>From William B. Davis (on facebook): "Retailers track your smartphone when you enter their store. They track your movements through the store and keep a database with your unique id called a MAC address. Every computer has one including smartphones because they are networkable just like your home computer Then they can monitor your return trips as well. To prevent this turn off your Bluetooth and wifi."
Scary indeed. I wonder how legal it is. My analysis: I hadn't considered big-box stores sniffing for bluetooth and/or wifi. Makes perfect sense, I guess. They might even be able to map your MAC address to your purchase details and thus your identity, if they're clever, by timing your stay at the cash register. I wonder what percentage of users keep those two interfaces turned on, and what kind of ROI the stores enjoy. It's also possible to track cell devices directly via their GSM or CDMA interface, regardless of whether bluetooth or wifi is turned on. Equipment to receive cell signals isn't COTS by any means, and the risk of getting sued by providers or fined by the FCC is much greater than just recording wifi MAC addresses, since cell transmissions are licensed and highly regulated, whereas bluetooth and wifi live in unlicensed spectrum. -- Joey Kelly Minister of the Gospel and Linux Consultant http://joeykelly.net 504-239-6550 _______________________________________________ General mailing list [email protected] http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net
