Data Mining CEO Pays For Burgers With Cash To Avoid Junk Food Purchases Being Tracked

[someotherguy]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirh...being-tracked/

Here's the entire article:

The Economist has an interesting piece on insurance companies’ increasingly sophisticated methods for sifting through data to judge risk. In addition to checking out public data on social networking sites, insurers can buy information from marketers that might surprise you: “aggregate data about individuals from records of things like prescription-drug and other retail sales, product warranties, consumer surveys, magazine subscriptions and, in some cases, credit-card spending.”

The upside for those who appear healthy from these analyses is that they might get to skip onerous medical tests. In other words, subscribers to Runner’s World are more likely to get the thumbs up from insurers. Those who live dangerously, or safely spend all of their time on the couch, on the other hand, won’t be snapped up by insurance companies quite so quickly.

One data analyst the Economist spoke with is a little paranoid about the invasiveness of the analysis to come in the future:

Insurers’ interest in data mining will only grow, says Kevin Pledge, the boss of Insight Decision Solutions, an underwriting-technology consultancy based near Toronto... Insurance firms will also analyse grocery purchases for clues about policyholders, he predicts. But that raises some sticky questions about privacy. Mr Pledge himself has begun to forgo his supermarket loyalty-card discount on junk food and pay for his burgers in cash. Promising as data mining is, much will depend on how regulators, and consumers, react.

via Very Personal Finance in The Economist

While it might ultimately be good for our health to feel like our every food purchase is watched — it’s a great dieting technique, after all — I suspect people would revolt against the invasion of their “refrigerator privacy.”

If nothing else, it’s a good reminder to read the privacy policy associated with your loyalty card. Safeway, for one, promises not to sell info about what you’re putting in your tummy to “non-related companies or third parties without your prior consent.” So your Ben & Jerry’s indulgences are safe. For now.

How well do you protect your privacy?
I hardly do, mostly because it's inconvenient.
Are you guys as worried about privacy? or maybe you figure he's going overboard.

[Badpaladin]

I personally see nothing wrong with somebody buying junk food, but I could see how it might hurt a CEO's reputation if some investors are inclined toward hating it. Or something. I'm not a rich nutjob who hates all things fast food, though, so I can't really understand the motivation.

[Callace]

It's bad when people invent reasons to breach privacy. The only reason to legally look at someone's past is to see their work/school history and criminal history. Everything else should be completely off limits.

[Deleted]

I am completely paranoid about my Personal information ending up on the web,
I Don't use face book very much, (and then its filled in with bogus info), Never use my real name for forum access / email addresses etc.
if I do any online purchase's. I do it from companies I trust and have the option not to share personal information, and on a different browser to my normal one. My home telephone number is ex-directory (IE wont show up if someone asks the operator for it with my name and address) and Registered with a an organization that tells telephone sales companies / market research that it is not acceptable to call me for any reason what so ever.

the reason for such extremes ? I Have nothing to hide. However I really do not like the idea that my information is given around freely to companies for "market research" etc. At one point I was getting 8 to 10 phone calls a evening from market research, sales people, and so much junk mail box that I was able to give it to my mother to start her wood fire with on a weekly basis.

Since I stopped using my real identity on line, I no longer get sales calls and no more junk mail.

[Aldred]

I pay for all smaller transactions (maybe £50 and less) by cash. I suppose it's just a habit, but I don't find it very inconvenient at all. I guess I just prefer using cash. I don't have any loyalty cards either, and always opt out of absolutely everything I can as far as passing on details to 3rd parties. Hmm, actually I guess I'm not very easy to track that way!

On the other hand I order plenty of things online too, but really I'm not too worried about that. We don't need health insurance where I live and if other insurers need to know stuff they tend to just ask. I'm sure they can do limited background checks too. I wouldn't be pleased if anyone other than medical staff could see someone's prescription purchases or medical files though. I definitely agree that you want to avoid as much information as humanly possible getting anywhere near marketing people anyway. They are the devil. Always look out for those little checkboxes, keep your Facebook settings nice and tight, use throwaway e-mail addresses for any dubious sites you need an address for, etc!

[Deleted]

It's bad when people invent reasons to breach privacy. The only reason to legally look at someone's past is to see their work/school history and criminal history. Everything else should be completely off limits.

So how could insurance companies make any difference between their clients?

