Apple is developing a way to understand your mood and then target ads to you accordingly.
Apple has just published a patent application titled, “Inferring user mood based on user and group characteristic data”, which states that it is developing to target ads based on users moods and behavior.
The system is set to work by compiling a “baseline mood profile” to compare both your present and future moods. To do this, the software will collect information like your heart rate, blood pressure, adrenaline level, perspiration rate, body temperature, vocal expression and even your facial expressions. The time of day and current location will also be used as a factor.
The software will then begin to notice patterns in your moods and behavior to predict your future moods. For example, the software may learn that every Monday at 11am you have a board meeting which causes your heart rate to increase. And just like that, ads for lowering your stress or job search engines could appear.
The move by Apple is designed to improve targeted content delivery in order to make ads more relevant for users.
While details on how the software is going to collect personal information like your heart rate and facial expressions has not yet been released, the move by Apple, while creative, also adds to the growing concern over consumer privacy.