IcyCollapse ,

You can just make up some e-mail as, without internet, you couldn’t verify it. Also one of the rare cases where VPN directly improve your privacy.

TooMuchVanced ,
@TooMuchVanced@lemmy.world avatar

At nearly any gas station in NRW, Germany it’s this way as well and I absolutely hate it.

RagingRobot ,

It sounds to me like they are developing some tools to help map things inside the store. So they can give you directions to things you are looking for maybe. Also with this information they could do something similar to those Amazon stores where you just pick things up and walk out and it charges you automatically.

Not saying you all want to share the info with them. It is invasive. But as an engineer I can see so many cool features I could build with this information.

metalslug53 ,
@metalslug53@lemmy.world avatar

Well that’s just plain invasive. I’ll make sure to take myself off of their network next time I’m there.

Da_Boom ,
@Da_Boom@iusearchlinux.fyi avatar

Never trust an open network. Even if the company providing isn’t doing anything shady, the easy at which MITM (man in the middle) attacked, can be performed means that many insecure (and some secure) networks can be spoofed with a small amount of know-how.

Always make sure your connecting to a safe, secure wifi network, in a place where you expect that network to exist at.

If your phone connects in a place you wouldn’t expect it to connect, double check what it’s connecting to, and if necessary, disable your wifi.

Catsrules ,

How would they do man in the middle attacks? Don’t you need to trust their certificate first?

Da_Boom ,
@Da_Boom@iusearchlinux.fyi avatar

That mechanism only happens after you connect to it, you have to connect to the wifi in order to download the certificate to connect. And it doesn’t apply to all open WI-FI. A someone can still spoof the wifi. The fun part is when they set up their own false “I agree to the usage” pop up page that just steals your data - standardised systems like this are easily spoofed, especially when it comes to open and insecure wifi. They could even send you a bogus certificate that routes all the traffic through their gateway, allowing them to spy on the secure connections.

SeaJ ,

You do realize they were almost certainly doing this before, right?

trippingonthewire OP ,

More of shock value of them announcing it and requiring an email now.

KeenFlame ,

Damn now I have to put in my real email! noooooo I don’t know how to avoid this only real emails work?

trippingonthewire OP ,

I’ve never had this happen before so I didn’t know. I just thought it was interesting how they’re requiring this now though.

braveone ,

It’s a good thing they don’t have high resolution cameras tracking everything you look at, or they might know what you were thinking about buying

trippingonthewire OP ,

It’s a good thing I don’t have any socials for them to trace me back to. And since I work there, I’m always looking at shit that will prolly throw them off.

B1ackmsth ,

Expecting privacy on someone else’s network is absurd.

MJBrune ,

Not only were they already collecting that information, they likely are collecting information about your position in the store from wifi positioning.

netchami ,
@netchami@sh.itjust.works avatar

This is messed up.

Betazed ,

Yeah, you can pretty much assume that any random Wi-Fi asking for that information is already doing that. My local mall has one that will accept any old email but it certainly looks like this one wants you to create an actual Walmart account.

merthyr1831 ,

Sometimes these login portals accept any old bogus email or burner account. They were logging your IP anyway so realistically doesnt add any more compromised dafa

reverendsteveii ,

I’m gonna assume that by IP you mean MAC address because your IP is something that gets negotiated with the AP when you connect, changes every time you connect and can’t really be linked back to your device at a public AP. In that case, the right move is to enable MAC randomization and connect through a VPN if you need to hide who you’re talking to or just rely on TLS if you don’t care that they know who you’re talking to and only need to hide what was said.

danhab99 ,
@danhab99@programming.dev avatar

You can also set randomized MAC addresses in your wifi settings

reverendsteveii ,

That’s what I meant when I said “enable MAC randomization”

People think your IP address is the key to your treasures but everyone you communicate with on the Internet has your IP or talks to someone who does.

merthyr1831 ,

Yup, meant MAC/other hardware info lol

onlinepersona ,

More like “we were doing this before, but now we have to tell you we are doing it”.

glob ,

Please, think about the improved products and services before making any rash decisions.

hOrni ,

Ah, America, where public wifi is still a thing because they don’t have mobile data.

zwekihoyy ,

don’t have mobile data? wym lmao

hOrni ,

I mean they either have limits so low they have to use public wifi or coverage so weak it’s unusable. Which aren’t a thing where I live.

XTornado ,

Not sure about this Walmart case but most you can write any email like random letters a@gmail.com or not even the Gmail part as long as it’s a valid looking mail and then works like you don’t even have to confirm the email or anything.

blakeus12 ,
@blakeus12@hexbear.net avatar

my goto is go.fuckyourself@leavemealone.net

Krauerking ,

I like steve@yahoo.com

If he was lucky or early enough to get a single name email then I’m sure they can handle some spam emails or get an email full of numbers like the rest of us

Pika ,
@Pika@sh.itjust.works avatar

this is incorrect for the walmart case, next step is the password for the account, so you need to login or create a Walmart account for access

XTornado ,

Oh yeah I see I mis read the prompt, I thought it was going with a enter you mail as alternative to using an account.

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