and eye tracking

The blind and visually impaired crowd:

[akio123008]

I'm wondering what sort of workarounds will be made for this stuff. Presumably someone else builds another app that simulates your camera with computer generated image of your face staring towards the POV.

[Fragment323]

I smell privacy violation.

This won't go through. At least in EU.

 

(hopefully)

 

Question, what if users phone has damaged camera? Would it let the user do whatever without ad face screening?

[RejZoR]

3 minutes ago, Ashley said:

how are they detectng it? using your camera? as if everyone will grant all apps camera permissions lmao

You don't have to say it twice that app would refuse to work if you don't. I've had such BS app on Android called VeryFit Pro for a sports bracelet. It outright demanded GPS to be enabled at all times, otherwise it would just refuse to run. Blocking location only did nothing and still refused to run. Fun part is that it literally doesn't have any function that would even require location tracking. No maps or real distance, just estimations based on steps.

 

The other fun thing is that same app on iOS, when it asks for location, you just deny it and app continues to work. Totally different than on Android.

[abc_123]

Considering how many services there are out there that still show you ads even when you're paying money for it I think this is just going to further encourage piracy if it becomes widespread.

[Trik'Stari]

I'd sooner use an old Flip Phone than put up with this shit.

 

Seriously, the value that companies place on advertising needs to come down significantly. I can say that advertising has an adverse effect on me. I'm more likely to avoid a company based on advertising than I am to purchase something from them. Some examples include Raid: Shadow Legends, Sonic (the restaurants), Almost every insurance company on the planet, just about every bank you can think of, etc. All of them are so ubiquitous in their advertising that I'm annoyed by their very existence as companies, so why in the hell would I give them money?

 

Instead of spending money making obnoxious ads that no one wants to see, just skip the ad and have something pop up that says "X company paid for you to skip this ad!", that would actually get more attention than actual adverts do.

[minibois]

6 minutes ago, Trik'Stari said:

Instead of spending money making obnoxious ads that no one wants to see, just skip the ad and have something pop up that says "X company paid for you to skip this ad!", that would actually get more attention than actual adverts do.

Yeah, anti ads should totally become more of a thing!

I don't remember which YouTuber or company had one, but their ad was basically: "Company X paid for me to promote their business which is *one sentence synopsis of company X's products* check them out below for a special order".

I feel like stuff like that is way more effective than a 1 minute "blah blah" advertisement many other companies give to YouTubers.

29 minutes ago, Fragment323 said:

I smell privacy violation.

This won't go through. At least in EU.

Would it though?

As long as this is opt-in and not opt-out, I feel like they can totally implement this in the EU. Especially when they tout the whole "anonymized data!" thing.

I would be more weary about some of the laws protecting children. Children often watch YouTube on their parents' devices, meaning the child's face would be picked up by this system. That is something I think more 'law people' would be wary about too.

31 minutes ago, Fragment323 said:

Question, what if users phone has damaged camera? Would it let the user do whatever without ad face screening?

they'd probably just ignore the user in this system, because it's just not worth the effort. which would mean people placing tape on their mobile phone front camera will become more wide-spread.

 

But really, this is 'just' a patent, which often means someone has been thinking about this and wants to make a system which actually works, but it can take years before anything will come on the market.

Considering a patent lasts I think for like 10-15 years, they still have a bit of time to work out all the 'issues'.

[Nayr438]

26 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

The other fun thing is that same app on iOS, when it asks for location, you just deny it and app continues to work. Totally different than on Android.

If had similar results. A App that wont run at all without various permissions on Android, but will run with limited permissions on IOS.

I have however used apps on Android that just disable various features when you deny various permissions, so it's really up to the developer.

Makes me wonder if the App is finding its way around the IOS permission system, Apples has something in place to help prevent this, or Developers just expect Android users to accept everything and Iphone users not to.

 

Nothing like a mobile game that wants access to everything from your contacts, filesystem, camera, gps, etc... for no real reason.

[Master Disaster]

41 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

There no ads, only 127.0.0.1

Or in my case, 192.168.1.40:69 (and yes I did choose that port on purpose) for my Pi-Hole.

[Fragment323]

1 hour ago, minibois said:

I would be more weary about some of the laws protecting children. Children often watch YouTube on their parents' devices, meaning the child's face would be picked up by this system. That is something I think more 'law people' would be wary about too.

"But think about the children" card is often used as a last straw when they need to push something that wast majority of population is against. Not as a real argument. It tends to just stir up emotions, logical thinking stops here.

1 hour ago, minibois said:

Would it though?

As long as this is opt-in and not opt-out, I feel like they can totally implement this in the EU. Especially when they tout the whole "anonymized data!" thing.

Not all people in EU parliament are stupid, so I hope if it comes to that, there will be chance to stop it.

1 hour ago, minibois said:

they'd probably just ignore the user in this system, because it's just not worth the effort. which would mean people placing tape on their mobile phone front camera will become more wide-spread.

Thank god for app permissions, no ugly tape on my brick.

[williamcll]

How can you look at ads if they never get loaded :^)

[Drama Lama]

3 hours ago, Ashley said:

as if everyone will grant all apps camera permissions lmao

Make an app that doesn’t play anything until you grant it permission for the camera

[CarlBar]

4 hours ago, Moonzy said:

other than when i accidentally turn it on and see myself

 

Does it show your profile picture when you do that :P.

 

3 hours ago, Fragment323 said:

I smell privacy violation.

This won't go through. At least in EU.

 

Yeah this might be ok in some places, but there are absolutely places it flat out will not fly from a legal perspective.

[Moonzy]

2 minutes ago, CarlBar said:

Does it show your profile picture when you do that :P.

i wish i was cute anime grill 

[TetraSky]

Ad : enable camera permission to continue using this app

Me : *delete the app*

 

NOPE.

If any app ask for a permission it has no business in having, I sure as hell don't allow it or simply delete it.

[TheMcSame]

A patent from August 2020? I could've swore I heard news about something extremely similar a few years ago, on this very forum iirc

[Slottr]

-Moved to General Discussion-

 

Teeeeechnically not tech news so might as well stick in here instead

[tikker]

Makes me think of that black mirror episode. This is going a bit far though. On a semi-tangent I've also had Youtube random pause itself in the background lately and showing a pop up "are you still watching?". No I'm not watching, it's music.

 

[tikker]

1 minute ago, Grand Admiral Thrawn said:

YouTube is primarily a video platform so that is what you can expect. That is why they created YouTube Music though.

Inbefore YouTube Music will autopause with "are you still listening?" I mean I get it; lesser load on the servers and maybe more money. Just a tad annoying.