We are...watching you (while you shop, that is)

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

Electronic surveillance in retail stores is not uncommon at all. Just about every store around has cameras set up everywhere to keep an eye on customers (and employees).

One retailer though, is taking things a step further. They're implementing a program where by they monitor certain signals your smartphone (or tablet) sends out when you are on the store's wifi network. They can use this to monitor where you go in the the store and how long you stay there among other things.

Now they do have signage at the entrance telling customers they will be monitored and if they do not wish to be, they can either deactivate wi-fi or power off their phones completely.

Full story with the sign is here.

Now they claim this system will not transmit or acquire any sensitive information from your phone but of course there's really no way to be certain that is the case.

I know for me, unless I really loved the store, this would be a deal breaker for me. You want to watch me on camera? Fine, but using my phone to track me is a bit much. Even if I went in to a place that did this, I would turn my phone off. The problem with that is that's a bit of an inconvenience to me to deal with just so I can shop in a certain store.

I really hope this doesn't catch on. If it comes down to it, I will do everything I can to NOT take my phone with me when I go shopping.

[crashhelmet]

I wonder how much of this is due to retailers whining about people that come in to browse and then buy the product(s) online.

And then there's the part of this where I'm sure they'll "accidentally" capture your email address or phone number and begin spamming you with advertisements.

Google reviews for a particular item or item type? You'll now receive ads specifically for them.

[HYHYBT]

I'd love to know how they're supposed to steal email addresses or anything else if all they're reading is what the phone uses to make a connection.

[crashhelmet]

If your smart phone sends or receives an email while connected to their wi-fi network, they could capture that data. They'd have your email address, the address you sent it to, as well as the contents. Same goes for text messages that send over the wi-fi network.

You're also subject to anyone else that may be snooping through the data transmissions to collect data.

[Rageaholic]

If your smart phone sends or receives an email while connected to their wi-fi network, they could capture that data. They'd have your email address, the address you sent it to, as well as the contents. Same goes for text messages that send over the wi-fi network.

You're also subject to anyone else that may be snooping through the data transmissions to collect data.

Can they get your password?

[Daskinor]

The snooping is limited to what kind of wireless security is already running on the access point. Then what you send over unsecured connections.

At most they can get

You location in the store via triangulation, not GPS.

Your Phones MAC address (a unique ID for the network device on your phone.)

If you connect to the wireless network they can see and read

What web sites you connect to

The information received and sent to web pages that are not secure (http not https)

emails and texts sent to non secured servers



In most cases unless they go through extraordinary means, can not read information directly from your phone.

[Andara Bledin]

I do have to wonder how many people have their phones connect to store wi-fi.

Plus, if the network isn't crap, they already have access to all of the traffic that goes through their network. This shouldn't really be news.

Then again, with how little people actually know about what they're doing with their own data, maybe it should be.

If you aren't already, you should have your phone's wi-fi traffic encrypted.

[BlaqueKatt]

If you aren't already, you should have your phone's wi-fi traffic encrypted.

mine's off unless I'm at home, connected to my home network, which is secured by Mr. Katt, because, well that's what his degree is in.

[Panacea]

“For example, if many customers are entering and leaving a store within 5 minutes, that might indicate that there is not enough staff on the floor or that lines at the register are too long,” explains a rep for Euclid, the company that operates the system for Nordstrom. “A retailer can use this insight to adjust staffing levels or keep more registers open.”

Bullshit. You don't need electronic monitoring to tell you that. The retail staff and managers already know this!

[HYHYBT]

True, but if your company is the kind that insists on keeping all meaningful control above the store level, this could help° make one less thing the people actually working in the store have any say over.

[protege]

Now they claim this system will not transmit or acquire any sensitive information from your phone but of course there's really no way to be certain that is the case.

...and many stores currently claim that they won't share your personal information that they get via warranty cards or credit card applications. Yet, as soon as I fill out one of those applications and get approved...the amount of crap showing up in my mailbox increases. There's a *lot* of money to be made from such data--either by the stores themselves, or by selling it on. Unless they can prove (saying that they won't is bullshit) that they won't share it, I'm not buying.

[Aethian]

The store says it won't sell it but they never said the credit card issuers would sell/share it.