Google patents automated spoiler prevention system

Scorpus

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google patent spoilers spoiler social network

If you find yourself getting frustrated at the amount of spoilers you read on social networks, particularly about shows you haven't yet seen, Google might have a solution in the works. According to a filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the company has just patented an automated spoiler prevention system.

The patent, which covers a system designed for "processing content spoilers", describes a method for collecting data on how far a user has gone through a particular TV show, movie or book series. The system could either get users to input this data themselves, or input it from a service like Netflix that already has a pretty good idea of their viewing habits.

The system then automatically detects when content in a user's social network feed contains a spoiler, with spoilers being flagged based upon what the user has and hasn't seen. Offending content would be blocked by default, and a user would have to click through a warning message before the content is displayed.

Google also suggests in their patent that the system could be used to create fan pages for TV shows and books, and for each member of a fan page, their personal progress meter is displayed. This could then peer pressure and encourage users to keep up with the current schedule.

Unfortunately, as with most patents of this kind, it's unlikely we'll see an automated spoiler prevention system any time soon, if ever. However the idea is certainly quite clever, and something we wish was actually implemented when major TV shows like Game of Thrones are airing.

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For this reason I unfollowed AMC, was actually following The Walking Dead and all of a suden I missed the show and the first thing you saw on their profile was a picture spoiler of the season finale. F THEM! F THEM HARD!

I've hated them ever since. Thanks!
 
Kibaruk, you made me laugh! :D
Perhaps it's just me, but I don't mind spoilers; I'll still watch the show because I enjoy the creative/artistic side of shows/movies.
 
While I prefer not to see spoilers, if a good story is well told, I'll still watch the show too. For example, I went to see Titanic even though I had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen to the ship. :)
 
While I prefer not to see spoilers, if a good story is well told, I'll still watch the show too. For example, I went to see Titanic even though I had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen to the ship. :)

When you are on the finale, and they show you which character dies, how and when, I think it's a big spoiler... this can not be aplicable to GoT, everyone dies =(
 
...and the first thing you saw on their profile was a picture spoiler of the season finale.
When you are on the finale, and they show you which character dies, how and when, I think it's a big spoiler...
So all this information was contained in this one picture? It's not clear to me why you kept looking at this spoiler picture so long in order to absorb all this information. I must be misunderstanding something.
 
So all this information was contained in this one picture? It's not clear to me why you kept looking at this spoiler picture so long in order to absorb all this information. I must be misunderstanding something.

It only takes 2-3 secs to get a whole pic, it's not like I stared at it for an hour, it was the character with a head wound in the hospital floor so it was pretty much clear.
 
Okay, I see. But in the end, hating them for it is kind of extreme to me. I might be disappointed but it's only a movie or TV program. I'm not so invested in these things so as to get emotional about it even if I've spent a lot of time following a series. But I understand that's just my opinion and how I feel. Clearly others, like yourself, feel differently but it's not required that we all see things the same way.
 
Well when I say hate and when you say hate seems like different things, I hate them as to unfollow them and that would be it, it doesn't mean I'll boycot them or stop watching their series/shows/whatever =P
 
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