Google wins patent to target you with ads based on weather conditions
It may sound like something from Minority Report, but Google has been awarded a patent which would allow brands to send you highly-targeted adverts dictated by the weather conditions.
The web giant was awarded the patent for "advertising based on environmental conditions" on Tuesday.
Explaining how such a system would work, Google's patent document says: "A web browser or search engine located at the user's site may obtain information on the environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, light, sound, air composition) from sensors. Advertisers may specify that the ads are shown to users whose environmental conditions meet certain criteria."
"Advertisements for air conditioners can be sent to users located at regions having temperatures above a first threshold, while advertisements for winter overcoats can be sent to users located at regions having temperatures below a second threshold."
There is no indication that Google is planning to put the patent into practice just yet.
It said: "We file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees come up with. Some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patent applications."