Ask HN: How and what data free wif-fi service providers are selling?

2 pointsmiohtama1 comment

A lot of venues like coffee shops, hotels and airports offer free wi-fi.

The market size is $12B: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/global-wi-fi-market-994.html

Assuming this is not just installation costs, what data are these service providers collecting and to whom they are selling it?

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Ussualy they collect device information such as make, model, OS, MAC Address and the browsing history. Also they can track social media information if you login with your google/facebook account.

They may use this information for marketing and advertising purposes, or sell it to Advertising companies, Third-Party Analytics Companies or even Government Authorities.

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