Shall we call it the Minority Report?

Did you watch the Minority Report with Tom Cruise? One aspect of the movie is that as the main character walks through public places his eye is scanned constantly and he is presented with contextual marking glitz.

So, today I read this article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12188577/ about how Google is now going to provide free wireless service to all of San Fran. Sounds cool. But why I asked myself.

Then I read the article. Google plans to provide contextual marketing data to you. They claim to be able to track you within a 100 foot accuracy. OK. So, that means that if you are at the coffee house across the street from the Barnes and Noble, they can deliver ads to you about the new book sale going on across the street.

OK.

So, at first glance, me being a technologist and all, I think 'cool. context. so many times we miss context in our interaction'. But then I think back to the Minority Report. It was freaking annoying! Every step he took he was being presented with something else. And that might be fine if it's wanted, or even tolorated. But OK, so Google with it's "do no evil" policy might be sensitive to my feelings and make the ads less obtrusive. But guess what Google, there are evil people out there. There are people who could give a crap about my contextual feelings. There are people who don't care that I really don't like people, or things, invading my space!

I guess ultimately I am affraid that this will eventually go to far.