Gimbal, the company that manufactures the beacons, emphasizes that the beacons do not themselves collect any information. They are, however, a key element in a network that can, in fact, track smartphone users. In its current iteration, a Gimbal beacon requires a third-party app to trigger advertisements, and requires those apps to receive “opt-in” permission from users, who must also have Bluetooth enabled. Gimbal’s privacy policy says Gimbal-powered apps may collect your current location, the time of day you passed the beacon, and details about your device.