4 ms·

Implementing this in stores would be a huge ethical issue. Future versions could also be more malicious, such as modifying the price or even availability of th

by bo1024 9y ago

Implementing this in stores would be a huge ethical issue. Future versions could also be more malicious, such as modifying the price or even availability of the item on a competitor's website if possible. This is why we need to keep supporting both technical solutions such as VPNs and https, as well as political solutions like net neutrality.

smt88 9y ago
Neither HTTPS nor net neutrality would prevent this. VPNs are a whole can of worms for the average consumer. Also, it'd be legal to intercept or block traffic. It wouldn't be legal to change a competitor's website.
jhall1468 9y ago
> Implementing this in stores would be a huge ethical issue. Not really. It's only effective on their own wifi network. Disconnect and you're good to go. > Future versions could also be more malicious, such as modifying the price or even availability of the item on a competitor's website if possible. That would have serious legal implications, so I don't see it. > This is why we need to keep supporting both technical solutions such as VPNs and https, as well as political solutions like net neutrality. Or, you know, turn off the free wifi they are giving you?
- sb8244 9y ago
  Can they build the store in such a way as to limit cell signal? For some reason, every Target that I go into has horrible cell connections (inability to use my browser) but always free wifi.
  - tclancy 9y ago
    As far as I know, that's illegal in the US to interfere with cell signals. A big box store like Target is a poor man's Faraday cage (he said, having 0 knowledge of physics) and offering free wifi is a small cost if it means people stay inside the store longer. Saying this isn't anti-competitive because customers can always ignore the free wifi misses the point: given the service issues in stores and the attractiveness of (usually) higher speed wifi, people are going to be drawn to it and no one is going to read the Terms & Conditions that say "Hey, we're going to try to prevent you from shopping for the lowest price!"
    - rhizome 9y ago
      I always have unusable cell reception inside of Fry's Electronics.
      - jhall1468 9y ago
        That's a combination of the building (lots of metal) and cellular service just being bad (relatively) at penetrating in-doors.
- bo1024 9y ago
  >> Implementing this in stores would be a huge ethical issue. > Not really. It's only effective on their own wifi network. Disconnect and you're good to go. I don't understand how this response relates. It's still a huge ethical issue even if those people who are aware of it can learn to avoid it. > That would have serious legal implications, so I don't see it. I'm not as optimistic. ISPs have gotten away with modifying websites in the past, not as maliciously as this. But it's a step down that path. > Or, you know, turn off the free wifi they are giving you? Obviously I myself am not going to use the wifi. But I don't think just telling everyone you know not to use in-store wifi is a good long-term solution.
  - jhall1468 9y ago
    > I don't understand how this response relates. It's still a huge ethical issue even if those people who are aware of it can learn to avoid it. Those people should read TOS's. But seriously, don't connect to an open WIFI network expecting privacy.
siegecraft 9y ago
Amazon has no ethics, so I don't know why you think it would be an issue..
JosephLark 9y ago
> Future versions could also be more malicious, such as modifying the price or even availability of the item on a competitor's website if possible. What about the corollary to this - marking down a price in store for a specific shopper. This is something I've read about in regards to in-store tracking. A system could detect when you're likely to purchase something given some sort of incentive, and provide an on-demand coupon to your smart device.

by bo1024 9y ago

smt88 9y ago

Neither HTTPS nor net neutrality would prevent this. VPNs are a whole can of worms for the average consumer. Also, it'd be legal to intercept or block traffic. It wouldn't be legal to change a competitor's website.

jhall1468 9y ago

> Implementing this in stores would be a huge ethical issue. Not really. It's only effective on their own wifi network. Disconnect and you're good to go. > Future versions could also be more malicious, such as modifying the price or even availability of the item on a competitor's website if possible. That would have serious legal implications, so I don't see it. > This is why we need to keep supporting both technical solutions such as VPNs and https, as well as political solutions like net neutrality. Or, you know, turn off the free wifi they are giving you?

sb8244 9y ago
Can they build the store in such a way as to limit cell signal? For some reason, every Target that I go into has horrible cell connections (inability to use my browser) but always free wifi.
- tclancy 9y ago
  As far as I know, that's illegal in the US to interfere with cell signals. A big box store like Target is a poor man's Faraday cage (he said, having 0 knowledge of physics) and offering free wifi is a small cost if it means people stay inside the store longer. Saying this isn't anti-competitive because customers can always ignore the free wifi misses the point: given the service issues in stores and the attractiveness of (usually) higher speed wifi, people are going to be drawn to it and no one is going to read the Terms & Conditions that say "Hey, we're going to try to prevent you from shopping for the lowest price!"
  - rhizome 9y ago
    I always have unusable cell reception inside of Fry's Electronics.
    - jhall1468 9y ago
      That's a combination of the building (lots of metal) and cellular service just being bad (relatively) at penetrating in-doors.
bo1024 9y ago
>> Implementing this in stores would be a huge ethical issue. > Not really. It's only effective on their own wifi network. Disconnect and you're good to go. I don't understand how this response relates. It's still a huge ethical issue even if those people who are aware of it can learn to avoid it. > That would have serious legal implications, so I don't see it. I'm not as optimistic. ISPs have gotten away with modifying websites in the past, not as maliciously as this. But it's a step down that path. > Or, you know, turn off the free wifi they are giving you? Obviously I myself am not going to use the wifi. But I don't think just telling everyone you know not to use in-store wifi is a good long-term solution.
- jhall1468 9y ago
  > I don't understand how this response relates. It's still a huge ethical issue even if those people who are aware of it can learn to avoid it. Those people should read TOS's. But seriously, don't connect to an open WIFI network expecting privacy.

siegecraft 9y ago

Amazon has no ethics, so I don't know why you think it would be an issue..

JosephLark 9y ago

> Future versions could also be more malicious, such as modifying the price or even availability of the item on a competitor's website if possible. What about the corollary to this - marking down a price in store for a specific shopper. This is something I've read about in regards to in-store tracking. A system could detect when you're likely to purchase something given some sort of incentive, and provide an on-demand coupon to your smart device.