I’ve previously noted how our privacy is being privatized. Well, the latest Facebook project puts the dangers of RFID technology to shame. As the BBC reports:
A team of UK researchers is combining the power of social network Facebook with communications tool Bluetooth to learn more about human interactions.
Bath University scientists have created a tool which can use the unique ID of Bluetooth devices, like a mobile phone, to build new friendship networks.
Users register with the Facebook tool, called Cityware, that tracks encounters in the real world via Bluetooth.
It is part of a wider project backed by Nokia, HP Labs and Vodafone.
Dr Vassilis Kostakos, research associate at the University of Bath, said: “Networks are everywhere – social and digital.
[…]
The tool works in four parts: Facebook account, Cityware application, Bluetooth device and Cityware node.
Users must have a Facebook account, install the Cityware application and register the Bluetooth ID of their mobile phone or laptop with the software.
The researchers have set up a series of nodes around the UK and at locations in the US.
These nodes are computers which constantly scan for Bluetooth-enabled devices in a given area, and send that information back to servers which compare the IDs of the gadgets with any enabled Facebook profiles.
This is the kind of thing that Loren was talking about. You might not like the guy anymore, but he had a point. These are dangerous times, ladies and gentlemen.
Res Ipsa Loquitur.