A sight previously thought to be science fiction is very real at a southeast Kansas City shopping center. Instead of a police officer, a security robot has been patrolling sidewalks and shoppers are taking notice.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19944734

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A sight previously thought to be science fiction is very real at a southeast Kansas City shopping center. Instead of a police officer, a security robot has been patrolling sidewalks and shoppers are taking notice.

Since Marshall the robot has been on the job, shoppers say the experiences have completely changed when they come to these stores. The robot can spend 23 hours a day monitoring the parking lot from all angles which gives people a new sense of protection and ease they don’t always have when out.

Marshall took over security at Brywood Centre in April. Before that, Karen White noticed a lot of trouble outside the shopping center.

“Sometimes it’d be concerning for your car like someone could take it or something,” White said.

Knowing now that Marshall is always watching, the risk of crime does not worry her or others as much.

“It made it very better, like you can’t be in the parking lot without seeing the robot,” White continued. “So, I think it scared them off.”

  • @[email protected]
    41•3 months ago

    He has a license plate reader, he has facial recognition, he can read IP addresses from your cell phone or watch,”

    Uhhhh… How is it reading the ip addresses of people’s phones?

    • @[email protected]
      12•3 months ago

      I imagine it MITM’s the wifi? Obviously wouldn’t work with cellular but thats the only this claim can ve even remotely true.

      That being said they could do some shit with malicious bluetooth/NFC behaviour but that would be a crime.

      • JackbyDevEnglish
        1•3 months ago

        I’ve heard for a while that stores use Bluetooth to track you as you go through a store. Not for anything nefarious but just to understand how people move around the store typically. So it probably does that too.

      • Possibly linuxEnglish
        1•3 months ago

        Why would it need to MITM the WiFi? The store runs and operates the wifi

      • @lordkuri
        1•3 months ago

        Obviously wouldn’t work with cellular

        Ever hear of a stingray?

    • icedterminalEnglish
      8•3 months ago

      Someone made a mistake here. It’s not getting your IP address. An IP address is assigned by the gateway when you’re connected to an access point. An IP address is not an identity. They are always changing and can be shared. This has already been tested and upheld in court.

      It’s actually collecting your MAC address. Which is exchanged when your phone or tablet scan nearby WiFi points or Bluetooth devices. However, this can already be defeated. By default iOS and Android both have the option to randomise the MAC address in intervals. Making it extremely difficult to prove anything. This feature exists because the devices real MAC address never changes. It is unique. Alternatively, users can disable WiFi and Bluetooth scanning entirely. However, your device no longer participates in the Find My Devices program by Apple and Google, location does take longer to acquire in some scenarios, and accuracy may take longer to triangulate.

      • @[email protected]
        2•3 months ago

        Counter-argument, this is all correct, but when the application is against shopping mall criminals it will work well enough. Not talking masterminds here

    • @xylogxEnglish
      2•3 months ago

      It must be for wifi that they operate.