Path Intelligence: Tracking People Via Their Mobile Phones as They Meander Around Malls
October 14th, 2011Via: news.com.au:
SHOPPING centres will monitor customers’ mobile phones to track how often they visit, which stores they like and how long they stay.
The technology, brought to Australia by a UK-based company, has prompted a call for privacy or telephone intercept regulators to investigate.
One unnamed Queensland shopping centre is next month due to become the first in the nation to fit receivers that detect unique mobile phone radio frequency codes to pinpoint location within two metres.
The company behind the Footpath system says it is also in discussions with other major Australian sites.
Path Intelligence national sales manager Kerry Baddeley stressed that no mobile phone user names or numbers could be accessed.
“All we do is log the movement of a phone around an area and aggregate this to provide trend data for businesses,” she said.
this is a terrible idea, malls are already used as hunting grounds for all kinds of predators, i think of the possibilities, and its pure nightmare fuel. potential for identity theft, considering creditcards and shopping go hand in hand, and some people have trouble w/ linking their facebook and email accounts security wise. then theres the TI/bullying/stalking issue, maincore and narus and godonlyknows else lurking in the background. standardizing this in malls must be a dream come true for serial voyeurs/kidnappers/rapists etc.