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Tokyo Billboards Scan and Target You with Personalized Ads

by Amar Toor on July 16, 2010 at 12:32 PM

Tokyo Billboards Scan You
As it's done with just about everything in the world of technology, Japan has just taken targeted advertising to a whole new (and wholly creepy) level. According to a new report out of Tokyo, several companies have begun testing digital billboards that can instantly identify the age and gender of anyone who walks in front of its attached cameras. Once the data is collected, the billboard then spits out an advertisement that best suits that person's demographic, 'Minority Report'-style.

Unlike the targeted advertising machines in 'Minority Report,' though, these new billboards won't be able to identify a person by name. And, it still won't be able to nail down your interests as acutely as, say, Google can, by glancing through your online search history. For the sake of our own public humiliation, let's hope it never will gain that level of "prescience." [From: Physorg, via: Engadget]

Tags: ads, advertising, Billboard, billboards, Japan, minorityreport, OnlyInJapan, targeted, targeted ads, targeted advertising, TargetedAds, TargetedAdvertising, tokyo, top

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