SENtag
Developed in Europe, this innovative system offers a safety management solution for swimming pools that checks individual swimmers via their wristband - monitoring their depth and time. Sensors…
read moreVisitors to the Gold Coast using the free Wi-Fi being offered during next month's Commonwealth Games will have their data mined by the Gold Coast City Council for tourism marketing.
The Council has spent more than $5 million laying fibre cables so it can offer high-speed internet to visitors in parts of Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach and Southport during the Games.
The data mining, which the Council says is legal, relies on visitors using their Facebook accounts to log into a new high-speed Wi-Fi service.
A second option, which provides slower internet access with less available data, can be accessed by providing a username and email address.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said Council would be using the data collected through Facebook to help future tourism campaigns, telling the ABC “we will be able to monitor the people, where they come from that is the percentage of tourists coming from China, Japan, South-East Asia and locals.”
The Council’s Chief Innovation Officer, Ian Hatton, told the ABC the Council would make limited use of the data, saying it would not be shared with other agencies, although reports based on the data would be shared with the tourism sector.
A Council spokesperson added “the most important information is about country of origin, to better understand the use by overseas tourists, who are one of the primary target groups for the service
“The city will be able to understand patterns of demand and use, including how many people are accessing the service, times of day and the amounts of data used. It will also be very useful for understanding numbers during events and seasonal effects.”
With revelations about the use of Facebook data to influence the 2016 US Presidential election being reported this week, data mining is currently a very sensitive issue.
Sydney University ata privacy expert, Associate Professor Uri Gal, said Facebook would be able to see when visitors used the Wi-Fi service and that the Council would potentially be able to collect a vast amount of information.
He told the ABC “depending on how we define our privacy settings on Facebook, they might be able to gain information on our Facebook friends, how many friends we have, who our friends are, the likes we have on Facebook, photos we have on Facebook and so on.”
Australian Privacy Foundation Chair David Vaile, said anyone seeking to collect data should ethically require the “informed consent” of participants. That meant being upfront about the extent of the data collected, and to ensure people were aware before they logged on.
Vaile advised “the Council has a very high obligation to be transparent. (A full list of data accessed) should be in an information document so people who want to maintain their privacy can choose to opt out.”
In many cases, he said, people are asked to simply “click a button” with little information provided about the consequences.
20th March 2018 - VILLAGE ROADSHOW THEME PARKS OFFERS FREE ENTRY TO COMMONWEALTH GAMES ATHLETES AND VOLUNTEERS
21st December 2017 - MASSIVE ROOFTOP SOLAR INSTALLATION LAUNCHED AT GOLD COAST AQUATIC CENTRE
20th November 2017 - FINAL MAJOR RELEASE OF TICKETS FOR GOLD COAST COMMONWEALTH GAMES
17th October 2017 - COMMONWEALTH GAMES LEGACY TO BENEFIT QUEENSLAND SPORT
15th March 2016 - METRICON STADIUM INTRODUCES STATE-OF-THE-ART WI-FI CONNECTIVITY
10th February 2015 - DESTINATION AUSTRALIA CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON ATTRACTING HIGH-YIELDING INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
Asking a small favour
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?
The news we publish at www.ausleisure.com.au is independent, credible (we hope) and free for you to access, with no pay walls and no annoying pop-up ads.
However, as an independent publisher, can we ask for you to support us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine - if you don't already do so.
Published bi-monthly since 1997, the printed Australasian Leisure Management differs from this website in that it publishes longer, in-depth and analytical features covering aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues management.
Subscriptions cost just $90 a year.
Click here to subscribe.
Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?
As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.
The Complete Guide to Leisure Industry Products & Services.
Developed in Europe, this innovative system offers a safety management solution for swimming pools that checks individual swimmers via their wristband - monitoring their depth and time. Sensors…
read moreKnown as Hydrilla since September 2020 - see www.ausleisure.com.au/suppliers/hydrilla-pty-ltd
read moreAugmented Creative is an open organization of like-minded and highly dedicated, creative people who conceive, plan and execute visual solutions. We pursue new and innovative visual ideas to help…
read moreCommercial gym equipment supplier Aussie Strength was wound up at the end of 2022. .aussie p { padding:20px; }
read moreINTRODUCTION Abel Sports is Australia’s leading manufacturer and suppliers of Goal Posts, sports ground safety netting systems and coaches boxes for Stadiums ,Sports Clubs, Councils and…
read morePico Play is a global leader in the planning, design, development and construction of world-class themed attractions and entertainment that deliver extraordinary and memorable experiences to millions…
read moreAs of 2018, TicketServ operates as SeatGeek Asia Pacific Pty Limited, part of international ticketing platform SeatGeek. Click here to contact SeatGeek Asia Pacific via their entry in…
read morePlayrope Aqua-Fun, are the Australian & New Zealand exclusive distributors for Vortex Aquatic Structures International, the world leader in aquatic playgrounds and urban water landscapes.…
read moreGet your business noticed in our targeted directory. Viewed by 10,000 industry professionals per week!