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Facebook Wants To Know How Rich Or Poor You Are

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Eric Lieberman Managing Editor
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Facebook recently published a new patent for a system that aims to predict users’ socioeconomic status, according to CBInsights.

The technology, if ultimately designed and created to fruition, would implement an advanced rating system in which points would be apportioned based on several factors, like hometown, if they’re a homeowner, level of education, and amount of internet connected devices.

The patent would likely be used to contribute to its technological advertising infrastructure, which has allowed Facebook, along with Google, to dominate the digital media ad market.

Advertisers, or promoters of content, already benefit from knowing which demographics are best to target, and understanding the differences in wealth and other social aspects would certainly add to that. Facebook allegedly helped advertisers with targeting during the 2016 election season by offering a template of how it perceives the U.S. electorate is ideologically split.

Using its own demographic data, the social media company broke down the American populous into 14 sections, and included descriptors based on race and religion, according to a BuzzFeed News report.

The patent comes after years of people complaining that Facebook knows too much about its users. (RELATED: Facebook Wants To Know Who You Sleep With)

Not all patents actually materialize into actual products or concepts. Rather, they can be a mechanism to claim a stake for a future prospect, and box out competitors from exploring a highly similar enterprise.

Facebook did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment in time for publication.

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