Facebook really does care how you’re feeling, if some new patents are any indication.

Feeling good?

A post from CB Insights outlines a range of recent Facebook patents, focusing around the ability to detect and respond to user emotions.

One patent would pull data from your keyboard, mouse, touch pad, or touch screen, to determine your emotional state. Facebook would then automatically add emotional information to your message.

Signals for predicting your mood includes typing speed, how hard the keys are being pressed, and location. Apparently this tech is intended to reduce any misunderstandings around mood and message in your texts. Hmmm.

Say cheese

Another potentially more creepy patent calls for your smartphone or laptop camera to take pictures of you, even when you’re not using the device.

The idea is to track your facial expressions and deduce your emotional state, and how you will react to different type of content.

This data could presumably be funnelled to brands with targeting suggestions, based around your current mood.

Emoji Me

The final patent is one we’d actually use. It involves taking a selfie and analysing your expression to create a custom emoji. It can include hand gestures, such as a thumbs up.

While these patents remain years away from implementation, and indeed may never go into production, they indicate how Facebook is exploring next generation tracking and targeting.

Needless to say, beyond the tech it opens up a Pandora's Box of ethical questions. Welcome to the Brave New World.

What do you think of Facebook’s move into emotion tracking? Let us know in the Comments. We promise not to analyse your keyboard typing speed while you respond.