Digital billboards seen all over the Boston area collect data from the cell phones of people who approach them without realizing it.
Soofa, a technology and advertising company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, makes digital kiosks that are installed in cities and towns in 18 states.
The 7-foot device, which resembles a giant Amazon Kindle, is present in Boston, Revere, Somerville, Chelsea and other Massachusetts communities.
The town of Brookline approved the signage about six years ago.
“It uses a calendar to provide information about the town,” said Brookline Town Administrator Chas Carey. “There are very few things like Q&A that people can participate in.”
Recently, word has come out that these seemingly innocuous devices do more than provide information to pedestrians. The kiosk reads information from your smartphone without your knowledge.
“We use that information to make sure our messages are effective and are reaching our communities effectively,” Carey said.
Sufa’s kiosks run on solar power with “state-of-the-art sensors” that have “the ability to measure and analyze” potential customers’ cell phone data, tracking people’s engagement within a few feet of the device. Masu.
“Even at the most basic level, cell phone data can actually tell you a lot of information,” said Big Fish PR CEO David Gerzof Richard.
Gerzoff said the technology is great for marketing companies, but it can also come with risks.
“Once this data is created, it’s stored somewhere,” Gerzov said. “How do they protect and market it?”
The American Civil Liberties Union has launched a campaign urging Massachusetts lawmakers to pass the Location Shield Act, noting that data brokers could sell digital information to anyone who wants to buy it, and would stop them from doing so. He pointed out that this is because there is no law.
Soufa said in a statement that he recognizes the sensitivity surrounding data collection.
“Soofa does not collect any identifying data from individuals or devices,” the company said. “No information other than the MAC address is collected, no data correlation is performed, and no information is shared with third parties.”
Local governments receive a portion of ad sales from Sufa, but Brookline Select Board Vice Chairman John Vanskoyoc, a former producer of NBC10 Boston and NECN, said the amount is “inconsequential.” He said that the building was not worth keeping in the city.
“Frankly, these are intrusions into public space for the purposes of corporations that want to make a profit, and I am opposed to that as a general principle,” he said.
Carey said the contract with Sufa is scheduled to be renewed in 2025, and the town will reevaluate its usefulness at that time. He said the town plans to use the kiosks for public service announcements and data tracking during next month’s Boston Marathon.
