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| DATE | 2013-05-30 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] continued retailed spying
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http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2013/03/how-stores-spy-on-you/index.htm
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How stores spy on you
Many retailers are snooping more than ever
ShopSmart: March 2013
Super spy cams | Smart-phone tracking | Personalized advertising |
Return rewards | Your privacy rights
Find Ratings blob logo
We’re used to being watched when we shop. Cookies track our every
move online, and salespeople follow us around high-end stores. But many
walk-in retailers are taking spying to a new level.
Video cameras record your every move. Your face and car’s license
plate are captured and filed in searchable databases. Hidden cameras
classify you by age, sex, and ethnicity, and even detect your body
language and mood. Even your bank account records are being pried into.
The main goal of these surveillance methods, of course, is to get you to
shop more and spend more.
If all of this is news to you, it’s probably because disclosure is
poor to nonexistent, say experts familiar with these practices. Also,
odds are you’ve never read or decoded what you’ve agreed to in
bank, retailer, and app privacy policies. And you probably never
imagined that retailers would be so interested in spying on honest
shoppers. “While most consumers understand a need for security
cameras, few expect that the in-store video advertising monitor
they’re watching … is watching them” with a pinhole camera,
says Pam Dixon, executive director of World Privacy Forum, a nonprofit
research group in San Diego.
Some stores now have cameras in their dressing rooms so you can more
easily check the fit of your jeans from the rear, but they also collect
details about you and your shopping habits. For more read "Dressing room
'booty cams' next step in store spying."
All of this tracking is a mixed bag for shoppers. When a store closely
monitors operations to improve its service, that’s a win-win. But
when retailers intrude on your privacy with little or no explanation of
what they’re doing or how they use your info, that’s just plain
sneaky. Here’s what’s going on in many stores around the U.S.
and what you need to know.
Super spy cams
High-resolution video cameras monitor all areas in and outside the
store. The footage is then stored and catalogued for easy searching.
With facial-recognition software, your mug shot can be captured and
digitally filed without your knowledge or permission. Ditto for your
car’s license plate.
What’s creepy about them: Gaze trackers are hidden in tiny holes in
the shelving and detect which brands you’re looking at and how long
for each. There are even mannequins whose eyes are cameras that detect
the age, sex, ethnicity, and facial expressions of passers-by.
The video can be merged with a store’s other data, such as footage
of you at the cash register plus the transaction details of what you
bought, for how much, using what credit card. Your face and vehicle
license plate can be linked. If that info is not securely stored, it
could be hacked. Stores don’t provide sufficient disclosure, so you
can’t opt out to protect your privacy. Last October, the Federal
Trade Commission recommended clear disclosure to consumers, security
standards for stored video, and customer opt-out or consent in certain
circumstances.
What’s in it for you: Stores use video customer counts to set
staffing and reduce cashier-line backups. The system can also nab
shoplifters and identity thieves and examine the veracity of
slip-and-fall injury claims, keeping fraud costs (and prices) down.
Who’s using them: “Most of the big chains are trying video
analytics,” says Robert Hetu, research director for retailing at
Gartner, an investment research firm. But retailers want their own
privacy. Macy’s, for example, employs video analytics, according to
printed promotional materials from Cisco, a maker of such systems, but a
Macy’s spokeswoman didn’t return our repeated calls for comment.
A Target spokesperson refused to comment about the store’s use of
video analytics and other tools, even though its privacy policy states
that the retailer collects information “recorded by in-store
cameras.”
Smart-phone tracking
Your mobile phone is an excellent device for tracking your shopping
route. So retailers and malls are beginning to monitor all visitors’
cell signals, which help create “heat maps” that glow red where
the most foot traffic is—perfect for showing where to best place
displays, in-store ads, and high-margin merchandise. The retailer
tracking systems can identify individual shoppers by monitoring your
phone’s International Mobile Subscriber Identity number (constantly
transmitted from all cell phones to their service providers) or Media
Access Control address (transmitted when the device’s Wi-Fi is
enabled, which is the default setting on most devices). That phone ID
lets stores know when you shop—not just today but also every day
your ID signal comes back in range.
What’s creepy about it: Cisco, the technology giant, is testing a
system at an undisclosed store. It automatically detects your mobile
device and connects you to the retailer’s free Wi-Fi network.