I think it's great that insurance companies can make more individual risk calculations than before. What's worrying though is who sells them this information. The whole purpose with "loyalty cards" is data-mining, so I can understand that this info might be passed forward, but you'd expect your credit card company to keep your transactions confidential.

I don't have a loyalty card so I wouldn't know, but I hope they do clearly state that the use of the card is monitored and info might be sold off.

[Callace]

So how could insurance companies make any difference between their clients?

I think it's great that insurance companies can make more individual risk calculations than before. What's worrying though is who sells them this information. The whole purpose with "loyalty cards" is data-mining, so I can understand that this info might be passed forward, but you'd expect your credit card company to keep your transactions confidential.

I don't have a loyalty card so I wouldn't know, but I hope they do clearly state that the use of the card is monitored and info might be sold off.

I've never heard of loyalty cards. Medical records should be on the table for health insurance, but not your bank statement or something else that would be the equivalent of digging through your garbage.

[Deleted]

I've never heard of loyalty cards. Medical records should be on the table for health insurance, but not your bank statement or something else that would be the equivalent of digging through your garbage.

Loyalty cards are the things that you swipe before you pay. You might get a discount or accumulate "loyalty points" which you can later spend at the same store to buy products. Their purpose is to collect data on what products people buy, in what combinations, during what time etc, and the aforementioned rewards give people an incentive to participate.

Companies then mine this data so that they can improve the service they provide customers.

[Remilia]

Here we see a CEO, out of his natural habitat, buying a hamburger with cash. This is to cover his tracks. Once he finishes, he slowly eats the hamburger and savors it.

No really, why the hell would anyone care about your food costs at a fast food joint. Oh no, he/she spent $4 on a burger, he/she must be bad at business.
I understand the whole point of wanting to know about what your work history, ethics, etc, but food... is a bit far...

[phenix]

Companies already track what you buy and recommend stuff based on purchases. The most extreme case ive heard was that teenage girl who got a gift certificate frrom walmart for being pregnant based on what she bought recently. Turned out she didnt even know (like very ealy pregnancy & hadnt told her dad) and was in fact pregnant. Eventually retailers/credit card companies will have a full profile on you.....food habits, clothes, accessories, etc. an will expose these to insurance companies to determine if youre 'at risk'.

[Runeforged]

Here we see a CEO, out of his natural habitat, buying a hamburger with cash. This is to cover his tracks. Once he finishes, he slowly eats the hamburger and savors it.

No really, why the hell would anyone care about your food costs at a fast food joint. Oh no, he/she spent $4 on a burger, he/she must be bad at business.
I understand the whole point of wanting to know about what your work history, ethics, etc, but food... is a bit far...

Crikey! That's a big one!.... Yeah, I'm going to hell for that

[eriseis]

I've never heard of loyalty cards. Medical records should be on the table for health insurance, but not your bank statement or something else that would be the equivalent of digging through your garbage.

Look at Stop and Shop's (super market) self-check out thingy. Apparently you scan your items as you shop which allows you to process your final purchase faster and as you scan items the system accumulates data about your purchases which are then used to tailor to you suggestions and discounts provided by the self-check out device.

[Tastyfish]

I look at it this way: If you care that I am jerking off, you either want in on it, or you are jealous, because I have no inclination toward shame over it, nor embarassment.

[Callace]

as you scan items the system accumulates data about your purchases which are then used to tailor to you suggestions and discounts provided by the self-check out device.

That's way too much 'extended brain' than is necessary. I'd rather have a machine do my breathing for me.

[eriseis]

Companies already track what you buy and recommend stuff based on purchases. The most extreme case ive heard was that teenage girl who got a gift certificate frrom walmart for being pregnant based on what she bought recently. Turned out she didnt even know (like very ealy pregnancy & hadnt told her dad) and was in fact pregnant. Eventually retailers/credit card companies will have a full profile on you.....food habits, clothes, accessories, etc. an will expose these to insurance companies to determine if youre 'at risk'.

Well, Big Data is the hot buzzword right now.

[Ragedaug]

I look at it this way: If you care that I am jerking off, you either want in on it, or you are jealous, because I have no inclination toward shame over it, nor embarassment.

It's not so much that we "care" persay, but more so that we don't know why you look to publish your jerking habits into any random conversation you come across.

[poser765]

It's not so much that we "care" persay, but more so that we don't know why you look to publish your jerking habits into any random conversation you come across.

I often find myself strangely interested in knowing what people are jerking off TO.