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I really hope that Steam games don’t head down this path over time. Internet-connected refrigerators I’m willing to avoid, but that’s not the only vector for this sort of thing.
They do have a screen and Internet connectivity, but I don’t think that ATMs are actually a great route (unless they force people to stop and wait to get their money, which I don’t think will fly and will cut into capacity). There isn’t much eyeball time on them. The reason a car or a refrigerator works is because you’re likely to be around it a lot.
I will say that the rise of gas pumps at gas stations that play back advertisements is pretty obnoxious, though.
I was recently at a gas station that scanned my license plate and then started showing me ads telling me to upgrade to a newer model of my car, while showing me ads for those ewer models from a used car website. It felt incredibly invasive and I haven’t been back to that gas station.
I’m still grouchy about a sandwich place that I liked that recently changed ownership putting in kiosks that apparently do facial recognition, as once I walked up, they suggested items that I’d purchased last time. That started me looking, and I’ve been noticing that a lot of the ordering kiosks that places have been installing around where I am have cameras (though none have been actively making suggestions). I can only imagine that that gets hooked into the tracking and advertising system at some point too, though.
Between increasing use of facial recognition and ALPRs, it’s going to be increasingly difficult to avoid targeted ads. I don’t have a fix for that. I mean, it’s illegal to block use of ALPRs. A lot of places also have anti-masking laws, though I suspect that in practice, they aren’t enforced much, and someone could theoretically put something on their face. I don’t especially want to run around wearing stuff on my face, though.
Valve, fortunately, has already codified a ban on advertisement in games sold and on the steam platform itself (The store page is curated by an algorithm fetching popular games or game genres desired by the player rather than advertisers) https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/advertising
Edit: There’s an exception for cross promotions and in-world/in-universe assets (giving logos on a race car in a racing game as an example)
I really hope that Steam games don’t head down this path over time. Internet-connected refrigerators I’m willing to avoid, but that’s not the only vector for this sort of thing.
Oh god don’t tell them about ATMs.
They do have a screen and Internet connectivity, but I don’t think that ATMs are actually a great route (unless they force people to stop and wait to get their money, which I don’t think will fly and will cut into capacity). There isn’t much eyeball time on them. The reason a car or a refrigerator works is because you’re likely to be around it a lot.
I will say that the rise of gas pumps at gas stations that play back advertisements is pretty obnoxious, though.
I was recently at a gas station that scanned my license plate and then started showing me ads telling me to upgrade to a newer model of my car, while showing me ads for those ewer models from a used car website. It felt incredibly invasive and I haven’t been back to that gas station.
I’m still grouchy about a sandwich place that I liked that recently changed ownership putting in kiosks that apparently do facial recognition, as once I walked up, they suggested items that I’d purchased last time. That started me looking, and I’ve been noticing that a lot of the ordering kiosks that places have been installing around where I am have cameras (though none have been actively making suggestions). I can only imagine that that gets hooked into the tracking and advertising system at some point too, though.
Between increasing use of facial recognition and ALPRs, it’s going to be increasingly difficult to avoid targeted ads. I don’t have a fix for that. I mean, it’s illegal to block use of ALPRs. A lot of places also have anti-masking laws, though I suspect that in practice, they aren’t enforced much, and someone could theoretically put something on their face. I don’t especially want to run around wearing stuff on my face, though.
Those morph suits from A Scanner Darkly are looking less and less unhinged lately
Do you really feel like inconveniencing us is unlikely?
A few years ago before I moved away, PNC bank had a few branches with new ATMs that made me tap through ads for loans and special checking accounts.
kagis
It sounds like that was a joke from some years back.
https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2018/06/11/skyrim-special-edition-announced-for-samsung-smart-refrigerators/
Valve, fortunately, has already codified a ban on advertisement in games sold and on the steam platform itself (The store page is curated by an algorithm fetching popular games or game genres desired by the player rather than advertisers) https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/advertising
Edit: There’s an exception for cross promotions and in-world/in-universe assets (giving logos on a race car in a racing game as an example)
Ah, thanks! Well, that’s one lone ray of light.