‘It’s creepy’: Location based marketing ...

[ChrisGreaves]

I read these two articles this morning in the hard-copy edition:
‘It’s creepy’: Location based marketing is following you, whether you like it or no
and
How to (almost) hide your tech gadgets from being tracked

Funnily enough, Queen Street West is one of my walking haunts.
Although on the plus side I just carry my Band 4(?) phone as a podcast device ...

[HansV]

Location-based tracking by retailers has been a 'big' subject here in The Netherlands lately...

[John Gray]

Chris - no-one need ever know that you went to the US (if Lounge members get bribed sufficiently!)...

[BobH]

Location-based tracking by retailers has been a 'big' subject here in The Netherlands lately...

Care to expand upon that news?

Has resistance arisen to it among the populace?

[HansV]

I meant that it has been mentioned in the newspapers. Some people may have adjusted the way they use their smart phones; it's not likely that it would cause wide-spread resistance - most people don't seem to care about their privacy nowadays.

[jonwallace]

I think that the point is that if you want to be able to ask or search for things like "scones near me" or "petrol station near me" or even use software apps like MapMyWalk, then the phone or other device has to know where you are and has to tell whatever you're asking for the info. Personally I don't really care if anything knows where I am, I'm not paranoid (well maybe) or egotistical enough to think that anyone's interested.

Chris's second article has the answer. Turn off your phone and remove the battery.

[ChrisGreaves]

most people don't seem to care about their privacy nowadays.

I think the term "privacy" has been devalued because of its widespread use.
A couple of months ago I mentioned Google "knowing" that I'd been asking about WordPercect suite, and ads for WP popping up like weeds.
Gone now.
Not a big deal.

Tonight I loaded Google Maps; my default location is where I live in downtown Toronto, Canadian postal code "M4Y 1A3".
When I load Google Maps at Betty's home, postal code "M9C 2A6", or similar, Google Maps still loads my downtown location, presumably because Betty's modem location is private.

Tonight in Princeton, I signed into the Microtel (hotel chain) network, fired up Google maps, and was presented with a detailed Google Map of Princeton.

So, Google knows, presumably through Microtel Hotel's semi-public networks that I'm here in Princeton.
I suppose I'm OK with that, too.

I think I'd be upset if I started receiving spam hard-copy mail about some place I've been, or clip-on sunglasses I bought in Princeton (although there's no way to find the shops in the fog here right now ...).

Back to privacy: If Google is smart enough to steer me to what I truly want, I'm OK with that, but if Google started to filter results based on my past actions, I'd resent Google terminating my open-mind concept.

[BobH]

I'm against snooping on principle, not because of ego or paranoia (well, maybe) but because there are no legal protections from Google or Amazon or anyone else from using the information in whatever manner they choose. I'm older and was raised by parents born in the 19th Century and, no doubt, adopted many of their opinions about privacy and other matters.

Besides, just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean that he b@H$t@rd$ aren't out to get me.