TARGETED advertising isn’t confined to the internet. Later this month, a mammoth 790-square-metre electronic billboard in London’s Piccadilly Circus will start displaying ads based on the make, model and colour of passing cars, identified by cameras hidden in the screen. Companies can choose which kinds of vehicle trigger their ads.
It’s not the first case of targeted ads in the physical world. A roadside system in Moscow uses machine learning to identify “valuable” cars, with firms able to bid for their occupiers’ attention. The top bidder’s ad is shown as the car goes by.
Why cars? A study earlier this year showed that the are accurate proxies for income, ethnic background and education level, perhaps even your political bent.
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London’s screen will mitigate any dystopian overtones by providing free Wi-Fi, too.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Big Brother is selling to you”
