On 12/24/2013 12:21 AM, Joey Kelly wrote: >>From William B. Davis (on facebook):
Original story: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/holiday-shopping-privacy-technology-101395.html > > "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
