New York City is scuttling a project that installed thousands of transmitters in payphone booths that could track people's movements.
A private company named Titan had previously received city approval to install 500 of the beacons across the city.
The beacons emit signals that are picked up by smartphones.
They could be used to send "push" advertising onto people's cell phones. And they could be used to track the movements of the phone's owner.
The project was first reported Monday morning in a joint piece published by BuzzFeed and the New York Daily News.
Hours later, the city announced that it asked Titan to remove the beacons.
Titan said in a statement that the beacons were not intended to track people but would honor the city's request.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
