subject: How Your Information Is Gathered And Used When You Shop [print this page] The various parties providing internet services often are taking the opportunity to collect data on consumers. During the course of common internet usage, whether it be on search engines or on consumer websites, they are logged into categories of interest.
This system develops a record that cannot be erased by linking this information with other known information and determines a profile for that person.
Overall, this process can greatly impact people's lives. The person who is shopping is unaware of this process, and if he or she were to become aware, there is not anything that can really be done. Tactics like video recording, facial identification, and other methods are also part of the process.
A recent concern was expressed regarding some of the methods used to profile people and put them in a data base. What many people do not realize is that when they take out a card, such as at a grocery store to receive certain benefits, everything they purchase is noted and goes into a data base. If a person disputes a bill they may be put in a 'bad customer' category.
Marketing companies take this data to learn about a person's requirements and desires, and to determine what he or she is likely to buy later on. Subscribing to publications, joining clubs, giving to charity, making travel plans, providing a zip code, and other activities are all being tracked and recorded in a data base.
No matter how careful the consumer is by shredding papers, paying cash etc there is no way they can avoid being profiled.
This information is not currently regulated. An example of this is evident on the Internet with such sites as search-in-reverse.com/347/806/ which, for a certain amount of money, is available for those seeking different types of information.
Simply do a search for marketing data bases, and there will be many categories like 'impulse purchases', 'poor credit', 'mental issues', and a bunch of others that will pop up. Keep in mind that these data bases have names, ages, addresses, and other personal information about millions of customers, most of whom do not realize they are being tracked through their activities.
