City of London calls halt to smartphone tracking bins

City of London calls halt to smartphone tracking bins

www.bbc.co.uk

The City of London Corporation has asked a company to stop using recycling bins to track the smartphones of passers-by.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.independent.co .uk
crave.cnet.co.uk
www.cityam.com

Nice to see that someone has some sort of conscience.

12 Rubbish bins, aka "recycling pods". have been installed by a private company on one of the busiest streets in city area of London, Cheapside.

To fool the public into accepting this intrusion into their freedom, LCD advertising screens are added. Nice idea!

The company, Renew London admit that the "Pods" only record "extremely limited, encrypted, aggregated and anonymised data" which includes the media access control address, MAC.

What else could it record, what real purpose does this serve?

It seems that a line is about to be crossed, if this technology becomes common place, assuming they can continue with the idea, in other cities and towns.

In some respects I can see a positive in all this recording of personal detail, including email transmission, but I can also see a way of limiting any chances of insurrection whether for good or bad.

The company spokesman, Mr Memari, added that" more capabilities could be developed in the future, but that the public would be made aware of any changes." Not sure they made anyone aware of these bins till now? Any Londoners care to comment?

I am now going back to the telescreen for the next big brother announcement.

www.bookrags.com... Just in case you are not aware of the book!

www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

wow, whenever I see a article like that I keep thinking about the movie "V", and our Brit friends are one big brother experiment. this wholesale spying crap on both sides of the Atlantic has got to be stopped.

What a load of rubbish!


I started a thread recently on advertising billboards that are proposed to have cameras with facial recognition software that enable the board to selected "targeted" advertisements to the people that actually walk past!

Could you imagine the racial implications of this? "Quick white short guy coming past, get the sun lotion, spot cream and pornography advertisements ready!"

total invasion of privacy and the companys behind it just sit back and say "whats lal the fuss about, id thought you be okay with this to the point where i didnt even ask you" - you cheeky bastards making money off me without me even knowing, wheres my cut?!?!!?!?!? Advertisements are bad targeted or otherwise i do now want to make it easier for them to ram stuff i dont need in my face.

S+F (in a sad way)

EDIT: link to thread i mentioned www.abovetopsecret.com...

To aggregate the data you need it in its raw form at some point, so it doesn't take much to think that GCHQ fancy a nice new bit of data slurping in London and pop down to the recycling company and a few modifications and the installation of a line to Cheltenham they have a WiFi/Cellular listening point that encourages people to come close to it

think that is bad they even have spy cameras in some rubbish bins of house holders to make sure they put out the right sort of rubbish

First of all you have to give them credit for original thinking, who would have ever thought they would use "recycling pods" to gather data. What next, webcams and mic's in the loo, plus access to your phone data via WIFI? I guess they would just say that we had no expectation of privacy if we use a public WC.

If people don't fight this, they will just keep pushing the limits until there are none left.

Scary scary!

Today it's anonymous data gathering, tomorrow it's i.d that person's address from their network registration, they put a can in the paper compartment, we need to fine them!

And that is only part of what this technology could achieve in the future, worst still, any future developments could be implemented under the radar.

reply to post by Biigs


Not too sure what you are saying.

Maybe my brain has been washed too many times.

Where does commercialism stop and spying start?

Bit like advertising, when does it stop selling and become brainwashing?

I am glad I am old, and thus may not have to suffer to much more.

reply to post by pstrron


Who is going to lead the revolt?

How could you organise such a thing with all conversations intercepted? (I know that is a bit OTT, but it is almost so.)

The other point is, people tend to be cowed, no idea why, but when was the last time we had a revolt in the UK? Certainly one that achieved much.

Originally posted by solargeddon
Scary scary!

Today it's anonymous data gathering, tomorrow it's i.d that person's address from their network registration, they put a can in the paper compartment, we need to fine them!

And that is only part of what this technology could achieve in the future, worst still, any future developments could be implemented under the radar.

Come now, surely not "Under the radar" they assure us that it would be with public consultation, like the original implementation! (See Animal Farm and the changing rules!)

Originally posted by geobro
think that is bad they even have spy cameras in some rubbish bins of house holders to make sure they put out the right sort of rubbish

You are so right, I had forgotten about that.

