I created an account while in the store with an email of fuckyou@thisisstupid.com and a basic password and surprisingly didn't have to verify the email. Then turned on a VPN to my house.

I plan on just creating a new account every time I go in just to fill up their database with nonsense.

I think the point of this post is all the stuff below the email field. Yikes.

At least they're telling you. There's also a lot of hidden surveillance in stores - they've done it with Bluetooth and cameras for some time. Things like monitoring how long you look at products and evaluating your reactions to displays.

In the EU they already had a complaint, because it violates GDPR, but in any case I would never use a public WiFi without a VPN, and even less in places with these conditions, there is also free WiFi in some Rstaurants (even in most McDonalds), public Libraries and others. Fuck surveillance advertising

Why would anyone interested in privacy connect to any public WiFi? That's crazy.

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

Why are all you mother fuckers shopping at Walmart. They are a welfare corporation offloading their costs to tax payers because despite making tons of money they pay shit and skirt employee benefits laws by keeping worker hours low and give new employees info on how to get financial aid such as food stamps.

Fake email and vpn = Free private connection

For the email, you can use an email alias service like Addy or SimpleLogin. They're both open-source and offer free tiers. I never give out my real email to anyone now except actual contacts.

After that, I think a VPN would probably still work to disguise what you're doing from Walmart, but I'm not a 100% certain on that so I won't link any.

But yeah, definitely use email alias wherever you can.

Walmart, the biggest grocery retailer in the entire United States, uses face tracking in the majority of their stores in several sections, and we’re concerned about their Wi-Fi?

The Wi-Fi seems like such a minor problem compared to them collecting massive amounts of data off of something you aren’t consenting to explicitly.

Like you walk into their stores and they can know: How often you visit, what items you buy, what payment method you use most often, what items you looked at and what aisles you visit, who you bring with you, what your kids look like, what disabilities you may have, size of your household, and whatever else they want. There’s basically no respect for any privacy in their stores.

The US is a privacy nightmare in competition with China. Most of the US doesn’t have any option over their privacy. You just don’t get it here.

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.

Your phone simply being in the store with Wi-Fi enabled makes you personally identifiable. A request for your email when they have your location, shopping habits, taste in electronics, estimated address, browsing habits, and your full appearance isn't shocking. That no one has pointed this out yet is a bit eye opening.

Expecting privacy on someone else's network is absurd.

I always give some bs emails in those authentication forms. Mainly because as a client who tries to connect, I do not have internet access, so I cannot verify my email before they give me the access. And when they gave me access, there is no power in the world to make me do that 🤷

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

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.

it's not like they weren't doing this before

They can track you even if you dont accept. Turn Wifi off. If you connect, use VPN home.

I am so happy to live in Sweden. All open WiFi networks here are free to use and requires no email or account (VPN recommended as always, though). Even at grocery stores.

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

Try luck with throwaway email + VPN. Although it's possible they'll still be able to identity you if you're the only one using that VPN on your local Walmart. At least they won't be able to see your traffic.

relay.firefox.com

Brilliant service and add a VON om top it will make it no sweat.

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

I've never agreed to this, but I might be on Walmart Wi-Fi from a long time ago. Once recently shopping at Walmart in person I got an email to my account saying something really creepy like, "rate your in store purchases" and sent me pictures of each item I bought IN STORE with an invitation to rate each. Also included my real name. This isn't even the email I use for my online pickup orders.