Apple ads could possibly be based on tracking your credit/debit cards and checking your bank balance in the future, according to a new patent filed by the company on Thursday. Based on your spending habits and the money you’ve got saved in your bank account, Apple could tailor-made ads that might better suit your wallet.
Apple Ads reaching exactly the right customers
“An advantage of such targeted advertising is that only advertisements for goods and services which particular users can afford, are delivered to these users”, the patent filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) explains.
The new Apple ads patent also suggests that goods and services will be marketed to particular target groups based on the “amount of pre-paid credit available to each user”.
No more spamming?
So basically, Apple would push a particular ad in your direction, only if you can afford it. According to the patent, this would avoid “commercial spamming” while increasing the likelihood of users buying a specific product or service.
Privacy versus Relevance
If on the one hand, Apple’s targeted ads would avoid flooding users with products they cannot afford, the move raised some privacy concerns. Should we be trusting Apple more than advertisers? Maybe so.
Yet, while such a system would alleviate the fear of being inundated with ads, many people could feel downgraded at such a class-system coming into place. After all, everyone has the right to be updated about the latest products and trends.
Regarding privacy, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently made outspoken statements saying that the tech giant is not interested in monetizing users’ personal or financial data. Would the new Apple ads system be protecting consumers or the opposite?
What’s next?
According to news reports, this is just a patent, so it doesn’t mean the feature shaping Apple ads will ever come to be. Some have argued that it may even be a strategy to have a competitive advantage on rival technologies. Others believe that the product blueprints don’t necessarily mean that Apple or the participating advertisers would actually have access to the personal financial data it stockpiles.
Are you tired of receiving useless Apple ads? Or would you rather prefer to keep your private information to yourself? Share your opinion in the comments section below.
