Yeah, that was what is commonly referred to as "Spam"
And yes, you are right. the government is and has been researching eye control technology for some time now. But the other way around. They want to control things WITH your eyes. This was first used in experimental "eyehouse" displays for first cobra and then the Apache helicopter gunships. It is now being developed for in helmet use in newer production fixed wing aircraft.
I don't know about controlling PEOPLE through THEIR eyes though. Wouldn't that require a camera on the person you would want to control as well as being able to change what was on the screen? Or do you mean just putting subliminal messages in things?
And luckily my current laptop nor my smartphone have a front facing camera.