Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Australian Malls To Track Shoppers By Their Phones

Posted by samzenpus on from the dial-S-for-shopping dept.

Fluffeh writes "Australian shopping centers will monitor customers' mobile phones to track how often they visit, which stores they like and how long they stay. One unnamed Queensland shopping center is next month due to become the first in the nation to install receivers that detect unique mobile phone radio frequency codes to pinpoint location within two meters."

2 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act by bool2 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    In Australia, the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 explicitly prohibits this activity.
    Section 7 - Telecommunications not to be intercepted

    A person shall not:

    • (a) intercept;
    • (b) authorize, suffer or permit another person to intercept; or
    • (c) do any act or thing that will enable him or her or another person to intercept;

    a communication passing over a telecommunications system.

    This seems like a pretty clear violation to me. (note, that even though it is data traffic between the phone and the cell and not voice, it still violates the above.)

  2. Re:Good luck... by labnet · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...Australian shops are so overpriced that it's getting to the point where they're not going to have any customers to track.

    Amen to that.
    We were quoted $8k for 2 Siemens Wall Ovens.
    UK Retail Price $3.2k
    What did we do? Paid the $3.2k + $800 costs to import them!

    Globalisation is a disruptive force!

    (BTW Australians call them shopping centres, not Malls)
    (BBTW Have seen our supermarkets stocking halloween stuff... go away unwanted American culture)

    --
    46137