Whether they like it or not, residents of Bath are being monitored using Bluetooth technology as a part of a research project. The team conducting the research is Cityware and its director Eamonn O'Neill reassures the skeptics of privacy concerns saying, "The objective is not to track individuals, whether by Bluetooth or any other means. We are interested in the aggregate behavior of city dwellers as a whole." The team has installed Bluetooth scanners in offices, cafes, shops, and pubs to monitor how people move around cities. The Information Commissioners' Office, which deals with data protection and privacy legislation, said it was "monitoring" the experiment. Apparently there are more than 10 scanners in Bath, and more than 1,000 elsewhere in the world, after Cityware made the software freely available through sites such as Facebook.
To avoid Bluetooth tracking and safeguarding themselves, users can simply switch off their mobile devices and bypass the scanners. Use Bluetooth when absolutely necessary.
To avoid Bluetooth tracking and safeguarding themselves, users can simply switch off their mobile devices and bypass the scanners. Use Bluetooth when absolutely necessary.
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