How Much Personal Data Would You Give for a Free 4K TV?
Tech startup Telly makes a huge bet: The company’s business model is to give away a 55-inch dual-screen 4K TV plus soundbar and camera for teleconferencing, music software, games and more in the first half of the millions of people who ask for it. . Free technology? Check! Here’s a link to TV if you’re interested, but before you sign up, there’s a catch: TV may be free, but you’ll still be paying for it by subscribing to an ad scheme that takes data collection to the next level. .
If you log into the Telly-verse, your TV will show continuous ads, no doubt tailor-made for you, on the bottom screen whenever you’re watching anything – and Telly also plans to show ads on both screens when the TV isn’t on. . even under supervision . “When the Theater display (top screen) is not in use, the ad unit can come to life in a fun way by connecting the two,” Telly founder Ilya Pozin explained in a statement. Uncontrolled advertising? Perhaps Pozin and I have different definitions of “fun”.
Turn your living room into a marketing hub
Voluntarily installing a potentially always-on digital billboard in your living room isn’t Telly’s only downside. The system will also come with a front-facing camera and microphone that will let you enjoy Zoom calls, “free advanced fitness programs with motion tracking” and control your TV with your voice. In return, Telly will collect a wealth of information about you, including your listening and viewing choices, how long you watch/listen, how you interact with your TV, and “the physical presence of you and any other persons using the TV at any time.” any time”.
It’s free TV, but if that last statement doesn’t chill your blood, then you haven’t read enough dystopian science fiction. To be fair, Telly has a protective shield so you don’t have to let him look at you while you’re drinking FBOY Island in your underwear. But closing the curtains on the camera and microphone is essentially the only privacy control allowed; if you opt out of data collection, you will either have to return the TV or pay $500 for it.
The future of television? Or another terrible failure?
Telly founder Ilya Pozin is also the brains behind the ad-supported free streaming service PlutoTV, so he has experience in the space, and the recent success of Pluto, FreeVee, Tubi and other non-subscription streamers points to the viability of the ad service. supported model. At least for programming. But giving away the hardware itself and accepting a TV that you don’t actually control in your home is like taking the “you are the product” “for free” ethos to a new level.
I’m constantly amazed/disgusted by the new ways companies use the data they collect and I’m willing to bet that images, sounds and videos of “the physical presence of you and any other people using the TV” can be used. I can’t even imagine, but even if he’s not there, it seems like a huge gamble. “We’ll install a camera in your house and you give us all your data” seems like a tough proposition for everyone, and previous startups that relied on giving away computers to anyone in exchange for installing adware didn’t. definitely not disrupt the home computer market.
On the other hand, this is a new free TV, and if you can’t afford to buy a 55-inch 4K flat screen TV, he can put one in your living room for free. In any case, what has your privacy ever done for you? Also, it’s not like all the other devices in your home (that you’ve paid for) aren’t collecting tons of data about you and transmitting it somewhere so people can “optimize your advertising experience” or something. So maybe you should just take the car? There is a free TV for you. (I won’t sign.)