Ms. Rosenblum's recent article regarding the tracking of consumers by
store cameras represents only the latest blow to the erosion of
privacy in our culture. With the cost of genomic sequencing and
analysis plummeting one could imagine stores eventually tracking the
genes of their customers as well: collecting latent DNA on shopping
carts to determine how many of their customers are lactose intolerant,
potentially diabetic, or have a gluten intolerance, and stocking their
shelves appropriately.
One could even imagine correlating the genes with camera images to
give a simple form of gene association study.
A less benign example might include shopkeepers collecting, cataloging
and subsequently selling a host of genomic information to the highest
bidder.
Mark Gerstein
Dov Greenbaum
Unpublished letter in response to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/business/20surveillance.html
Stephanie Rosenblum's 3/19/20 "In Bid to Sway Sales, Cameras Track Shoppers,"
NY Times
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