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Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

bloomberg.com

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Re: Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

#41

Post by mattigames »

cycrutchfield wrote: post #30
ilove_banh_mi wrote: post #2

Do I have a choice, other than cancelling all of my MasterCard cards? This business of tracking and profiling is increasingly evil. If I dystopically discovered that someone has been following me around all the time, writing down everything I look at or do or purchase, in public and at home, I could not tolerate it.

What a flawed analogy. This isn’t anything close to stalking. You are using a credit card processing service. If you don’t like what they do with your data, use a different one or just pay everything with cash.

Pretty sure there are a lot of companies that do not offer their hires the option to be paid in cash, its bank account or nothing. Plus some countries are moving to card-only economy where some stores don't take cash.

Re: Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

#42

Post by ilove_banh_mi »

nostromo wrote: post #34
ilove_banh_mi wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[correction: Apple Pay Cash should indeed be a workable shield.] Using Apple Pay [not the "Cash" feature] only hides your details from the retailer, not from the credit card company nor evidently from Google.

I said Apple Pay Cash , and yes, it does. https://applepaycash.greendot.com/privacy/

Sorry I didn't realize the distinction you were making! you are right that seems to be an electronic equivalent to cash.

Re: Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

#44

Post by DeepYogurt »

ilove_banh_mi wrote: post #4
mtmail wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the article "The company said people can opt out of ad tracking using Google’s “Web and App Activity” online console. Inside Google, multiple people raised objections that the service did not have a more obvious way for cardholders to opt out of the tracking, one of the people said."

I did read the article. That's discovering that someone is stalking you, until and unless you tell them you'd rather "opt out" even though you never "opted in" the evil stalking. Meanwhile, all shops and businesses you get near to or purchase from are calling the stalker to let him know what you're doing -- how do you "opt out" of these?

Pull money out at an ATM and pay for things with cash I guess. Not great, but it's an option.

Re: Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

#45

Post by j88439h84 »

GNU Taler can't come soon enough. Http://Taler.net

> When you pay with Taler, your identity does not have to be revealed. Just like payments in cash, nobody else can track how you spent your electronic money. However, you obtain a legally valid proof of payment.

Re: Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

#46

Post by jstarfish »

cm2187 wrote: post #23

I don't understand how they can correlate a sale to a specific google account without getting personal identification data. By definition if they can associate a transaction with a user, the user has been identified and has lost all privacy.

Google users give up their PII the moment they sign up for an account. If you also use Google Wallet or pay for any Google service, you've given them the ability to associate some representation of your credit cards with you as well.

Together with Location Services, they know everywhere you physically go, so given the last 4 digits of your cards and a transaction list it's pretty easy to guess who you are.

Re: Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

#47

Post by a3_nm »

mattigames wrote: post #41
cycrutchfield wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a flawed analogy. This isn’t anything close to stalking. You are using a credit card processing service. If you don’t like what they do with your data, use a different one or just pay everything with cash.

Pretty sure there are a lot of companies that do not offer their hires the option to be paid in cash, its bank account or nothing. Plus some countries are moving to card-only economy where some stores don't take cash.

The best way to encourage shops to accept cash, and generally encourage countries to stick with cash, is to use cash whenever possible.

Re: Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

#48

Post by ilove_banh_mi »

unethical_ban wrote: post #37
mtmail wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the article "The company said people can opt out of ad tracking using Google’s “Web and App Activity” online console. Inside Google, multiple people raised objections that the service did not have a more obvious way for cardholders to opt out of the tracking, one of the people said."

https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols by the way.

Followed the link. Read the description at

https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/54068

There is absolutely nothing written about this being a way to opt out of their purchasing and tracking credit card use.

Re: Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

#49

Post by mvpu »

The key here is "double-blind encryption" - assuming they got that right, neither can see exactly what I am buying, so I'm good. Bigger point: I'd be ok with any company tracking my activities _as long as_ one of two conditions are met: a) it benefits me (and me only), or b) it benefits them _but_ they cannot identify me.
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