Google patent for web spoiler block

Google has been granted a patent for a new system that can be used to block TV and movie spoilers for web users.

The now patented filter system can identify and then hide spoilers relating to TV shows and films from social media until users are up to date — a tactic some already employ by manually blocking certain trends and key words on sites such as Twitter.

The new system would hinge on users regularly logging their progress through a TV series or movie, which could be achieved by linking the tool with streaming services such as Netflix.

However, Google has been quick to warn consumers that this is not a guaranteed future product.

A spokesman for the search engine giant said: “We hold patents on a variety of ideas, some of those ideas later mature into real products or services; some don’t.”

The company has a dedicated lab for what it calls “moonshot ideas” that has in the past produced Google Glass and the currently on-trial driverless car and internet signal-beaming weather balloons.

Information relating to TV episodes the system shows users have not yet watched will be muted, but can be overridden by the user.

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