Dozens of Devices Hidden in Phone Booths Were Tracking New Yorkers

Without any public notice from the city, officials agreed to the installation of devices in New York City phone booths that can track movements.

Without any public notice from the city, officials agreed to the installation of devices in New York City phone booths made by an advertising agency that can track the movements of smartphone users.

BuzzFeed uncovered the devices, implanted by the advertising company Titan, that were in about 500 booths throughout the city. Titan placed the devices, called "beacons," that use Bluetooth signals to push ads to phones, such as in shopping centers or sports stadiums, but can also use their technology to track the location of a phone as it moves through the city. As BuzzFeed notes, taking these devices out of private places such as stores and into public city spaces is a major problem that can add to growing worries about surveillance in America. And the company didn't even seek approval from the city: Titan notified the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications in 2013 that they were going to install the beacons for "maintenance purposes" only, and the city agreed, not feeling the need to formally approve it and notifying the public. Many were installed in central and lower Manhattan. Shortly after BuzzFeed's article broke, Titan began removing the beacons from their locations in New York City.

The company said it has installed beacons in other cities as well, but did not provide details.

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