We’ve all heard about it: people complaining about the fact that most anime shows have characters with huge-ass eyes. This article is not about those eyes.
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While I typically get annoyed by people who complain about those eyes, the Anime Punch apparently used a set of “eyes” that people may have a right to complain about:
An index card with an RFID transponder was attached to the backs of badges for each of the convention’s 1,337 paying attendees, as well as staffers and guests. Information about the location of each transponder, as well as the total number of transponders in certain rooms at any given time, was captured and stored on a central server. Attendees entering the convention’s dealers’ room had their badges scanned with a reader each time they walked into the room.
OK, I suppose that one should have little to no expectation of privacy when attending a con, and I suppose there is an argument that this gives cons important information about where people are actually spending their time.
But then again, whenever someone starts tracking your every movement for an entire weekend, it automatically comes with a certain level of creepiness. Though It seems that this convention at least had to scan your badge for it to register, so it wasn’t like they knew what Sarah and John were doing in the bathroom between attending panels, but it’s still kind of disconcerting in a way to me.
I suppose this is something we’re going to see more and more of in the future, though, whether we like it or not.
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1337 attendees!!!! 4w350m3 h4xx0rs tr4kkn u!!!
This unsettles me a bit as a libertarian and I hope it doesn’t spread to other conventions.
It’s also odd that under the Why Come page of their website, #8 is “We have a secret agenda. Yes, we seriously do. No. We will not tell you. Don’t worry, it’s not scary, it’s actually really cool.” o_0
#4 attempts to reassure that their security “isn’t going to hassle you unless they really have to, and even then they’ll be nice about it” but tracking, voluntary or not, is a definite turnoff for me.
The RFIDs that Anime Punch used were not able to track exactly where you are at any given moment. All the data was to be collected prior to Anime Punch.
It has its level of creepiness, but not as much as you’d think.
The data collected was to tell what main events were most popular, what age group attends these events, etc.
Not to mention the risk of fake badges.
Anime Punch’s security aren’t “dicks”, and specially chosen because they can handle situations that some people could use as an excuse to be one.