The new iOS 7.1, which Apple launched last week, contained massively improved iBeacon functionality.
iBeacon is an indoor positioning system that Apple Inc. calls "a new class of low-powered, low-cost transmitters that can notify nearby iOS 7 devices. iBeacon is intended to help retailers track shoppers and push information to them.
Once you've installed a store’s app say, for example, Apple’s own Apple store app that store can put messages on your lock screen even if the app isn't running!
In the previous system, iBeacon-enabled stores, stadiums and museums were required to ask permission of the user for iBeacon access to their phones. Now, they no longer need that permission.
A lot of information can be picked up by location-sensitive tracking. For example, the shopping "profile" of a user can be learned and matched to the phone's IMEI number, which can always be accessed. This means a store will know how many times someone visits the store, what their preferences are, and even who they were with if their friend also have a smartphone...
