Kewanee residents used social media to share their feelings against the city using the data mining program, Placer AI, which was introduced at the August 12th council meeting. The reaction to Kewanee purchasing information from Placer AI to determine the city’s busiest areas for economic development was swift and strongly against the idea. Placer AI uses location data sold by cellular companies to provide an anonymous, approximate location of cellular devices. Access to the location information comes at a cost of $15,000 a year. Councilmember Mike Komnick said he would only agree to one year and then determine if the information was worth the cost. Councilmember Komnick works in information technology and said that data mining can be a useful tool when the data produces useful results. Many people expressed their fear that the City of Kewanee would have access to their personal information and be able to track them. Others questioned whether the data would provide adequate information to be worth the cost. Some people felt the city having access to their location data was an invasion of their privacy, and the city didn’t have their permission to have their location data. Having a cell phone gives the cellular company permission to sell your location information. However, you can shut off location tracking in the settings of your cellular device. Privacy information is included below from Placer AI’s webpage.
According to the City Council agenda packet, “The social media reaction to the potential use of AI in our economic development planning efforts was strong. As useful as the software may be, it isn’t worth it at the expense of alienating such a large segment of the population, even to the extent that some of them are just misinformed on what is being collected and the fact that they’ve already given permissions for the information to be collected and sold. With both Peoria and Moline using the service, its likely that the same information is collected and sold each time the complainants travel to either city, which in some cases could even be daily trips for work or shopping. It’s not something staff is looking to pursue at this time unless directed to do so.”
According to Placer AI, Fox Lake, Illinois, with a population under 11,000, used Placer AI data to show that a significant number of non-residents visited the village for their vacation travels. Fox Lake was able to attract a hotel and new businesses, valued at over $355 million.
According to Placer AI’s webpage, “Privacy is at the core of Placer’s business model. We are an aggregated data business that delivers market research insights about physical locations, never tied to specific individuals, and we’re committed to protecting every individual’s right to privacy. For more information about how Placer protects everyone’s right to privacy, visit our Trust Center.”
How do we do it (step-by-step)?
Device data is stripped of personal identifiers, such as device identifiers (“MAIDs”) by our partners before it’s shared with us.
After we receive the data, it’s aggregated around specific points of interest (i.e. a commercial business, a neighborhood, a park, etc.), using K-anonymity of 50 (from at least 50 devices) to preserve individual privacy.
Using our proprietary technology, the data is further extrapolated to provide broader predictions based on a representative sample set, much like a pollster might use a small sample size to generate insights about a much larger population.
Heatmaps and dots on our dashboard maps, whether representing a residential area or a part of a road, always represent an approximate and randomized location where according to the U.S. Census there are at least 50 residents. What you see with our maps never represents the actual location of any one particular device. Further, we don’t show any data for locations with fewer than 50 unique devices.