Kinect Could be Used to Target Ads, Says Microsoft Exec

Speaking at an investor conference, Microsoft COO Denis Durkin has said that using Kinect the company could cater advertising to you based on what the device sees. Durkin said “over time [Kinect] will help us be more targeted about what content choices we present, what advertising we present, how we get better feedback.”

He continued to say that questions could be asked based on what the Kinect sees: “How many people are in a room when an advertisement is shown, how many people are in a room when a game is being played, how are those people engaged with the game? How are they engaged with a sporting event? Are they standing up? Are they excited? Are they wearing Seahawks jerseys?”

“When you add this sort of device to a living room, there’s a bunch of business opportunities that come with that,” Durkin said.

Engadget points out that Microsoft filed a patent in 2007 which looks to use “biometric sensors, cameras, remote controls, or other accessories” to target ads at an individual. The gadget blog also notes that in the Kinect privacy FAQ it says that third-party partners are “not permitted to use the information for marketing purposes such as selling you games or services, or for personalizing advertising.”

Microsoft quickly responded to the Wall Street Journal‘s report saying that “Xbox 360 and Xbox Live do not use any information captured by Kinect for advertising targeting purposes.” Earlier this month, Microsoft’s director of the Kinect technology, Alex Kipman, told Kotaku: “By default we don’t listen or look at anything. No data is ever sent back to Microsoft. Period. Full stop.”

Before you get your tinfoil hats on, Microsoft isn’t doing this right now and isn’t ‘spying’ on you, despite what some inflammatory headlines have been saying.