Smartbins in data watchdog probe

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is to investigate whether the technology behind the smartphone tracking bins in the City of London – trials of which were suspended yesterday – breaks data protection laws.
The scheme is the brainchild of technology company Renew London, which began installing “smartbins” fitted with wi-fi and LCD screens before the Olympics in the Cheapside area of the City.
They offer targeted advertising to passers-by who have a smartphone but the technology also records the phone’s MAC address (a numerical code, unique to each device) as a person passes the bin. It is claimed that in a single week, the bins ‘captured’ 4,009,676 devices.
While this data is anonymised and the collection of these details is legal, the negative press coverage over recent days has sparked concerns around privacy and data collection.
The UK and EU have strict laws around the use of cookies, where an Internet user has to give their consent for a website to store their browsing information.
The City of London Corporation released a statement saying that it has asked Renew to stop the data collection immediately and that it had reported the issue to the ICO.
“Irrespective of what is technically possible, anything that happens like this on the streets needs to be done carefully, with the backing of an informed public,” a Corporation spokesman said.
However, Renew chief executive Kaveh Memari was quick to allay any data protection fears. He said: “Future developments will not just depend on technology, but also, most importantly, on people being comfortable with interactive technology.
“This was always, and continues to be, our key concern. For now, simply think of the Phase I testing as a glorified counter on the street. At this stage, we are merely running a pilot with extremely limited, encrypted, anonymous/aggregated data.”