Using TiVo? Your personal choices may be going straight to advertisers

TiVo announced a partnership with media heavyweight Viacom that helps advertisers target TV viewers with specific commercials.

TiVo and Viacom say they're going beyond past industry efforts to improve the effectiveness of commercials. Apparently, they'll match their data with other publicly available information to create a detailed picture for advertisers about which viewers are most open to a pitch and how those people respond.

"This is something that hasn't been seen before in the consumer space," said Neil Richards, a law professor who specializes in privacy issues at Washington University in St. Louis. "The potential for abuse is enormous," he said. "Imagine this being used to influence the political process, with propaganda being targeted at specific voters."