• By Susanne Posel – March 1, 2016

Susanne Posel ,Chief Editor Occupy Corporatism | Co-Founder, Legacy Bio-Naturals

Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) has shocked the media by joining forces with AT&T Data Partners and the unveiling of RADAR, a sophisticated new way of surveilling the public for data-mining purposes in order to boost advertisement revenue.

Even Senator Al Franken wrote a letter asking for more information on RADAR.

Franken wrote: “I am concerned about the extent to which Clear Channel may be collecting Americans’ personal information, including sensitive location data, and sharing that information without people’s knowledge or consent,” wrote Sen. Franken, ranking member and former chair of the Privacy and Technology Subcommittee. “I believe Americans have a fundamental right to privacy, and that right includes an individual’s access to information about what data are being collected about them, how the data are being treated, and with whom the data are being shared.”

CCO’s RADAR is explained on their website: “Using anonymous aggregated data from consumer cellular and mobile devices, RADAR measures consumer’s real-world travel patterns and behaviors as they move through their day, analyzing data on direction of travel, billboard viewability, and visits to specific destinations. This movement is then mapped against Clear Channel’s displays, allowing advertisers to plan and buy Out-Of-Home to reach specific behavioral audience segments.”

While this new technology has some in the privacy advocacy circles coming down with a case of the creeps, Andy Stevens, senior vice president of research and Insights for CCO, told the media that their “mobile advertising, [uses] the same consumer behavior, but using it for [Out-Of-Home ads like billboards.]”

This type of advertising makes use of the “tens of thousands of billboards” Clear Channel owns in cities such as Los Angeles and New York.

Journalist Sydney Ember described it this way: “Clear Channel and its partners — AT&T Data Patterns, a unit of AT&T that collects location data from its subscribers; PlaceIQ, which uses location data collected from other apps to help determine consumer behavior; and Placed, which pays consumers for the right to track their movements and is able to link exposure to ads to in-store visits — all insist that they protect the privacy of consumers. All data is anonymous and aggregated, they say, meaning individual consumers cannot be identified.”

Stevens claims that his company is only “able to access the aggregated data” and if they do not like it, “consumers can opt out”.

Jeffrey Chester, executive director for the Center for Digital Democracy, said the new initiative is raising concerns because “it is incredibly creepy and it’s the most recent intrusion into our privacy. People have no idea that they’re being tracked and targeted.”

https://occupycorporatism.com/senators-privacy-advocates-react-to-billboards-that-can-see-you/