UK startup Renew is taking smartphone tracking to London's streets with the help of its Wi-Fi-enabled trash cans. Already outfitted with advertising screens, a handful of the city's 100 Renew Pods are now equipped with new "Renew Orbs," which use Wi-Fi to track the proximity and speed of people walking past and identify the maker of their smartphone. As GigaOm points out, Londoners might be shocked to find they are being tracked, but many will be unaware that it's happening without their permission.
Renew installed Orbs in the square-mile City of London, home to the highest concentration of professionals in Europe. The marketing company allows clients to use its smart trash cans to conduct their own statistical analysis on "trending demographics" in high profile locations. For example, if there are lots of iPhone or Galaxy S4 owners walking past a Pod, a retailer can work out how many consumers are likely to be in the area and range smartphone accessories to cater for them.
Renew's approach is likely to attract attention — both UK and EU privacy laws require companies to notify consumers they are being tracked and allow them to opt out. Even if the company fixes notices around its trash cans or uses digital signage to warn people walking past it, Renew isn't able to provide an easy way for them to immediately tell the company that they don't wish to participate. However, because the system utilizes Wi-Fi to gather information, personal data cannot be obtained and is purely for research purposes only. Retailers across the world are using similar tracking techniques to learn more about their customers. Armed with anonymous data, store owners can tune layouts, offer discount coupons, or reward frequent buyers, much like their online counterparts.
Comments
Would turning off WiFi not be the same as opting out??
By Jordan O'Connor on 08.09.13 8:18am
This! “it’s happening without their permission” when you leave your house with your WiFi on you’re opting in to be tracked by more than just these trash cans.
By JERW on 08.09.13 8:43am
I guess this is one of the “other purposes” for Android 4.3 keeping Wi-Fi active even when turned off
By J&7&xDz@HB.3*6kfk on 08.09.13 9:13am
What’s important here: It’s optional.
By ddpacino on 08.09.13 11:20am
Um yeah….. It/s clearly stated as a way to improve your location without GPS which is only used for location tracking/reporting/sharing. Not a conspiracy, plainly labeled for that purpose.
By rekh127 on 08.09.13 6:10pm
No not when its turned off… when its asleep… Seriously???!! Stupidity run in your family?
By M1DN1GHT on 08.13.13 9:43am
By removal-requested-019109201 on 08.09.13 11:14am
I cannot wait to play this game…. a nerd GTA-style
By ddpacino on 08.09.13 11:21am
Exactly what i was going to say mate.
The basis for this game is actually based on London. With London soon to be the first city in the world to be “Automated” the government are in for a world of hurt when they see that computers cannot replace People… simple.
By M1DN1GHT on 08.13.13 8:52am
Watch_Dogs meets Skynet. When it comes to the US, personal information will be up grabs. We have no privacy or rights anymore. :(
By ddpacino on 08.09.13 8:23am
Should’ve said NSA. SKYNET is always the first thing that comes to mind in regards to smart machines lol.
By ddpacino on 08.09.13 8:27am
SkyNSA
By xDeepS on 08.09.13 9:08am
Touche’.
By ddpacino on 08.09.13 11:22am
“Londoners might be shocked to find they are being tracked, but many will be unaware that it’s happening without their permission.”
Not so sure they would be so shocked considering their nationwide CCTV network.
By sargentr on 08.09.13 8:37am
What nationwide CCTV network?
By Topher Allan on 08.09.13 9:52am
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6108496.stm
By ankurb on 08.09.13 10:47pm
That article says that there is lots of CCTV. It doesn’t say anything about a nationwide network.
By Topher Allan on 08.10.13 6:14am
London has over 50% of the CCTV for the United Kingdom.. i would say that the nationwide network is there. Every place you walk in London there is a camera recording your every move…
The article you are reading is from the BBC.. so i wouldn’t expect any decent journalism there. If your still doubtful.. take a walk around… not a pretty sight.. all for our “Security & Safety” when in actual fact it’s to keep eyes on us and keep us on a tight leash.
By M1DN1GHT on 08.13.13 8:57am
Most of the cameras contributing to that “300 appearances a day” figure are most likely run by local businesses, and will record a week’s worth of footage before overwriting it with the next week’s footage. The only network involved will be between the camera and the storage medium. Nobody will look at the footage unless a crime is committed on the premises, or the police make a request for footage because they believe a wanted (or missing) person was there.
That’s not a ‘network’ by any stretch of the imagination. Despite what the Tinfoil Hatters believe, real life is not CSI, and comprehensive CCTV footage isn’t available to anybody at the press of a button.
London is probably an unrepresentative sample because it has higher-security targets. CCTV is very noticeable on Whitehall, for example, but it’s also the only place in the UK where I’ve ever seen a visible, routine firearms presence that wasn’t military.
And there is way more to the UK than just London.
By Topher Allan on 08.13.13 10:03am
OK lets break down the actual facts from the industry i actually work in….
London has over 50% of the CCTV in this country.. Most being owned by Private firms yes i agree.. here are the facts
5.9 Million CCTV units are in the UK (Roughly)
Just slightly over 3 Million are in London alone…
London Underground – 13,000
State Schools 290,000 – 370,000
Council Controlled – 60,000
Government Controlled – 70,000
The rest are Privately monitored… Just under 70% are accessible over the Internet and can easily be accessed through certain ‘procedures’
Real life might not be ‘CSI’ as you say.. and your right it isn’t available to just anybody…
But i believe that the people it is available to (Some not all) can use these means to create certain unfortunate ends for some people.. granted yeah they keep some people safe and are used to catch criminals… Hey personally i really don’t care if i’m recorded all day long.. but there is no denying that it is slightly out of control..
Routine Firearms are visible in Whitehall, Kings X, Euston, Oxford Circus, Hyde Park, London Bridge, The City… you want me to keep going? I’m out on the streets of London every day in different parts of London. A week i would probably say… 35-40 hours a week walking around so can back up anything i’m giving you now in terms of ‘opinion’.
By M1DN1GHT on 08.13.13 11:59am
The career of would be terrorists is short-lived. You can run, but we’ll get you! because we know the MAC address of your phone!! : )
By Jumba Juice on 08.09.13 8:40am
Don’t fall for that trap.
Besides, any actual not-dumb terrorists would simply not use a cell phone at all, much less one that has WiFi that stays on.
By mldi on 08.09.13 10:05am
wooosh
By gignar on 08.09.13 10:13am
god this is happening a lot today. People need to remember to eat their breakfast and/or their Flintstones vitamins in the morning, or else they get stupid.
By SRPuffinstuff on 08.09.13 5:27pm
Lack of sleep is what makes me stupid.
By mldi on 08.11.13 11:00pm