There’s something so enticing about free things. From samples at Costco to dinner at Chick-fil-a to bookmarkers at a fair, if someone is willing to give us something good we’ll take it. I have to dress up like a cow to get a free dinner? **shrug** Okay. Free anything has us stacking up in queues for hours.
Free wifi has now become expected in public places and shops. I noticed that on my last trip to the UK, more and more people are offering free wifi in their shops and restaurants.
And Australia is taking it to a new level.
Understandably, online retailers have been able to assess their customers’ buying habits and behavioral patterns for many years. This puts non-online retailers at a disadvantage.
Not anymore.
Thanks to new technology developed by SkyFii, Australian retailers, restaurants, cafes, etc are now offering free wifi in exchange for the shoppers’ digital data on their phones. This includes ages, genders, browsing habits and more all in the hands of someone who was nice enough to grant you access to their wifi for a mere hour while you ate dinner and had to get internet to show your buddy that video. In a move that TV shows have been using for years, your mobile phone becomes a tracking device. Not for your family or the police, but for retailers who want to know how to sell to you better.
That’s going a little far, isn’t it?
The great news is that consumers can opt out anytime. But for some crazy reason, the company thinks data for wifi is an even exchange. Until now, most consumers in Australia have had no idea. It’s only human nature not to read the entire 200-page Terms & Agreement, right?
Experts say to protect yourself by checking your privacy and location settings on your phone and apps.
From the BBC article, one technology expert said, “The bottom line is, if it’s free, you are the product and your privacy is the currency.”
If it’s happening there and catches on without repercussions from consumers, what’s to say someone won’t try it here? Or isn’t already? Let’s hope our privacy laws can prevent such things. But then again, if there’s one thing you can never be sure about anymore, it’s your digital privacy.
