NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden's revelation of the US intelligence service's illegal data collecting and surveillance against persons suspected of international crimes showed the world has the capability to realize George Orwell's "1984" and its iconic villain, "Big Brother." The concept of data collection, known in most enterprises as "Big Data" is not new and travel applications in the future might take more than they should inevitably and it may become a travel app trend in the future.
According to The Independent Ireland, travel app trends would focus on a "human-focused" approach, which would mean customers might have to provide more sensitive and crucial data to their software. Lightning-speed 5G technology, still theoretical but almost realized this coming year, is likely to arrive with more personalized meta information, including all your social media "likes and dislikes" "catalogued to tailor the advertisements and products travel app users could likely purchase and use.
Targeted advertising is also not a new concept; it has been a common way to create conversions for returning customers or website visitors. But cruise ships and some have gone in an effort to personalize their services with the supplication of some non-sensitive data but more of consented behavioral surveillance while riding the ship or staying at the hotel.
The idea is: using wearable technology, such as a medallion on the wrist or specific adornments that house certain data collecting technology, the entire ship or hotel becomes a point of sale. The data allows for screen technology, walls that act as mirrors or touchscreen monitors, to show or offer certain products to wearers of the technology that would be based on their preferences.
"Big Data" is something the NSA and other intelligence and government cyber security forces also monitor, according to The Telegraph UK. With expansive data collection technology growing its potential to accurately pinpoint the behavior and preferences of people, the reality of a "Big Brother" future, begun through travel applications, could be realized in the next few decades.
