So my cousin was here and saw a grocery receipt on the table and asked if I was using it and if he could take a picture of it, I was like what, why?
So, there is this app that pays you some cents for receipt pictures and supposedly it pays you if it finds items that have cashback… shit sounds sketchy as fuck, I saw that on their app they sell credit cards and you can invest in some crap, but what I really found disturbing is this thing about them paying you to send them all your receipts… what the fuck are they doing with that info lol
Crazy stuff, but I’m completely out of touch with cellphone things, is this crap normal??? I was quite shocked by it, and checking the company online, Méliuz, I just see stuff about it buying bitcoin.
Ehh?? How would that app know about the data the store potentially collects?
What? No one is doing that. Why would they? What if you have bluetooth disabled all the time like me because you don’t have any Bluetooth accessories, or to save power, or because Bluetooth is insecure.
??? The camera is just to check on the customers if they are scanning everything properly and not stealing. A human is reviewing the footage. A human is going to confront you if they detect you not scanning something.
They have absolutely no reason to store the video footage or even sell that to anyone. Besides, no one would buy that. Not even the app from OP‘s post.
You should put down your tinfoil hat.
The app database and store database are separate, both containing duplicate data on the receipt or any affiliate data sharing that can facilitate de-anomyzation.
A lot of retail -even my doctor office - do use this and have for a while.
BLE customer monitoring is certainly a thing. Here is an article from 2014: https://www.retail-innovation.com/carrefour-track-customer-journey-around-store-using-ble/
Here is a more modern ad-riddled writeup. https://www.encstore.com/blog/5162-a-step-by-step-guide-to-using-ble-beacons-in-retail
There is even a data broker claiming it records and updates your advertising profile before you get to the register. I wish I bookmarked that page when I read it years ago.
Disabling Bluetooth, I suspect, would stop tracking. Note some modern phones still respond to Bluetooth and tracking when powered off, such as the Pixel, unless Bluetooth is disabled before shutdown.
Basic cameras can do that, but companies like Walmart and Home Depot have more advanced systems. Walmart profiles customers and can identify and alert staff/police to repeat problem customers. Home Depot has a class action case claiming it uses face detection technology. Heck, my cheap-ola off-the-shelf home security camera can track people and license plates straight out of the box. The Flock cameras tracking people and vehicles all over the cities use an OS released in 2017. This tech is prevalent now.