Bluetooth used to help track concert attendees

Researchers from Belgium’s University of Ghent are using Bluetooth technology to help track attendees of the Werchter rock festival, though there are concerns of privacy issues related to the tracking.

There are 36 Bluetooth scanners installed across the rock festival’s location, along with several located along roads and bus stops around the site.  All phones equipped with Bluetooth can be tracked up to a radius of 30 meters, although researchers said there are no serious security issues related to the research. 

Each device is tracked using a MAC address and cannot lead to researchers discovering phone numbers or account details for the mobile phones, they said.

It’s possible stores and retailers would be able to better track the number of customers in the store at any given time.

There are lots of possibilities of using tracking technology for good, but privacy experts will always be concerned about how it could possibly be abused in a number of ways.  Along with possibly tracking a person’s movements, there is a major concern of having personal information taken.

Despite possible security and privacy concerns, it’s obvious many consumers are willing to put up with these risks to have a higher level of convenience.  For example, it’s possible in the United States, across Europe, and in some parts of Asia to use a mobile phone to pay for bus and train fare, along with using a type of "fast pass" to pay for items while shopping.

Are you okay with technology like this — even if it has several risks and downsides — if it offers a higher level of convenience for your every day life?