“Once the customer gets on the network, he has opted in, and the
privacy concerns are allayed,” says Sujai Hejela, general manager of
Cisco’s wireless networking group.
That allows the retailer to keep you on the store’s network, which
can also detect when you search other online sellers for lower prices.
“The retailer is not controlling but is managing the flow of
information, and the shopper sees the retail brand as helping her
shop,” says Jon Stine, director of Internet business solutions at
Cisco. That’s not necessarily bad for shoppers. For example, if you
check prices online while you’re in the store, you might get
messages that the store will match the lower prices you find.
What’s in it for you: Stores can use the information to improve
service. Also, you can get coupons and discounts. “Our research
shows consumers don’t trust retailers with their personal
information, but if an attractive offer is made, they will give it,”
Hetu says.
Who’s using it: Lots of retailers and malls have Wi-Fi networks.
Personalized advertising
When you look at onscreen video ads, they might be looking right back at
you. Tiny pinhole cameras can be built into the monitor.
Facial-detection technology determines your age group, sex, ethnicity,
and maybe even your mood, so it can serve up a message targeted to you.
And radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags placed on the merchandise
detect when you pick up an item. They can trigger a nearby digital sign
to feed you targeted ads or details about the product. Kiosks and
interactive touch screens often do the same thing.
What’s creepy about it: Not only are stores doing little or nothing
to disclose that signs are watching you, but some privacy advocates also
fear that the technology also could be used for discriminatory pricing
based on age, sex, or ethnicity.
What’s in it for you: Ads can be more targeted to your needs.
Who’s using it: Vendors, analysts, and critics say big retail chains
commonly use digital signage, but the stores we checked either denied it
or didn’t respond to our inquiry.
Return rewards
Stores have been monitoring and tracking returns and exchanges for years
to identify and prevent the 1 percent that are fraudulent. Now some
stores are rewarding the honest 99 percent of customers who return items
with special offers—say, a 20 percent discount or $10 off a specific
item—to encourage them to spend their refund in the store.
What’s creepy about it: The reward is designed to appeal to you,
based on statistical models that predict consumer behavior. It’s
usually valid for only 1 to 2 hours, so you’re pressured to use it
or lose it. The offers work to serve the retailer’s needs—as a
result, the deals might be on stuff that’s about to be marked down
for clearance anyway, or for a brand that you don’t usually prefer.
What’s in it for you: Money-saving opportunities, if you can resist
buying stuff you don’t need.
Who’s using them: The Retail Equation, which markets the system to
stores, did not return our repeated phone calls.
Your privacy rights
Privacy rights spring from a mishmash of implicit and explicit language
in the U.S. Constitution, some state constitutions, state and federal
laws, court rulings, and contracts between businesses and consumers.
Those rights are constantly evolving as technology finds new ways to pry
into your affairs and consumer advocates push back with new protections.
Last year, the Obama administration neatly framed the matter into a
Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights proposal. The main provisions would give
consumers:
The right to control how a company collects, uses, and discloses
your data to others and the option of giving, withdrawing, or limiting
your consent.
Up-front explanation of what data is being collected, why, what
users will do with it, how long they’ll store it,
and whom they’ll share it with.
A requirement that users protect consumer data from hackers,
thieves, and other unauthorized parties.
The ability to see and correct the information being collected and
stored.
It’s just a proposal at this point. We think it’s a very good
start. But you should also protect your own privacy. Always read privacy
policies on retailers’ websites. Also read the permissions
you’re asked to give to an app before you download it to your phone.
Be sure to recheck those policies periodically.
We recently took another look at the privacy policy of Shopkick, an app
that we’ve written about in the past, and found that it was updated
in December. Shopkick is an example of a rewards program with a privacy
trade-off. It lets you earn rewards, called kicks, just for walking into
participating stores. More than 7,500 retailers are in on the action,
including Crate & Barrel, Old Navy, and Target. You can redeem kicks for
freebies such as a Starbucks latte, movie tickets, and even a designer
handbag. Nice perks! But the app’s privacy policy reveals that it
collects stores visited, items purchased, Internet search terms used,
date of birth, and much more. That’s a big trade-off. Is it worth
it? Think about that question before you sign up.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Consumer Reports'
ShopSmart magazine.
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