privacy Pwner of O2, is launching a new division to sell information about its cust

[ThePitt]

Owner of O2, is launching a new division to sell information about its customers.

9 October 2012

Telefonica Digital Insights will offer companies and public sector bodies "analytical insights" based on users' anonymised location data.

It hopes that exploiting such "big data" will help revive its flagging fortunes after falling sales.

But doubts remain about how accurate and useful such insights will be.

The division's first product, Smart Steps, will provide retailers and other bodies with location "heat maps" of mobile phone users' movements throughout the day.

"Using our aggregated and anonymised mobile phone mast data we can provide retailers with a digital headcount to help them understand the movement of crowds," a spokesperson told the BBC.

"Retailers are quite good at measuring footfall inside their stores, but this data will tell them where people go once they are outside, as well as their age and gender."

Retailers already buy footfall data from specialised companies, such as Springboard and Experian, so it remains unclear how Telefonica will add value to existing services.

http://www.bbc.com/n...nology-19882647

[Intersect]

Topic title needs correcting. hehe

[Elliot B.]

PWNR!

[javagreen]

Pwnt!

[remixedcat]

pwny

[FiB3R]

pwnanie

[ThePitt]

come on. This is pretty serious, they are about to sell your location 24/7 and you ppl are looking at the title?. Selling the teens locations, even your and your grandma location, using their towers. Its pretty screwed up

[UKDarkJedi]

It's anonymous, right? Why is this a problem. So they can say a device was in such and such a location at a specific time. I don't see this as being a problem.

PS: Pwnt...

[Intersect]

come on. This is pretty serious, they are about to sell your location 24/7 and you ppl are looking at the title?. Selling the teens locations, even your and your grandma location, using their towers. Its pretty screwed up

guess its time to switch back to two tin cans and a some yarn for you then lol .

[FiB3R]

PWNR!

Pwnt!

pwnanie

It's anonymous, right? Why is this a problem. So they can say a device was in such and such a location at a specific time. I don't see this as being a problem.

PS: Pwnt...

Troll level: not bad (Y)