(Image source: Digital Trends)
BY NATHAN GIANNINI
As you sprint around the mall this Black Friday, be aware -- someone might be watching you... Here’s KSWB....
Reporter: “It’s a brand new technology, some malls are just starting to adopt this. It’s called ‘FootPath’ and they monitor wherever you go inside their mall. And they do it whether you know it or not.”
Mall General Manager: “This is just catching a bleep on a map that’s grouped with a bunch of other bleeps and showing how all those groups move throughout the shopping center like watching a flock of birds.”
The technology is being tested in two malls -- one in Temecula, California and the other in Richmond, Virginia. Mall officials ensured shoppers the technology won’t store any personal information.
But TIME reports -- there is another concern. Apart from the creepiness of course.
“The worry is that somehow, somebody outside of Path Intelligence might have access to that information, say an intrepid hacker–not to mention, anonymity aside, that there’s something plain creepy about having a faceless company track your every movement.”
A blogger for the Houston Chronicle isn’t so concerned about it being Big Brother-y, but is worried about what it might lead to.
“This technology doesn’t bother me, other than the fact that it might be used to make department store shopping more annoying. Big stores set up obstructions to efficient navigation designed to get you to stop and examine goods, and I suspect knowing exactly how people react will result in more of this.”
But Geek.com says there is a simple solution to this problem -- as long as you can go a few hours without checking your Twitter.
“FootPath’s privacy policy has some strongly worded sections about individual privacy, so while this is a bit scary you might want to leave your tinfoil hat at home ... Apparently it is possible to opt out from the tracking, you just need to turn off your phone.”
The tracking will run from Black Friday through New Year’s Day.
