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Walmart patents surveillance tool that can eavesdrop on workers

engadget.com

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Re: Walmart patents surveillance tool that can eavesdrop on workers

#4
Not just "eavesdrop on workers". Also "eavesdrop on customers". The patent itself tells us:

"the sound sensors can capture sounds resulting from guests talking while waiting in line at a terminal or any other sounds resulting from the presence of guest ... the sound sensors can capture audio of conversations between guests and an employee stationed at the terminal. The system can process the audio of the conversations to determine whether the employee stationed at the terminal is greeting guests."

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=10020004&SectionNum=1&IDK...

Re: Walmart patents surveillance tool that can eavesdrop on workers

#8
post #2

won't it infrige on amazon's surveillance of clients for their workerless shop full of microphones and cameras?

Is this a reference to something specific?

Supposedly, Amazon employees watch the cameras in their stores, to know which Prime account to charge for which item. It sounds like a step between self-check and scan-bag-go, with a "mechanical Turk" to bridge the gap - turn Loss Prevention into legitimate checkout and a profit center.

Re: Walmart patents surveillance tool that can eavesdrop on workers

#9

Not just "eavesdrop on workers". Also "eavesdrop on customers". The patent itself tells us: "the sound sensors can capture sounds resulting from guests talking while waiting in line at a terminal or any other sounds resulting from the presence of guest ... the sound sensors can capture audio of conversations between guests and an employee stationed at the terminal. The system can process the audio of the conversation…

I wonder how they'd make the required notifications to make this legal in one-party consent states. I don't see how this could fly at all in a two-party consent state.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_recording_laws#Unite...

Re: Walmart patents surveillance tool that can eavesdrop on workers

#10
post #9

Not just "eavesdrop on workers". Also "eavesdrop on customers". The patent itself tells us: "the sound sensors can capture sounds resulting from guests talking while waiting in line at a terminal or any other sounds resulting from the presence of guest ... the sound sensors can capture audio of conversations between guests and an employee stationed at the terminal. The system can process the audio of the conversation…

I wonder how they'd make the required notifications to make this legal in one-party consent states. I don't see how this could fly at all in a two-party consent state. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_recording_laws#Unite...

If they're not actually recording the audio (just a boolean of whether or not the cashier said "did you find everything you needed?"), they might not need anyone's consent.
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