Shopping Malls to Track Movement via Cell Phones

If this has been posted, please post a link to the original thread. I didn't find one. Also, if I'm in the wrong forum, please move this and accept apologies.

Because you as a shopper are nothing but a lab rat to be tracked, measured, quantified and dissected so that retailers can market to you in a more efficient manner, at least two malls will be using shoppers' cellphone signals to map out their routes

Shoppers will be greeted by signs letting them know about tracking and telling them to turn off their cellphones if they want to opt out. Because shoppers should have to choose between having their phone on in case of emergency and being treated like guinea pigs with credit cards.

Original article here.

This is but one more step in the growing trend of day to day privacy invasion. I for one will not shop in any mall if I am aware I will be tracked while shopping. Consumers should not have to choose between having their cell phone turned on and being tracked or having to turn it off to remain private. And of course while the article states the information collected will be anonymous, I don't entirely trust that statement.

One can only hope enough people are concerned about this and refuse to patronize malls that do this, causing the malls to realize this is a terrible way of gathering "marketing data" or whatever they think they are gathering.

Tracking footfall seems to be the in thing... while I can see an issue at least they are letting people know in advance and I guess they'll find out soon enough if people are willing to accept this kind of intrusion or not.

I once had a wonderful toy it was a cell phone that blocked all cell phone signals for a 200 ft tho I never dug into the tech being used (and I worked in telecoms at the time *slaps wrist*) I wonder if a jammer would disrupt their tracking

reply to post by Ameilia


I don't go to Malls or football games. What are they going to do when people simply don't take their cell phones? I usually don't take them either. I either leave it at home or in the trunk of my car.