Google has been awarded the patent for an ad-powered taxi service, the patent describes a service from Google where it would allow advertisers to offer customers a free ride to their place of business. Google will be flexing its targeting capabilities to locate the user's current location and display "free ride" advertisement either via cell phone or from a stationary kiosk in a public area. The highly targeted ads would also track how often you use (by asking Google account authorization before giving free ride) the discounted or free transportation to make a purchase, and if found using too many free rides without buying something, do not offer you a free ride next time. The users can also offer additional information about themselves and who else is with them to get better recommendations from advertisers. For example, a family looking for a free-ride to a restaurant and advertisers bidding against each other just like Google Adwords to get them to their place, advertisers would also be able to better target offers (like free deserts for kids) using your purchase history and other factors in the user's profile.

We all know that Google (or infact any online service supported by advertising) and privacy do not get along very well, be it the Google Shared Endorsements, the all-new Smart Caller ID, Google Street View and even Google Glass. The aim of Google to get more and more information about you (see Google Toilet video) is not only to help organize your life but also do highly targeted behavioral advertising (see The Google Master Plan) and Google is now taking this to a whole new level with reports of a beta program which tracks consumers purchasing habits at physical stores via smartphones.