Explorer

Soon Facebook's New Technology Might Tell If You Are Rich Or Poor!

Facebook would ask the users what is their age and from there, it would throw questions that would be seemingly relevant to users of that age group.

London: Facebook has filed a patent application for a technology that will automatically detect the users' socio-economic status and segregate them in one of three classes -- working class, middle class or upper class. According to the patent, the social media giant wants to build a system that collects users' personal data, such as education, homeownership and internet usage, in order to predict their socio-economic status, Dailymail reported on Saturday. The patent, that was made public on Friday, suggested an algorithm that might improve Facebook's targeting capabilities, helping it serve up more relevant advertisements to users. "By predicting the socio-economic groups of users, [Facebook] is able to help the third party present sponsored content to the target users," the patent read. "Third parties are able to effectively promote their products or services, and the online system can provide a more engaging user experience to users," it added. Facebook would ask the users what is their age and from there, it would throw questions that would be seemingly relevant to users of that age group. "In the filing, 20 to 30-year-olds are asked how many Internet devices they own, while 30 to 40-year-olds are asked whether or not they own a house," the report said. However, it is still unclear if the patent will ever actually be used for user targeting. The social media giant might also consider other information like a person's travel history, what kinds of devices the user owns, how many Internet-connected devices they own and what their highest level of education is, to know the socio-economic status. Interestingly, Facebook has skipped the income question acknowledging that users might not be comfortable telling about how much they earn per year, the report said. "Online systems often do not have information about the income of users, for example, because the users are typically not inclined to share income information, which may be sensitive information, on online systems," the daily quoted the patent as saying. Facebook could also refer to the "actions performed by the user on Facebook."
View More
Advertisement
Advertisement
25°C
New Delhi
Rain: 100mm
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WNW 47km/h
See Today's Weather
powered by
Accu Weather
Advertisement

Top Headline

I.N.D.I.A Bloc In Bihar: Here's How Congress, RJD Have Decided To Share Seats After JD-U's Exit
I.N.D.I.A Bloc In Bihar: Here's How Congress, RJD Have Decided To Share Seats After JD-U's Exit
'BJP Should Pay Rs 4,600 Crore': Congress Slams Income Tax Dept, ECI After Getting Rs 1,700-Crore Notice
'BJP Should Pay Rs 4,600 Crore': Congress Slams Income Tax Dept, ECI After Getting Rs 1,700-Crore Notice
Another Blow To Congress As I-T Dept Serves Rs 1,700-Crore Notice Ahead Of Lok Sabha Elections: Report
Another Blow To Congress As I-T Dept Serves Rs 1,700-Crore Notice Ahead Of Lok Sabha Elections
Sunita Kejriwal Launches WhatsApp Campaign To Drum Up Support For Jailed Delhi CM
Sunita Kejriwal Launches WhatsApp Campaign To Drum Up Support For Jailed Delhi CM
Advertisement
for smartphones
and tablets

Videos

Bihar Seat Sharing: RJD to contest the upcoming polls on 26 seats-Sources | Elections 2024 |ABP NewsABP Shikhar Sammelan 2024: Anurag Thakur takes a jibe at Arvind Kejriwal's arrest | ABP NewsArvind Kejriwal Arrest: Sunita Kejriwal Launches WhatsApp Campaign To Drum Up Support For Jailed Delhi CMABP SHIKHAR SAMMELAN 2024: Here's What Defence Minister Reveals About His Further Political Plans

Photogallery

Embed widget