Report: Bluetooth Tracking Beacons Installed Near CTA Train Stations
(CBS) -- Beacons that can track smartphones via Bluetooth were installed near CTA train stations in Chicago, according to a report by BuzzFeed News.
The report says the beacons, which are made by the San Diego company Gimbal Inc., can connect with smartphones via Bluetooth and collect data on the phone's location and the time of the interaction. The beacons can potentially be used by advertisers to track the movements of cell phone users.
A CTA spokesman told BuzzFeed News the beacons were installed by Titan Outdoor Advertising at 40 locations near 11 CTA stations for a two week test last September. The spokesman said that another potentially longer test will be conducted in the future.
The same beacons had been installed in phone booths throughout New York City before the mayor's office ordered them taken down earlier this month. Buzzfeed reports that the beacons have also been installed near bus stops in Los Angeles.