Palm’s location-based advertising patent likely sheds light on background location reporting in webOS : Boy Genius Report

Via All Things Digital 

In other words, the system will keep tabs on your location in order to serve ads that will theoretically get you to spend money on the spot. Why not stop off for a coffee in this Starbucks? How about a tasty Angus Third Pounder from the McDonald’s down the block? But wait, it gets worse. Palm’s concept goes even further to pull appointment information out of your calendar in order to serve contextual ads based on your destination location in addition to your current location. While this concept is pretty brilliant, it’s also remarkably invasive and just a teeny tiny bit frightening. Is the future of mobile advertising a gross invasion of our privacy?

See the source for more on the patent.

A couple considerations:

1.  Having a patent on the concept doesn’t mean Palm is using it today

2.  I suspect this sort of service is inevitable, in any case; some people will gladly sign up, and others will perhaps be bribed into it by discounted wireless device services etc., if they opt-in.

Palm’s location-based advertising patent likely sheds light on background location reporting in webOS : Boy Genius Report