Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by squeaky-clean 1347 days ago
For the majority of smartphone's existence no permission was necessary, probably because no one ever considered it. Then it was learned stores, for example Target, were using their mobile app to broadcast Bluetooth signals in order to track shoppers movement around the store. So around 2019 Android added it to the general location permission to use Bluetooth for anything other than audio transmission to/from a paired device if device pairing is handled by the OS, hidden from the app.

In late 2021 Android changed it to a separate "ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" permission, while Apple still keeps it under the general bluetooth permission (while the popup mentions it can be used to track your location).
1 comments
autoexec 1347 days ago
> So around 2019 Android added it to the general location permission to use Bluetooth for anything other than audio transmission to/from a paired device if device pairing is handled by the OS, hidden from the app.

Stores don't need your permission or even their own app to be installed on your phone in order to use bluetooth to track people as they move around their stores. If you have bluetooth enabled on your device at all it can be used to track you.

The store just needs to place inexpensive low powered beacons around their store and they will record and log every device that passes within range.

link
sofixa 1347 days ago
I think the person you're responding to is misremembering the scandal. It was that Facebook, Google and similar (iirc it was mostly Facebook, Google were doing this with WiFi networks they had built an index of through Street View) would use Bluetooth on your phone to scan for nearby devices, and match them against known other devices and their location, thus deducing who you meet and where.

They even have a patent for that exact thing: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/facebook-phone-tracking-pate...

link
squeaky-clean 1346 days ago
No. It was the Target app and it associated it to your Target Circle account.

https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/20/target-rolls-out-bluetooth...

link
squeaky-clean 1346 days ago
But if they want to match it to your Target Circle account they need you to be using the app. Also iOS uses BLE address randomization to make tracking a specific individual more difficult. Having your app blast out a known ID bypasses this

https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/20/target-rolls-out-bluetooth...

link