This was brought to light by APEX NEWS on 4th January 2012 as follows:
One of the signs at the Princesshay shopping centre in Exeter informing shoppers that their mobile phones are being monitored.
The popular shopping centre has been accused of using Big Brother tactics after it was revealed it was using stealth technology to track the movement of shoppers via their mobile phones – without their consent.
Human rights organisations are outraged that bosses of Princesshay are using the technology called FootPath to secretly track shoppers’ movements.
Customers receives no warning that their mobile phone signal is being monitored bar a small sign on the premises.
Neither do they receive an option to ‘opt-out’ of being scanned.
Customers on all networks are scanned by Footpath, and no current mobile phone has a ‘defence’ against such scanners.
The only way to be safe is simply to switch off. – APEX NEWS
Here’s a situation where there is a tendency to think, “I don’t like the sound of this.” See articles in the mainstream press about specific shopping centres which monitor mobile phone movements, e.g. Mail Online, The Guardian and The Telegraph.
However they could monitor the movement of pickpockets and shop lifters.
If you like that idea you might want them to record personal data sufficient to help them ID the criminals.