Sometime in the future, your cable company could begin activating built-in RFID or NFC chips inside mobile devices to gather information about a viewers’ presence and mood to deliver customized programming and advertising.

CableLabs has filed a patent application that details technology that can activate facial recognition, presence and movement detection or other device driven means for detecting movement, behavior, stress, biometric information or other features that may help your cable company understand how you are watching (or not) various cable programming.

This technology effectively builds on patents already filed by Comcast and Verizon that use near field communication (NFC) technology to deliver personalized programming and verify whether you are authorized to view any particular subscription video content.

Theoretically, if the technology detects signs of depression, the viewer might see an advertisement for an anti-depressant. Older viewers could be shown customized ads for mobility aids or reverse mortgages. Programming recommendations could also be made based on the gender or age of the viewer, including enforcement of parental restrictions if a younger viewer is detected in the room.

Most of this technology was designed to be installed inside camera-equipped set-top boxes, but utilizing mobile devices equipped with suitable detection equipment could also be used for similar purposes.

Fierce Cable notes much of the patent application focuses on strategies for measuring viewer engagement, which CableLabs notes can be determined by tracking when the volume up or down button on a remote control is pressed. “Volume down or mute on “American Idol” means more than on a Charlie Chaplin movie or nature program with aquatic footage,” inventor Jean-Francois Mulé writes in the patent application.

Privacy advocates are likely to be concerned about efforts to implement the technology if customers are not well-notified about its use and given the option to opt out.