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Google and Mastercard Cut Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales

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221–230 of 294 posts

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

#221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which country is it? What payment systems do you use?

In Germany direct debit (pull) is common and the EU is currently rolling out instant wire transfers (push). Either way cuts out the third party as you're paying directly from your bank account and banks are far more regulated wrt. privacy.

Unfortunately, you'll find it rather annoying to pay for a rental car. If you use a debit card, they'll pull an additional €250 deposit, which you won't get back until you return the car.

If you pay by credit card, it just goes through without having to pay the deposit. It's one of the reasons why I begrudgingly got a Mastercard, and also for the travel insurance.

That's basically all I use it for, though. I think there's some additional electronics insurance or something, but the basic warranties here are pretty good already.

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

#222
post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is about linking real-world credit-card payments to your online identity. People in Europe don't use credit cards offline.

>People in Europe don't use credit cards offline. That's a huge over-generalization. It's true that cash is king in Germany for instance, but Scandinavians pay almost exclusively by card.

Danish person here. We mostly pay by Dankort, which is the standard national debit card, I would bet more than 99% of card payments here are direct debit.

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

#223
Data was always subject to different rules in different regions. Collation and correlation has a multiplier effect. With negative repercussions for privacy, dissent and democracy.

The whole approach of of trying to 'normalize' surveillance is questionable. Since this is a discussion forum for individuals how does this benefit the individual? It reeks of hand waving and apologism.

Some people are making money from being creepy and polluting the commons. This is no different from polluting the environment you exist in that sustains you for personal benefit. We now recognize and do not allow that kind of destructive greed. How is invasive surveillance any different?

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

#225

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.

Your only option is to refuse cards altogether because they've all been selling anonymized data on you for years. The big hedge funds pay big dollars for direct lines of data from the credit card companies.

And that's one of the reasons Germans prefer cash.

I get products, I give money. The End.

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

#226
post #163
post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right–people often conflate "selling" with "using internally to sell ads." There's a difference, and it's meaningful, but the point is that Google's business model is based on gathering and exploiting as much data about you as possible

Yes. And isn't it also the case that, by offering their very elaborate targeting capabilities to advertisers, they still leak your personal data to 3rd parties, though indirectly? After all, the fact that a certain personalized ad appears in your page confirms to the advertiser that you are in their carefully crafted target group.

(I work for Google, but not on ads and I have no social knowledge)

I think that one thing Google tries to do is to make identifyingly small demographics not possible. As you say, that would leak personal info when the user clicked.

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

#227

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.

Bitcoin, minus LE EPIC CRIPTO CRAZEH, was supposed to fix this specific idiocy.

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

#228
privacy concerns aside, does this mean I finally won't get ads for stuff I recently bought anymore?

i seem to be getting a lot of "you recently bought a new camera of model xyz, would you like to buy another one?"

if they instead recomended memorycards or compatible lenses, that would be a better experience.

regarding privacy I've pretty much come to accept that I don't have any. This acceptance has been a great boon to my psychological health :)

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

#229
post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>People in Europe don't use credit cards offline. That's a huge over-generalization. It's true that cash is king in Germany for instance, but Scandinavians pay almost exclusively by card.

Danish person here. We mostly pay by Dankort, which is the standard national debit card, I would bet more than 99% of card payments here are direct debit.

And with Dankort, you have the additional pleasure of being spied on by tabloid news papers.

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

#230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your only option is to refuse cards altogether because they've all been selling anonymized data on you for years. The big hedge funds pay big dollars for direct lines of data from the credit card companies.

And that's one of the reasons Germans prefer cash. I get products, I give money. The End.

Where in Germany?

I have seen Germans using credit/debit cards for 100% of transactions; cash only seems to be more of a garlic-belt thing.

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