If you’re anything like me you too have at least one friend who is more than a little paranoid. I suggest you don’t let them anywhere near this piece then, it won’t do his or her shredded nerves any good.

Yes folks, in the San Fernando valley in Los Angeles drones are now flying overhead and tracking people’s movements. Using a combination of signal strength, cell tower triangulation and a few other indicators the drones can pinpoint exactly where a phone user is located. The drones are part of an experiment by a marketing firm called Adnear.

But what is this level of creepiness all about then? Venturebeat reports:

“Let’s say someone is walking near a coffee shop,” [Adnear director of marketing and research] Kataria said by way of example.

The coffee shop may want to offer in-app ads or discount coupons to people who often walk by but don’t enter, as well as to frequent patrons when they are elsewhere. Adnear’s client would be the coffee shop or other retailers who want to entice passersby.

So how do you avoid this intrusion of privacy? Well the drones can only pinpoint your location if you have an app open that is transmitting information through cellular or wifi, although the app does not need to be using location services. The one thing your paranoid mate can rest easy over? Venturebeat again:

Although anonymous, the user is “identified” as a code. The company says that no name, phone number, router ID, or other personally identifiable information is captured, and there is no photography or video.

I’m still not sure how comfortable I am with drones tracking my movement for marketing purposes. It’s one thing getting harassed on street corners by hawkers, it’s another having your phone trying to tempt you into every store you walk past. Viva Nokia 3310, viva.

[source:venturebeat]