Friday, August 5, 2016

"Battery charge is just one factor of many that companies use to compile device fingerprints"

MP:
Mobile users may rely on their phones' battery indicators to know when it's time to find an electrical outlet, but some ad tech companies have come up with a different use for the indicators: Tracking visitors across sites.

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companies can use information about battery life for purposes beyond online tracking and targeting. "When battery is running low, people might be prone to some -- otherwise different -- decisions," he writes, referencing a recent article about Uber. (Keith Chen, Uber's head of economic research, told NPR in May that people are more willing to pay higher fares for rides when their batteries are nearly drained