See, it so easy to start something and everyone soon takes it as a given.

Of course if you follow the rules, no harm done.

reply to post by dowot


My point was that all these 'small intrusions' unwelcome and unannounced, are put together.

You could have a advertisement check your face and compare you to facebook, the rubbish bin tracks your smartphones MAC address (as well as laptop table or anything else) and in a matter of 50 metres of street walking, they could know where you are, what you look like your name compare that to cell phone data and government records - track where you have been and what you have said or done for the past X years.

Now while im not crook, id like to have this sort of thing used AFTER a crime has been committed. Not just on everyone all the time, gathering info on your interests, likes, dislikes, political opinions and of course where to find you any time any day.

"children under the age of 10 are too hard to track by the facial recognition systems due to their face changing so quickly as they grow - chip all babies!"

Its all going down hill. Criminals in jail have more privacy and the average office cubicle is smaller than a cell- now there's a thought.

Originally posted by solargeddon
Scary scary!

Today it's anonymous data gathering, tomorrow it's i.d that person's address from their network registration, they put a can in the paper compartment, we need to fine them!

And that is only part of what this technology could achieve in the future, worst still, any future developments could be implemented under the radar.

Like this one? www.bloomberg.com... Mannequins equipped with cameras had been out for a while and, with facial recognition technology, could become a whole lot creepier.

Manufacturer's link: www.almax-italy.com...

IBM also filed a patent years ago that utilizes biometrics, facial recognition or other identifiers to peg who is coming and going from a store using the system. I find it very creepy. However, legally, I don't think that there is a whole lot of legal recourse to stop this sort of thing as, should they decide to refuse service to someone (it targets "undesirable" customers based on their credit store, complaint history and etc and claims to drive them out of the store), it's not on the usual protected areas of race, religion, and etc. They could easily claim that they hold a business interest in the right to refuse service and could win.

It's quickly becoming a very creepy world and we shouldn't simply be yelling at our governments for their hands in the spying but shutting down what corporations are doing, too. Personally, I don't want to live in the Minority Report world and really, that's what is coming. The technology displayed in Minority Report (with the exception of the precogs of course, lol) was based off of things currently being developed. Some stuff is cool. The all-seeing eye--not cool in my book.

The City of London Corporation has asked a company to stop using recycling bins to track the smartphones of passers-by.

Asif they've had to be 'asked' to stop using this tech. Ridiculous, when did they even ask if they could use it? Think just stinks of deceit. Putting them in recycle bins is pretty disgusting tbh, people are just there making the bit of effort to dispose of their rubbish appropriately and then just having their information straight up raped from them.

Unfortunately this seems to be the running trend now, just like internet adsensors are more or less peeping toms, only worse, at least peeping toms don't then have the audacity to see'f you want to buy this nice dress he reckons would look great over those bare bits he took snaps of...

Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, said: "I am pleased the City of London has called a halt to this scheme, but questions need to be asked about how such a blatant attack on people's privacy was able to occur in the first place.

And questions need to be asked about what measures are being put in place to stop this in the future. It worries me that they call upon the data protection act that is looking at lot less protective as we head straight on into an orwellian society.

Plus, if the City of London has deemed this so intrusive, then would they deem other data collecting measures intrusive? Something tells me they won't.

reply to post by Biigs


Thanks for that.

My old brain gets confused.

You make a very valid point, joining up the systems is probably not difficult, as some of the installers of these systems may well be owned by associated companies.

reply to post by dowot


well since we found out the various governments monitor all electrical communications anyway.... so ya, big brother would love a few more feelers to probe us 24/7.

i thought surveillance was about two cops in a car out side a drug dealers house, now its just "monitor everyone, they will do somthing and no matter what it is or even if its intended, we'll be there with fines and prison to pay for it all in addition to the tax"

Very interesting read.

Now I am sure the company states in their terms and service that all collected info is anonymous and has not and will not ever be sold or used in any way at all.

But then in another part of their terms and service they will state that they will share the information they gather when requested by law.

Just a reminder people. Electronic devices. Have then on you only when your "Good".