Manage updates with the Download AppHow mobile tracking can benefit consumers Video
How mobile tracking can benefit consumers Video Transcript
-Your iPhone is recording where you are and what you're doing without you knowing about it. -That harsh, uncomfortable news struck a nerve with smartphone users concerned with privacy and security experts like CNET's Declan McCullagh. -Apple, Google, and Microsoft are all collecting information from their phones. I think the right thing in this case is disclosure and allow opt out, even if it means they don't get the benefits. -Benefits like real-time traffic maps and location-based services like deals and discounts. -We use the location provided by the carrier networks to be able to deliver you a message when you're nearby to something that's-- that's interesting. -Alistair Goodman is the CEO of Placecast--a San Francisco-based company that uses cellphone location information to connect brands with consumers through that ever-present mobile phone. -In the case of our programs, consumers double opt in, they can opt out at any time, and we only use location information to send you an offer. -I decided to give it a try with one of Placecast's clients. I'm gonna sign up for The North Face Summit Signals program. Press submit. Within seconds, I got another message asking me to confirm that I wanna receive these location-based messages. Now that I'm signed up, in the future, I'll get messages alerting me to store deals when I'm nearby or even outdoor wilderness tips. -We're heading towards a time where location is going to become a part of everything we do on the phone. -And companies like Google and Apple and others realize this is a huge opportunity. In San Francisco, I'm Kara Tsuboi, CNET.com for CBS News.
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