Preserving Privacy while Locating and Tracking Personnel

Tracking and locating personnel brings an added consideration to real-time location systems—protecting individual rights to privacy. Whether tracking field workers in hazardous locations, medical professionals in hospitals, or tour guides in sports stadiums, WISER’s industry-leading Redundant Radio Localization and Tracking (RRLT) better protects personal privacy in comparison with conventional methods.

For an example of how one major employee union used WISER’s solution to protect workers’ rights and privacy, read our whitepaper, “Contact Tracing and Personal Privacy.”

WISER’s Distributed RRLT

WISER RRLT does not employ cameras, biometrics, facial recognition or personal cell phone tracking—things employees often consider intrusive. The system utilizes a segregated, on-site network of very low-power ultra-wideband (UWB) devices that can be focused to track only within designated workspaces.

As a distributed, localized, edge solution, WISER wearable devices can be non-individualized to provide meta-data only. Or they can be individualized only in the event of pre-specified events such as a safety or perimeter violations. Devices are never tracked outside the pre-determined workspace footprint, and employees can leave them at work at the end of the day.

The WISER Locator

The WISER Locator generates and distributes data using a segregated network of ultra-wideband (UWB) devices. Isolating location data in this way protects data from being scraped over a network. WISER hardware can also be isolated from sensitive company intranets. Furthermore, the WISER Locator does not require WiFi or other pre-existing wireless networks to operate. Not requiring company WiFi or cloud services to operate also helps keep this valuable personal data safe from hackers or other malicious actors. WISER solutions can operate in a secure cloud configuration or entirely on-premises, which adds another layer of control and security for end users.

WISER also lets end users control the size or shape of the area being tracked. This enables them to limit the scope of a tracking arena. Furthermore, users can draw digital zones in WISER’s Tag and Track software to mark virtual blind spots. These blind spots could be parking lots, break rooms, restrooms, or other areas with additional privacy concerns.

WISER tracks personnel only using metadata like ID numbers for the tracker tag issued to them. These numbers can be changed at will—at the conclusion of an efficiency study or an emergency muster drill, for instance. WISER customers can reissue tags at any time as an additional measure of protection.

End-users have direct control over the unmasking of individual data, such as in the event of an emergency. As such, end users and their employees can determine how individual data may be used in compliance with workplace rules or federal regulations like HIPPA.

Unlike many other real-time location systems (RTLS), the WISER Locator gives the end user full ownership of all data generated. WISER does not monetize any customer-generated data or give data access to any third parties without specific permission from the customer. Distributed, site-based data ownership and control helps to keep data safe and prevent hacking or data breaches by malicious parties.

Privacy FAQs

+ Does this system require access to employee smartphones? No. Phones are not required to operate the system. End users can view location data on a smartphone, but WISER’s Locator doesn’t use phones to generate that data and the system does not give employers, or other cell phones, access to any data stored on phones.
+ How do you protect location data? The WISER Locator uses a redundant, multi-layered approach to protect all location data. This includes encryption of data in transmission between antennas and transport layer security for WISER’s API. WISER’s broadcast signatures also resemble background noise, making them very difficult to identify or intercept in the first place. Furthermore, the system can operate either within or outside of company firewalls.
+ Will workers and employees know they are being tracked? Yes. The WISER Locator only tracks individual WISER devices, which must be issued to each individual. These can be issued as a wearable, a name badge, or simply as a device to be pocketed or carried. This allows worker unions and company policy to direct what kinds of tracking are or are not allowed. This system does not use cameras, facial recognition, or other means of identification that can take place without individual consent.
+ What kinds of data does this system gather? The WISER Locator generates only a few types of data: Location in inch-level coordinates, timestamp for each location point, and battery levels for individual tags. If end users add zones to their tracking arena, WISER’s Locator will also generate data points recording which tags appear in which zones and for how long.