If you’re a parent and you’re watching TV with your kids and an ad comes on for erectile dysfunction or an alcoholic beverage, you might think your kids really don’t need to be watching this kind of advertisement during their TV viewing. But what can you do? There’s no way of actually stopping ads from airing. You can tape a show and fast-forward through the ads, but that requires more time and sometimes the kids still get exposed to the content anyway.
Filtrie is a new company that is offering parents a way to control what kinds of ads their family watches. No, it doesn’t stop ads from airing, but it does let parents select the appropriate kinds of ads for their family.
“Filtrie is a new and patented technology that gives viewers unprecedented control over advertising content in protecting their preferences and values,” said Jim Birch, founder and CEO of Filtrie.com. “Our free opt-in services ties in with the viewer’s mobile phone so we know exactly when they’re watching TV and display ads appropriate for them. By connecting that information to existing and new television equipment we are able to assist both viewers and advertisers in providing meaningful content and privacy protection at a level that has not existed before, while also providing deeper and more accurate data to broadcasters and advertisers. This is a technology with the potential to move advertising (and viewer control) into a new generation.”
This technology does not work with older televisions, however with the new Filtrie-compatible sets, it blends right in and viewers can select the kinds of ads they want to see and advertisers can target the viewers that are interested in their products and services.
When you opt-in to the system, you answer several questions about yourself and your family. The service learns your values and desires and then when you watch TV you won’t be exposed to things that are uncomfortable for you or your family.
Once you sign up for the free Filtire service, it works with a variety of sources: cable, satellite, broadcast, IPTV, DVR, etc. It tracks viewing in real time and substitutes appropriate ads for whichever viewers is watching. It automatically replaces ads you don’t want your kids to see (alcohol, ED, lingerie, etc.) with other ads. In other words, parents finally have control over what kinds of ads their children are exposed to.
Filtrie is not a censoring device. It is simply a customizable device that caters ads to your own preference. The software responds to what you want it to do. If you want to block all erectile dysfunction ads and replace them with something else, then you now have the capability to do so with this service. It’s that easy. And the Filtrie service is free.
If this appeals to you, for more information visit their website.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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