Have you ever been shopping and felt like you are being watched? Well, hate to break it to you but you are! Stores across America use technology to spy on us, not just stores, but other places also.Sure we need cameras in stores to catch someone if they are shoplifting or anything else; but when they are stealing our personal information… thats a little too much!
    Some people might say, “Oh, that’s not stalking, they just need it to make their business successful. but when they try to hide the cameras so we can’t see them, thats what I call stalking. According to ConsumerReports.org, “There are even mannequins whose eyes are cameras that detect the age, sex, ethnicity, and facial expressions of passers-by.” Now, thats just a scary thought! They are finding out information about me that I may not want them knowing. ConsumerReport.org also says, “Gaze trackers are hidden in tiny holes in the shelving and detect which brands you’re looking at and how long for each.” But is this the only way they are spying-stalking us? I wish I could say that it is.
    Stores now have a way to track our mobile devices to track us. Some people may say that stores can only track you in the store, no where else.But that is not true. ConsumerReports.org says, “malls are begining to monitor all visitors’ cell signals, which help create ‘heat maps’ that glow red where the most foot trafic is - perfect for showing where to best place displays, in-store ads, and high-margin merchandise.” This means even though you may not be in the store that is tracking you, they still know where you are at throughout the mall. But this is not all! They don’t just track you in the mall.But where else could the possibly be tracking you?
    You guessed it; they are tracking you in the privacy of your home! When you are shopping at home on your computer it just so happens that you are being watched-stalked. According to ConsumerReports.org, “When you look at on screen video ads, they might be looking back at you. Tiny pinhole cameras can be built into the monitor. Facial-detection technology determins your age group, sex’ethnicty, and maybe even you mood.” This is not right because we should feel comfortable at our homes, not the complete opposite. Other people may argue that no matter what you do every time you get on your computer you are going to get hacked, but I disagree. You are able to block those web sites and ads won’t pop up.
    In conclusion I think it is okay for stores to have some cameras to some extent. They should NOT be using cameras to spy on us, or be tracking our mobile devices, and certainly not at our homes. It is important for us to know this because now we can be aware of what is going on. So now we need to get out there and stand up for what we know is right!