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I didn't know it was a secret? Figured it was pretty common knowledge back when iBeacons and similar were announced and when major retailers like Target even ma
by dawnerd 7y ago
I didn't know it was a secret? Figured it was pretty common knowledge back when iBeacons and similar were announced and when major retailers like Target even made press releases about it
https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/20/target-rolls-out-bluetooth-beacon-technology-in-stores-to-power-new-indoor-maps-in-its-app/ https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/20/target-rolls-out-bluetooth...
Kind of funny that Apple pushing privacy basically helped create this kind of tracking to begin with.
Edit: NYT article mentions other apps selling data to retailers. I think it's time apps start asking permission to use BTLE. No reason a weather app needs that kind of access.
- notJim 7y agoI had heard of the technology, but had no idea how widespread it was. To be honest, I had assumed it never took off.
- raverbashing 7y agoApple? Maybe it's the big stores and advertisers want to know everything about everybody that are to blame?
- dawnerd 7y agoYes Apple. They rolled out iBeacons and created a whole toolkit on ios that enabled tracking - at least a lot easier than it would have been.
- raverbashing 7y agoThanks, this makes sense, though beacon technology is not exclusive to them
- slg 7y agoWasn't this tracking the defining business use case going all the way back to when Apple introduced them in 2013? These devices might not be well know, but I don't think anyone was actively trying to hide why businesses were installing these things.
- TeMPOraL 7y agoThe less-known part is the widespread practice among app authors to just include random adtech SDKs that do all this evil stuff.