Everyone love’s technology these days, how could we live without it? With the use of all the technology comes a price of a lack of privacy. Have you ever noticed when you go in to a store that if you’re using an AT&T phone it might join “AT&T Wifi”? To you the consumer it’s great because you don’t have to try to use your cellular data in the store and you think, “wow that’s nice of them to offer that service” but they have other motives. Utilizing these free Wifi hotspots allows the store to track who is in their store (especially if you have that particular store’s app installed on your phone.) For you, it’s a great convenience to have the Wifi service. To the store it’s great because now they can track who comes in and out of their stores and when for marketing purposes.
Have you visited Disney World lately? Disney now utilizes what they call “MagicBands” as the sole thing you need with you while visiting their parks. These MagicBands act as your ticket, your “FastPass” for rides, and if you’re staying in a Disney resort it also acts as your room key and your charge card. Now you may be saying, “That’s a great convenience!” Well, you’re right it is (for you and for Disney.) These MagicBands utilize RFID (radio frequency identification) similar to the proximity cards that most places use to access doors. This technology, when scanned, allows Disney to also know exactly where you are at the point of use. They can utilize this data to track your spending habits, ride preferences, you name it! Again with more and more convenience comes the loss of more and more privacy.
So next time you get ready to use that “convenient” new technology, ask yourself, What privacy am I giving up to utilize this?
Food for thought!
Reference articles:
http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/26/ios-8-location-privacy-analysis/
http://entertainment.time.com/2014/01/02/disney-nsa-style-magic-bands-theme-park/
All Arc, All the Time 