Attention Shoppers, Store is Tracking Your Cell

With all the uproar over the NSA, my only response when people bring up the topic is: "NSA nothing, you should see what corporations are doing."

Attention Shoppers-NYT

Nordstrom’s experiment is part of a movement by retailers to gather data about in-store shoppers’ behavior and moods, using video surveillance and signals from their cellphones and apps to learn information as varied as their sex, how many minutes they spend in the candy aisle and how long they look at merchandise before buying it.

All sorts of retailers — including national chains, like Family Dollar, Cabela’s and Mothercare, a British company, and specialty stores like Benetton and Warby Parker — are testing these technologies and using them to decide on matters like changing store layouts and offering customized coupons.

While the stores are using this information for promotion, and claim that it isn't any different than how you are tracked with your online shopping, it IS more invasive.

No matter where I shop online, they can't tell my emotions, what I look like, and I can choose, for the most part, what I look at.

But an even more serious question, what is to stop these stores from selling information?

I can imagine someone getting a letter saying " Dear Nixie Nox, we value you as a loyal insurance consumer for 15 years, but since you were seen buying 3 bottles of wine last week, we consider you a risk and must raise your premiums."

Cameras have become so sophisticated, with sharper lenses and data-processing, that companies can analyze what shoppers are looking at, and even what their mood is.

I don't have a smart phone. I might not get one, considering how much they are being used against the owner.

reply to post by nixie_nox


I guess I will start shutting my phone off or leave it in the car from now on when im shopping.

reply to post by desertguy


I wonder if airplane mode is sufficient enough to block them?

nixie_nox
reply to post by desertguy

 

I wonder if airplane mode is sufficient enough to block them?

probably so I didnt think about that one.

desertguy
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

I guess I will start shutting my phone off or leave it in the car from now on when im shopping.

Things inside your wallet can be read as well.
I'm not saying they are, but they can be.

someone I might know has worked on nuclear subs sidewinder missiles and many other things involving electronics. As long as you have an antenna you don't need a power source to get to information. The antenna's size (on a credit card for ex) only limits the frequency range that can be beamed into the antenna as energy to read the chip, and at longer range than they say you can.

So for example your phone does not have to be on to talk to it.

Happy black friday yall.

see why i don't even have a cellphone?

nixie_nox
reply to post by desertguy

 

I wonder if airplane mode is sufficient enough to block them?

If it's a wifi thing then it should be... That's what stores would use to track you because that's what they use for all the registers and everything.. Soon if not already all the items will be tracked like radar flowing around the store.

Dustytoad

desertguy
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

I guess I will start shutting my phone off or leave it in the car from now on when im shopping.

Things inside your wallet can be read as well.

I'm not saying they are, but they can be.

someone I might know has worked on nuclear subs sidewinder missiles and many other things involving electronics. As long as you have an antenna you don't need a power source to get to information. The antenna's size (on a credit card for ex) only limits the frequency range that can be beamed into the antenna as energy to read the chip, and at longer range than they say you can.

So for example your phone does not have to be on to talk to it.

Happy black friday yall.

Well damn then I guess I will have to just leave it in the car or take out the battery. Its getting so bad may as well leave my wallet at home and carry cash to but they can probably read that as well LOL

reply to post by nixie_nox


i have nothing to hide from them, as well i feel confident in myself in that i really make a conciouss effort to buy just what i need when going into a certain store. in that regaurd i'm not as likely to be dooped........never been much of a window shopper, but i realize im still subject to these tactics just like anyone else. you are right. it IS more invasive, we will all have to be more vigilant, and should be anyway when putting personal info of any kind up on tha webz

I know a guy who was installing one of these systems in Wal-Mart the other day.
It goes even farther than the article states. Theidea is to blue tooth text messages to your phone alerting you to all the deals in the department you are shopping in.

Pretty crazy. I don't like it. Invasive advertising is bad news. I don't have enough money as it is and these large corporations spend tons trying to figure out how to take my last penny.

Capitalism sucks.

desertguy


Well damn then I guess I will have to just leave it in the car or take out the battery. Its getting so bad may as well leave my wallet at home and carry cash to but they can probably read that as well LOL

Taking out the battery does not help.

I phones are especially bad, but I am sure the others have caught up at being just as bad.

These have back up batteries that are Inside the phone compartment. This gives pretty good range, but even without that power source you can track a phone with microwaves from a good distance.

The wifi might not work on the back up battery, but I don't know this, so I wouldn't trust that.

reply to post by nixie_nox


Well, the FBI has the capability to listen even if your phone is turned off. So, it's safe to assume these corporations/store's, have it or will have. So, right now, the way to be sure of your privacy, is to remove the battery. Until, they start adding nano batteries of some type...

Cell phone users, beware. The FBI can listen to everything you say, even when the cell phone is turned off.

Maybe this is the point of the NSA, building consumer profiles for 'can't miss' advertising.

The Normal Shopper Aggregate makes perfect use of the data mining. Tracks your gps to find out what stores are your area, monitors web traffic to see what interests you have, content, location and duration of online ads you see(for revenue to third-party hosts), and logs all phone and email to find your wants and needs you may discuss and those of the other party for possible group redemption.
Also, using tax payer money to build infrastructure seems like a perfect business strategy.

"...every was too focused on the big one to notice and the little one cut us down from the rear..."

I've speculated on this for well over a year now. I have observed too many "coincidences" to write these concersn off as random paranoia.

As a recent example: Near the end of salmon season, I ducked into a Taco Bell drive through (only place open at 2 in the morning and I was starving). The following morning I recieved the only cell phone Taco Bell coupon I've ever gotten along with another coupon in my email a few hours later. I paid for my order with a debit card. There are several options here...
1. Coincidence (which seems too easy considering I've only recieved the coupon after my only visit to a Taco bell)
2. My bank has a deal with various businesses, helping them "get in contact" with customers.
3. Taco Bell "scanned" my cell phone and was able to reverse lookup my contact information to send me the coupons.

Options 2 and 3 are absolutely nefarious.

reply to post by burdman30ott6


this is why i only have a phone in my home. people aske me for my cellphone number i tell them that i have a house number and like to be called only at home. won't even let my wife talk me into buying one or getting a free one

rockoperawriter
reply to post by burdman30ott6

 

this is why i only have a phone in my home. people aske me for my cellphone number i tell them that i have a house number and like to be called only at home. won't even let my wife talk me into buying one or getting a free one

Even then if you have a cable box or wifi or a smart meter...
The new cable boxes transmit microwave signals. You can tell they transmit all the time because the power supply on the back isn't the hottest part of the box. Not to mention they are now made by Samsung or Motorolla or cisco...

"Your World Delivered"

hahaha.

hmm this guy never leaves the house!?

hahaha..

reply to post by nixie_nox


that is messed up...and the fact that you cant take your battery out any more these days to any modern phone you have to leave it in the car or turn it off. I barely use the thing anyway..just one more reason to move to the middle of the woods...

reply to post by Dustytoad


which is why i talk as much smack on the internet against tptb as i can

rockoperawriter
reply to post by Dustytoad

 

which is why i talk as much smack on the internet against tptb as i can

I like that. I don't even have a cell phone anymore, but If I did I would be finding ways to hack them back..

reply to post by Dustytoad


i know right? if the nsa is listening then i'll make 'em cry