Source Based Anonymity and Segmentation for Visitors

Abstract

A method and system for the anonymization and segmentation of the media access control (MAC) addresses reported by visitors' 802.11 enabled devices at a venue operator premises. This system assures a venue operator and its visitors that no individually identifying information about a visitor is re-transmitted or stored that can be traced back to their MAC address, while still allowing the venue operator to obtain venue visitor counts visit frequencies well as traffic patterns during visits (i.e. dwell times at, and movements between, locations within a venue) and counts of common visitors between venues. It also ensures that the data generated is segmented so that the data obtained by two different venue operators is not correlatable between visitors common to the two sets of data.

1 . A system for tracking a visitor carrying a WLAN-enabled mobile device, to a venue, comprising:
 (a) a central station in communications with a plurality of Proximity Recognition Devices (PRDs), each said PRD capable of sensing (i) personal information of said visitor WLAN-enabled mobile device and (ii) spectral information of said mobile device;   (b) wherein each said PRD assigns a unique Visitor Identifier to said visitor/WLAN-enabled device by: (i) PRD sensing information based on visitor personal information (“Visitor Personal Information”); (ii) PRD detecting a contextual condition of itself. (iii) PRD generating a salt based on such detected contextual condition of itself; and (iv) PRD using said salt to anonymize the Visitor Personal Information, thereby making it unattributable to said Visitor Personal Information and said visitor/WLAN-enabled device;   (c) wherein said PRD sends to said central controller, in respect of said WLAN-enabled device, said anonymized Visitor Identifier and said spectral information it detected about said WLAN-enabled device and the time of said detected spectral information; and   (d) said central station infers the location and movement of said visitor at the venue upon the receipt of said information from step (c).   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein said Visitor Personal Information is one of {MAC address of the visitor's WLAN-enabled device, the visitor's facial feature}.