On Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:06:28 +0100, Phil Cook wrote:

> Yet I get vouchers from the supermarket tailored to correspond to items
> I've already purchased from there. I doubt anyone's picking over the
> data individually more a case of X purchases within Y days of product
> type Z all ranked with the top five being assigned corresponding
> vouchers.

But is it a problem to get discounts targeted at the products you buy?

> It's also something to remember that such stores are branching out into
> other areas such as insurance etc. and that some cards can be used in
> many participating stores. In theory if I used a store card everywhere I
> could the company could know what I eat and how often, what type of
> clothes I buy, the books I read, the movies I watch, where and how often
> I buy petrol. Sure it's all automated until someone in the government
> decides they want to know more about a suspicious individual's habits.

Overlap with insurance would be troubling for me; and government 
intrusion also would be.

>> I wonder what kind of stories Starbuck's data would give you, for
>> example....
> 
> At the very least it could reveal your work hours.

It'd take some pretty good forensics to get that for people who this 
would be a problem for, though.  I suppose it could be a problem for a 
security guard working a solo shift....

Jim

Post a reply to this message