Data and Privacy

Data and Privacy

It is no surprise that as data analytics continues to develop, companies will learn more and more information about consumers, including private information about them. Companies need to be really careful about using the data they collect appropriately, otherwise it can really be creepy. Every time I get into my car now at work, my phone comes up with an alert telling me how long it will take me to get home. It started doing this after my first week on the job, and honestly, it kind of creeps me out. I know very well that google has a lot of information on me, but I like to not think about it.

Every time you go shopping you allow companies to gather intimate details about your consumption patterns. Companies can use this information to their advantage but need to be really careful in doing so. The company that learned this lesson the hard way was Target. The marketing analytics team at Target correctly guessed the pregnancy of a teenage girl in Minnesota, based on a formula involving the rates of buying cotton balls, unscented location, and mineral supplements. From this information, Target started sending her coupons that were geared toward baby products. Which in turn is how her father ended up finding out about her pregnancy. Her father went to Target demanding to speak to a manager, saying “my daughter got this in the mail! She’s still in high school, and you’re sending her coupons for baby clothes and cribs? Are you trying to encourage her to get pregnant?”

Although Target ended up being correct with the information they collected about this girl being pregnant, this is a lesson all companies can learn from. Just because they were correct that time doesn’t mean that each person who buys those products is pregnant. Data analytics has gotten to the point where companies now have enough data to figure out personal information about people based on patterns. How scary is it that, in this world of data, Target knew about a teenage girl’s pregnancy before her own parents, who live with her. Start shopping with cash my friends if you are buying things you are embarrassed about, or trying to hide.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/#10dbdc626668

http://www.slate.com/blogs/how_not_to_be_wrong/2014/06/09/big_data_what_s_even_creepier_than_target_guessing_that_you_re_pregnant.html