Arriving somewhere around the world by plane at your hub or final destination and swiftly hopping on your phone to enjoy the free airport Wi-Fi. It may be a recognizable situation. This one-way traffic, acquiring Wi-Fi in exchange for nothing, has more to it rather than simple convenience for travellers. Helsinki airport showed back in 2014 that offering a free Wi-Fi service can be leveraged from an airport’s perspective, by exchanging this service for a passenger’s live location. The merits of this exchange can be truly favourable for airports. Still, the introduction of this technology occurred four years ago, so why isn’t it gaining traction?
First off, there are organizational benefits stuck to the technology. Tracking passengers allows airports to detect crowding and congestion on airports. Herewith, airport coordinators dispose of a tool to optimize walking routes. Secondly, there are economic benefits. Comprehension of frequently taken walking routes provides assurance of popular spots for advertisements.
Nonetheless, privacy violation could threat this idea of airport (or mall if you wish) Wi-Fi in exchange for location tracking. However, Finavia and Walkbase, a Finnish company that developed the technology, insist the system is secure and doesn’t store or reveal any personal data belonging to the user or owner of the mobile device.
Altogether, the merits of the technology do not seem to outweigh the threats for the time being. The data privacy era may be the probable cause of airports and malls being cautious with this technology.
Robert van Gennep
https://www.finavia.fi/en/newsroom/2015/analysis-passenger-flows-helps-developing-services
