Source: AP
Just prior to Black Friday, I issued an alert that anyone shopping in either of two American malls — Promenade Temecula in California, and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va. — would be tracked via their cell phone utilizing FootPathTM technology as they moved from store to store.
Fortunately, that test-run produced enough outrage to force both the UK maker of the technology, Path Intelligence, as well as mall management to halt the surveillance and respond to a call from Sen. Charles Schumer over general privacy concerns, as well as the legality according to U.S. regulations.
However, many retailers seem undeterred by privacy issues and have fully embraced the concept of going even a step further: forming a web comprised of cell phone tracking, surveillance camera footage, and software analysis of shoppers’ movements and decisions.
Read More: Big Brother Pays Off as Predictive Behavior Technology Targets Shoppers
Cartoon by Bob Moran
