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Amazon Granted a Patent That Prevents In-Store Shoppers From Online Price Checking (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the you-shall-not-pass dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Amazon's long been a go-to for people to online price compare while shopping at brick-and-mortars. Now, a new patent granted to the company could prevent people from doing just that inside Amazon's own stores. The patent, titled "Physical Store Online Shopping Control," details a mechanism where a retailer can intercept network requests like URLs and search terms that happen on its in-store Wi-Fi, then act upon them in various ways. The document details in great length how a retailer like Amazon would use this information to its benefit. If, for example, the retailer sees you're trying to access a competitor's website to price check an item, it could compare the requested content to what's offered in-store and then send price comparison information or a coupon to your browser instead. Or it could suggest a complementary item, or even block content outright. Amazon's patent also lets the retailer know your physical whereabouts, saying, "the location may be triangulated utilizing information received from a multitude of wireless access points." The retailer can then use this information to try and upsell you on items in your immediate area or direct a sales representative to your location.

6 of 465 comments (clear)

  1. Yet another reason to never use in-store wifi by GameboyRMH · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not only will they track you and spy on you. but now they'll also censor your browsing.

    At least they're not just silently modifying the traffic to mislead you...yet...

    Now what's that theory about all participants in capitalism requiring perfect information about the market?

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    1. Re:Yet another reason to never use in-store wifi by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Consumers are on the receiving end of capitalism. They're not capitalists. What more perfect information can you get than a capative audience on your in-store wifi network?

    2. Re:Yet another reason to never use in-store wifi by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Perhaps, given that Amazon has like, two retail locations, the point of this is to prevent other sellers like, oh, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, etc, from being able to block retail customers from searching for Amazon pricing on items they find in-store?

      'cause it seems to me that if a seller doesn't really have a brick-and-mortar presence, that this patent doesn't help them actively.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  2. So the question is this: by mark_reh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Are they patenting it so they can license it, or so they can prevent others from doing it by not licensing it?

    1. Re:So the question is this: by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The real question is how this is even worthy of a patent.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  3. Who uses random wifi? by Pedestrianwolf · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am the only one that doesn't connect to an access point that I'm not familiar with?