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As the holiday shopping season kicked off this weekend, NY Senator Charles Schumer spoke about how technology that tracks shopper’s cellphone when they are at the mall should not be used without people’s consent. Specifically, he commented on the footpath tech being developed by a British company called Path Intelligence, which according to the AP was used in two malls in the U.S. on Black Friday.
Schumer stated to the AP that, “A shopper’s personal cellphone should not be used by a third party as a tracking device by retailers who are seeking to determine holiday shopping patterns. It shouldn’t be up to the consumer to turn their cellphone off when they walk into the mall to ensure they aren’t being virtually tailed.”
Schumer also sent a letter to the company’s CEO, urging her to adopt an opt-in policy to gain consent from consumers, as well as calling the Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz to to see how this technology fits with current regulations. As a result of Schumer raising these concerns, Forest City, a mall operator that was conducting trials with Path Intelligence said that it would further suspend tests.
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