This bike spies on you

A device for hacking data mining logics

Prototype

Abstract

This prototype consists of two specific actions: the construction of an installation made of rental bicycles stolen from the public thoroughfare and a massive application of stickers to rental bicycles on the street, with the aim of raising awareness of information opacity and the data mining carried out by these companies.

This bike spies on you makes visible the opacity and data mining techniques of tourist rental companies while reflecting on their occupation of public space, in a city dedicated to tourism and in the context of a digital economy based on constant surveillance.

As tourism in the city increases, more and more companies are looking to fill the city with bicycles that can be found and parked anywhere, conveniently unlocked from an app. But in an increasingly digital global economy, these companies do not make their profits from renting bicycles, but from selling their users' data. What is a 32-year-old Swede doing in Barcelona on a Tuesday in June at 11.15 am, with a temperature of 33°C and 78% humidity? Which neighbourhood did he sleep in? Where did he go to eat? What route did he take and what stops did he make? Was he travelling alone or with someone?

Despite the insistence of these companies on personal data protection, the statistical data collected by the bicycles is of immense value to the real estate, urban planning and hotel sectors, contributing to the gentrification of the city in real time.

BACKGROUND

For installation:
- A large space with free access.
- A light source (we used two LED bulbs).
- A roll-up or room sheet explaining the installation.

For mass sticker application:
- A large number of stickers.

It is also necessary to have enough accomplices to move bicycles and attach stickers.

INGREDIENTS

1. Bring together a group of volunteers.

2. Create an online form in which the bike user can manually enter the data on the bicycle and its journey. This data collection is meant to be a symbolic act of counter-espionage.

3. Design and print stickers with a QR code on the form. The more, the better.

4. Go out on the streets and put stickers on all the rental bikes you find. Make it a long route, try to cover a large area.

5. Using all the volunteers, take the bicycles that are closest to the space where you have decided to set up the installation. Note that the range of action will depend on the time and number of people. Move as many bicycles as you can into the space.

6. Set up an installation with the displaced bicycles. Complete it with explanatory materials and lighting as you deem necessary.

STEPS

In the event of a possible replication, it is advisable to analyse the legal implications of moving a bicycle from one point to another in the public space. The guild responsible for the prototype has not considered it a theft, but a misuse or contingency of the bicycle, not attributable to the last user who parked it.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND ADVICE