Retail stores use Bluetooth beacons to track customers

Post by jsemrau » Sat, Jun 15, 2019, 12:29 AM UTC

fingerlocks wrote: post #161

pariahHN wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of the problem I think is that these people don't actually comprehend what is happening and the possible consequences. To them it's just a magic black box.

Maybe I’m one of these people. What exactly are the consequences? So far, the most damaging consequence of overreaching customer privacy is the famous teenage pregnancy leak when Target sent out coupon mailers to expecting moms based on shopping history. That’s a really weirdly specific issue, and hard to imaging a similar scenario that would affect my life in some equally horrible way. Am I missing something? Why sh…

Post by peteretep » Sat, Jun 15, 2019, 12:32 AM UTC

jsemrau wrote: post #201

fingerlocks wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I’m one of these people. What exactly are the consequences? So far, the most damaging consequence of overreaching customer privacy is the famous teenage pregnancy leak when Target sent out coupon mailers to expecting moms based on shopping history. That’s a really weirdly specific issue, and hard to imaging a similar scenario that would affect my life in some equally horrible way. Am I missing something? Why sh…

I work in credit scoring and you should be afraid of what you will not be eligible / priced systematically for in the future. What will employers find when they use this for background checks? If you regularly buy alcohol a drinks_alcohol flag could be set or a health_indicator could increase.

Post by LeifCarrotson » Sat, Jun 15, 2019, 12:38 AM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #80

LeifCarrotson wrote: post #76

Maybe the existence of such toolkits is a Chesterton's Fence that says you can't make this work without something installed on the phone. But this would be possible without these trojans. If the Bluetooth beacon configures itself as a master, and enters inquiry mode, phones that pass nearby will happily respond with their Bluetooth ID (see https://www.bluetooth.org/docman/handlers/downloaddoc.ashx?d... , section 8.4)…

> Maybe the existence of such toolkits is a Chesterton's Fence that says you can't make this work without something installed on the phone. But this would be possible without these trojans. Without these trojans the store would have on its hands a major networking infrastructure project. With these trojans, all they have to do is drop a few battery-powered beacons in their venue and store their IDs along with coordin…

Post by nxcho » Sat, Jun 15, 2019, 12:55 AM UTC

Mediterraneo10 wrote: post #166

nxcho wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. Pretend it is the 1970s in East Berlin and someone follows you around, noting down every interaction you have with other humans and every bit of media you consume and collects this information in a file somewhere for future use. This is the horrifying and oppressive surveillance machine of a paranoid dictatorship. 2. Use a computer to the the exact thing automatically today. This is just the natural state of the w…

There is a clear difference between 1970s East Berlin and now. Stasi spying propped up a system that provided a relatively low standard of living and a limited availability of consumer goods. Modern tracking of customers fuels a vibrant customer-good market that is a win-win for everyone.

Post by gruez » Sat, Jun 15, 2019, 1:14 AM UTC

jonahhorowitz wrote: post #130

dawnerd wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

self checkouts already have eye level cameras and they know which items you actually purchase so really not that farfetched to assume they're also using beacons to track your phone as well.

And when you swipe your card to check out they have your name, even if you don't use a loyalty card. Name + Face, along with some bluetooth tracking data. They can now track you forever, even if you delete the app, stop using your credit cards, etc.