You (and Your Cellphone) on Candid Camera

[Commentary] Anybody who shops at online stores like Amazon.com knows that those merchants track customers, what they look at, what they buy and how long they spend on the site. Perhaps it’s not all that surprising that traditional retailers — with little or no notice — have started tracking shoppers in stores, using security cameras and devices that can monitor the location of customer cellphones.

If stores want to track their customers, they should tell the public what they are doing and give people the ability to opt out of monitoring. Many shoppers say they are willing to give information about themselves in exchange for special deals and promotions. But some consumers go to physical stores because they want to protect their privacy. Traditional retailers would be smart not to alienate customers by surreptitiously tracking them.