Walmart facial recognition and tracking too creepy?

[John Wick]

Went grocery shopping at Fry's yesterday evening. I kept a running tally (in my head) of price differences compared to my usual Walmart choices. Some of the items were a little more expensive and some were the same. But there were several very good deals that made the total bill about dead even

The overall shopping experience felt more like a real grocery store and not like a commercial assault on your senses.

 

[Mary Stetler]

Everybody has their own opinion regarding privacy. But I find it unsettling that most people accept tracking, data collection and over the top surveillance, justifying it by saying "they have nothing to hide"?

Several decades ago before the cell phone and personal device revolution, I don't think anybody would have been OK with having a bug/tracking transmitter planted on them, a phone tap, or a camera taking a picture of their every movement.

When and why did people decide giving up privacy was OK?

When we signed up for 'membership' cards to get discounts. Later, it was not optional.

 

[Mary Stetler]

I don’t think that any of us want to give up our privacy, but the encroachment has happened slowly over the years, and we have just gotten used to it, like the frog in the hot water story.
We would all say that we do not WANT to be tracked and photographed; but at this point, it is so advanced that there is not much that can be done to stop all of the tracking, at least not without making drastic changes to how we live.

A person would have to go completely off-grid and grow all their own food, not own a vehicle or need to see a doctor , and also find or make any tools and clothing they needed.
You would not be able to go online, even at someplace like a library, because everywhere has cameras now. Just walking down a street in town, you are likely to be on a camera at some point.

Even the people who are actively trying not to be tracked are being tracked in one way or another. So, I just choose to enjoy my life, for whatever time is left, and not worry about the cameras everywhere.

Google is so experienced now, if I look up my address, it can show a picture from above and zoom in on my deck.
I should sun bathe nude. That would teach 'em.

 

[Ken Anderson]

Google is so experienced now, if I look up my address, it can show a picture from above and zoom in on my deck.
I should sun bathe nude. That would teach 'em.

Years ago, when I was clearing land for my camp up north, the Google Earth/Google Maps car went by, with all the cameras, and my land is two miles off the paved road onto an ATV/snowmobile trail.

 

[John Brunner]

There are already people voluntarily having ID Chips embedded in their hands (the same way you do with a pet) for convenience. The idea is that eventually you don't need to carry car keys, house keys, ID, credit cards, medical insurance ID, etc. Everything will work with a wave of your hand. If you are unconscious, you can be scanned in order to identify you and to immediately access your medical history.

You better believe that when it starts to become mainstream, a significant number of those folks will become enraged enough at those who resist this stuff when grocery store lines don't move fast enough or their general flow of life is disrupted (you currently see folks getting angry when someone whips out their checkbook.) And the powers that be will go out of their way to fan the flames against "those people" to force everyone to get chipped. Of course, Congress and their families (and other global elites) will be exempted.

 

[John Brunner]

Years ago, when I was clearing land for my camp up north, the Google Earth/Google Maps car went by, with all the cameras, and my land is two miles off the paved road onto an ATV/snowmobile trail.

I recently found out that--because this has always been an agricultural region--there is a number of decades of aerial photography of the county (and my property) on file. Of course it's not yet on the WWW, but at some point one would think that everything shall be digitized.

I've seen my property's satellite view get updated over time: built a garage, then firewood racks built, then a different vehicle purchased. It doesn't look like they've been down my right-of-way to do the Street View thing.