Google promises not to show ads on Nest and Glass after all

Google will not show ads on Google Glass and its Nest products. The company has informed VentureBeat. On Wednesday, another letter from 2013 surfaced in which the company mentioned the possibility for advertisements on thermostats and Glass.

The letter, which appeared on Wednesday, describes the company’s vision for the future with regard to displaying advertisements. It was mentioned that Google, but also other companies, may in the future show advertisements on devices such as thermostats, refrigerators and glasses. Google now tells VentureBeat that the letter would not indicate any developments regarding the company’s products.

Nest, which was acquired by Google two months after the alleged letter was sent, has never been a platform suitable for advertising, according to Google. The internet giant would therefore never have had plans to show advertisements on it. However, this denial does not rule out the possibility that Google will use data collected by, for example, thermostats to show its owners targeted advertisements in other places. Google further informs VentureBeat that it is currently working with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to clarify the language in the letter, which was sent in 2013.

If Google wants to show ads on devices like refrigerators and thermostats, it would likely be on Nest devices first. After its foundation, the company quickly became well-known for its self-learning thermostat with a striking design and the possibility to set the controller via a smartphone app.