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>The system not only counts visitors in the vicinity of cameras posted around the city, but it also, in conjunction with TIM (Telecom Italia, Italy's largest te
by somedude895 6y ago
>The system not only counts visitors in the vicinity of cameras posted around the city, but it also, in conjunction with TIM (Telecom Italia, Italy's largest telecommunications provider), crunches who they are and where they come from.
>The authorities can see where these new arrivals are from by analyzing their phone data (the information is all aggregated automatically, so no personal details can be gleaned).
In case anyone wanted to know only the "how"
- alistairSH 6y agoHuh, I guess I’m unusual in traveling with my phone in airplane mode? It’s not inexpensive to obtain cellular abroad (from the US).
- tinus_hn 6y agoI would presume most visitors are from Europe and the EU has mandatory free roaming.
- u678u 6y agoUsually its cheaper to get a local sim card. Which I guess breaks their stats.
- seszett 6y agoLocal SIM cards in Europe have to be registered with your name and an identity document.
- Symbiote 6y agoDon't generalize across Europe when you aren't certain. At least in Denmark, it's not a requirement to register a SIM. Anonymous SIMs are available from vending machines at the airport, kiosks and by post.
- seszett 6y agoI was pretty sure it was a EU requirement because it's been presented as such in my country, but I'm not surprised to learn that the EU has only been used as an excuse for implementing such a measure, of course.
- ghaff 6y agoYeah. Coming from the US, I usually get an international data plan from my carrier and use it sparingly. (And it's often expensed anyway.) But for longer trips on my own nickel, I'll get a local SIM card.
- alistairSH 6y agoYeah, my parents do that when they return to Scotland (retired, so they can stay a while). But, for my normal 1-2 week vacations, it never seemed worth it. I just pay the $10/day Verizon charges, but only use it when I can't get wifi (which is rare these days). I think the last time I used the plan for more than a day or two was in Iceland and that was only because I forgot my SatNav, so used the phone.
- rsynnott 6y agoVast majority of visitors would be from the EU.
- mikro2nd 6y agoI guess I'm even more unusual in travelling entirely without a phone. Can't be bothered as the advantages are insignificant to me. I love the feeling of being "untethered". Isn't that what holidays are for?
- ipsi 6y agoDepends where you're coming from. Visitors from other EU countries (and the UK, for now) will use their existing data plan, since the EU enforces free roaming amongst member countries. If I was coming from elsewhere, I would likely do the same, unless I'd be there long enough to justify buying a local SIM card.