“For a peek at what’s cooking behind Google’s research lab doors,check out this plan to get your computer to listen in to what you’re watching on tv”,the New Scientist technology blog says.”By using its microphone to listen in and then connecting to an online database it could identify the show,and how far through you are.The next step is where it gets interesting.One application would be to automatically set up a chatroom for everyone watching the same thing at once,like a virtual tv couch.I think Google’s bigger interest is in using this for advertising though, since it would be hard to make money from otherwise.”[C]ontent providers or advertisers might bid for specific television segments”,the paper says.Your computer might browse to your local video store when a film trailer was on,or show you where to buy a film star’s outfit when they appear on a chat show.Of course,you’d have to be either very keen to see this advertising,or to have no choice”.

Google’s tv eavesdropping plan