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At least they’re using it to directly sell you stuff though. I find that head and shoulders above selling it to people who want to sell you stuff, but also may
by thrav 8y ago
At least they’re using it to directly sell you stuff though. I find that head and shoulders above selling it to people who want to sell you stuff, but also may want to do a lot of other things.
Amazon is not deceptive in their sales tactics, which I appreciate. They identify likely needs, and provide me with options for meeting those needs. They provide a service. They’re like a personal shopper who leaves everything on your door step.
You pay for it, but you’re mostly happy to because it’s kind of a win win (except for the pickers). Sometimes you still save money, and you almost certainly save loads of time. They’re capturing your information in an effort to better serve you. You could say Google is doing the same with their direct products, but you’re not the one paying for those benefits, so you have to worry who is and what they’re getting out of the dynamic.
At least with Amazon you know they’re doing it to get money from you, and you can choose to give them that money or not. It’s a much more straightforward dynamic.
- TarpitCarnivore 8y agoYou're kidding yourself if you don't think Amazon is selling that data: "The Amazon Advertising Platform allows advertisers to efficiently reach Amazon shoppers on Amazon sites, across the web, and in mobile apps." https://advertising.amazon.com/ad-specs/en/aap https://advertising.amazon.com/ad-specs/en/aap Also not for nothing but this is the same kind of thing we all said with Google early on and now we're all beginning to pull back on it.
- Karunamon 8y agoSelling access to you is not the same as selling the data, and it is in fact dishonest to equate the two. There is no endpoint Amazon provides where I can get data about people. They have no reason to sell the data - it's their crown jewels and competitive advantage.
- newscracker 8y agoThe same can be said of Google and Facebook too. Data is their "crown jewel" and platforms on top of that are their competitive advantage. But we do see goof ups and data being sold (to specific "partners" or affiliates) or stolen anyway. The easier route for those who value privacy is not to use such platforms and devices in the first place. Amazon and a Google are no different from this perspective.
- dwighttk 8y agoMy amazon personal shopper is an idiot who thinks: "You just bought some headphones, here are 9 other models you should buy now." "You just bought a mattress, here are 9 other mattresses." "You watched 3 minutes of this show and stopped 1 month ago, here are 9 other shows that aren't really related in any way, but they are the shows we recommend to people who love that show you obviously didn't like"
- adventured 8y agoJust noticed a suggestion feature the other day, at the bottom of the page, that said: here's what people near you purchased recently. If that 'feature' has been around for a long time, I've missed it. Not only slightly creepy, also entirely worthless trash as a feature. I couldn't care less what people in my geographic area are buying. It showed me results for a lot of things for cats - I've never owned a cat.