Sen. Franken Pushes In-Store Tracker Euclid to Seek Shopper Permission

Euclid, a Palo Alto (CA)-based start-up that tracks consumer shopping habits in stores via their Wi-Fi enabled smart phones has run smack dab into the ongoing privacy debate in Washington about whether consumers should have to opt-out of being tracked or whether companies should ask permission first. Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), one of the leading privacy hawks in Congress, is a big proponent of the philosophy that consumers should be asked if they want to be tracked before companies track them without their knowledge. In a letter to Euclid CEO Will Smith, Franken pressed the company to obtain permission from consumers before tracking them in stores, "especially in the offline world where they are less likely to expect it." "Recent news reports suggest that Euclid's technology has tracked 50 million unique smart phones or other Wi-Fi enabled devices.... I find this troubling."