In the United States, a staggering 250 million people out of 350 million are shopping on Amazon, the largest online marketplace in the world. Recently, a report shed light on the controversial and personal nature of the data Amazon collects about its users.
Amazon builds intricate customer profiles by examining purchase histories, leading to assumptions about everything from age and body type to food preferences and routines. For instance, a Futurism report highlighted a customer who discovered that Amazon knew she read Kindle books while in the bathroom. One user’s profile included a note indicating she had “no friends,” while another received an unsolicited comment about her appearance that could be deemed inappropriate.
It seems that the era when a simple purchase at a general store kept our information private has, unfortunately, vanished. Decades ago, you could buy a hammer and nails without revealing much about yourself. Those days are far behind us.
Today, if you buy a bottle of vitamins, Amazon may think it has insight into your health issues. When you buy books for your kids, Amazon makes assumptions about them. It knows your shoe size, your late-night snacks, and can even connect these dots to paint a detailed picture of your life, effectively creating a digital twin that’s capable of predicting your behavior and nudging it in preferred directions.
Some argue that tracking isn’t new; businesses have always monitored consumer behavior. However, what stands out now is how willingly people accept this level of monitoring. Sure, when you buy something, you provide your card information; you also willingly share your address for shipping. This is just part of the modern shopping experience, right? But Amazon doesn’t stop there. Buying back pain cream might have you labeled as slouchy and grumpy, and frequent coffee purchases could suggest you’re a lonely insomniac.
Amazon, functioning as a monopoly, holds immense power akin to that of a government. This power over the distribution of goods and information comes with serious ethical responsibilities. Misuse of sensitive data could lead to significant consequences.
In previous times, freedom symbolized the control to act as you wish. Nowadays, it also signifies the freedom from others’ judgments. Each individual has a right to understand what personal information is collected and how it’s utilized. Without awareness of what Amazon—or any company—knows, it’s nearly impossible to challenge misunderstandings or mischaracterizations. A coffee buyer might simply be living with others who drink a lot of coffee, but that nuance can sometimes get lost in data interpretation.
Another point to consider is how someone may buy controversial books, not for approval, but out of sheer interest in history. However, current algorithms could misread that and potentially label someone inappropriately.
Fortunately, it’s not all doom and gloom. According to Futurism, Amazon provides users with an option to view and review certain data it has inferred about them. To check this on desktop, you need to navigate to the Account section and manage your information. Within the app, there’s a similar path. While this won’t stop all data collection or erase your history, it can help mitigate the extent of what Amazon gathers.
Ultimately, it boils down to how much information you’re comfortable sharing with Amazon. Is the convenience of quick shipping worth giving up a level of privacy? That’s a question every shopper needs to weigh for themselves.
