zatoicchi
22.07.08, 02:47
Bluetooth mobile phone technology is being used to monitor the movement of tens of thousands of people, without their consent.
A research project has installed Bluetooth scanners in offices, cafes, shops, and pubs to monitor how people move around cities. But the residents of Bath, who are at the centre of this research, are unaware that their mobile phones and laptops are communicating with the scanners.
The team behind the project, Cityware, stresses that the scanners are not able to personally identify individuals, but privacy groups have expressed concerns about the scheme. The Information Commissioners' Office, which deals with data protection and privacy legislation, said it was "monitoring" the experiment.
Eamonn O'Neill, the director of Cityware said: "The objective is not to track individuals, whether by Bluetooth or any other means. We are interested in the aggregate behaviour of city dwellers as a whole."
Bluetooth is a type of short-range wireless technology found on most modern mobile phones, as well as portable digital devices such as PDAs and laptop computers. It provides a simple way for different machines to connect with one another over a small area of just a few metres, usually to allow the transfer of files between devices.
Bluetooth used to track people's movements (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2008/07/21/dlblu121.xml)
A research project has installed Bluetooth scanners in offices, cafes, shops, and pubs to monitor how people move around cities. But the residents of Bath, who are at the centre of this research, are unaware that their mobile phones and laptops are communicating with the scanners.
The team behind the project, Cityware, stresses that the scanners are not able to personally identify individuals, but privacy groups have expressed concerns about the scheme. The Information Commissioners' Office, which deals with data protection and privacy legislation, said it was "monitoring" the experiment.
Eamonn O'Neill, the director of Cityware said: "The objective is not to track individuals, whether by Bluetooth or any other means. We are interested in the aggregate behaviour of city dwellers as a whole."
Bluetooth is a type of short-range wireless technology found on most modern mobile phones, as well as portable digital devices such as PDAs and laptop computers. It provides a simple way for different machines to connect with one another over a small area of just a few metres, usually to allow the transfer of files between devices.
Bluetooth used to track people's movements (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2008/07/21/dlblu121.xml)