Telecommuncations have come a long way in a short period of time. Smart phones are near ubiquitous in society, and as common as a wallet or purse in public. How people have become addicted to carrying and using smart phones, I do not know, but in our quest for permanent and persistent connectivity, we inadvertently agree to give up some of our privacy. Scary it is, but the writing is on the wall and near inevitable unless governments step in to prevent this. Given that people are freely looking for phone connectivity, I do not believe that such tracking by stores or any other agencies is immoral. Shocking, yes, but not immoral. Each person has the ability and means to turn off their phone when walking around. If they do not then this is their personal choice.
Somehow our societies are addicted to persistent connectivity and the smart phones that allow us to do this. I can see the interest in having such information at your fingertips, ready to help you, but do you really need it available at every waking moment of your day? Air, water, shelter, yes these things we need to live. Information and connectivity are far down Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Still, the addiction persists. Other negatives, other than addiction, or because of it, is texting while driving or walking, putting the texter in harm’s way. It is mad but we still do it.
So you are addicted to persistent connectivity and therefore your smart phone, and want free wifi, there is a price to pay. Those that give you free connectivity have access to information on your phone and therefore about you. This should not be surprising in the least. They can use this information to build a database about your habits and haunts. Do this over a long period of time and space and this can be developed into a pattern of who you are and where you usually go. This should not be a surprise. Rogers and Bell, internet providers here in Canada, have been using web browsing patterns of their paid customers as the basis for a new marketing product that they wish to sell to various online stores. Since we have already paid them for access to the internet, I find this abhorent and immoral. Payment for services does not give a business the right to unknowingly exploit further information from you.
Most smart phone users are always on the hunt for free wifi connectivity. Wifi is expensive from your local cell phone carrier. Turn this carrier’s network off and turn on free network access and you will save money. This savings, however, comes at some potential security concerns. Those that allow you to connect can, potentially, gather information about you and peer into your smart phone and therefore your world. Say you stop in to Tim Horton’s for a bagel and use their free wifi. It would be natural that Tim Horton’s would use this opportunity to gather information about its customers, their needs and their phones. They could do this already by paying someone to watch the door, write down who comes and goes, age, sex, and other demographic information. Such information is freely available to anyone who wishes to spend the time do do it. Computers make it so much more efficient. Harvesting smart phone information goes even further.
Which leads us back to unauthorized smart phone tracking. In our search for persistent connectivity and the need to save money, most people habitually keep their phone wifi “on” all the time. When we find free wifi our phone automatically connects. This search function allows companies to harvest your phone’s information. In order to connect your phone must give some information away, such as your ID number (MAC address) and your location. This is a tool for marketers to track you inside or outside a store. Track you long enough over a large area and you can build a personal profile of yourself that others can exploit.
While most companies say that the information they harvest is anonymous and they would never sell it, security breaches of many high profile companies have shown that this guarantee is hollow at best, and delusional at worst. Companies cannot promise privacy and mean it. How can they guarantee that they have deleted relevant private information? Information is mere electronic bits and bobs that can be deleted and undeleted. Once stored it can be easily and quickly transported around the world. Once harvested this information should be considered permanent.
Who really wants to be tracked? We value our freedom and privacy. The solution is simple: When you want wifi only use a trusted service. Turn off your wifi after you finish with a trusted service. Do not turn wifi on until you find another trusted service. This option is not only within your capability but it is also easy do do. This will somewhat protect you from unwanted tracking by businesses you do not know. You still need to keep a watch on your trusted services.
If you roam for free wifi and get harvested, I do not believe these companies acted immorally. You provided the smart phone, you turned it on and you were searching for free wifi. These companies were merely listening and harvesting information you freely gave them. It is very similar to video surveillance, where if you do not like the cameras on you, do not go into the store. When shopping there will often be security people watching if you steal stuff. They could also write down your demographic information, all without your consent.
This exploit is impressive and a culmination of multiple coincidental incidents. People are addicted to persistent connectivity and will not turn their smart phones off, or they forget that they are now roaming. People carry smart phones on their persons almost all the time. Companies can freely pick up and harvest consumer’s need for connectivity. With enough time and space, a profile can be built about each individual. Large retail companies have stopped harvesting due to negative publicity, not because of immorality or technical issues. There is nothing stopping them if they wish to do this without the public’s knowledge.
We live in a new world, but we still have choices. Do you want to be tracked? The choice is yours.
