Are people still surprised that Google virtually knows everything about them?
You may suspect the basics sure, age, gender, location, and address. Still weird but trust me, it gets far weirder.
Google has built a virtual profile of everyone that opts into their services. Sort of like an anonymous Facebook account that updates every day whether you use it or not. However, this is nothing new. Google has been building your profile since the early 2000s and then selling it to the highest bidder. (FRIGGIN JERKS)
In some aspect, Google may know more about you then you may know about yourself when it comes to preferences. Algorithms built into the site measure analytics such as the sites you visit most often, your hobbies, the name of your cat, all things jeopardizing to your privacy. Information collected is repurposed and sold to marketers whose endgame is the same as all businesses, a means to your hard earned cash.
Mastercard, more like master fraud
2018 brought to light many scandals involving breaches in personal information. Amazon, Facebook, Google, the list goes on. However, new transactions between Google and Mastercard illuminated an inconspicuous deal that would be sure to make your skin crawl.
In 2018 Mastercard was involved in a multi-million dollar deal paid for by Google, for information that tracks consumer purchases via card. That being said, Google now has access to 70% of all credit/debit card transactions aggregate to the United States. Google then stockpiles consumer data and builds it into online profiles for each individual consumer.
Though Mastercard refuses to comment on this matter directly, they have stated their reasoning for going usurpative is to measure the effectiveness between online ads and in-store transactions.
Simply put Mastercard wants to see if your shopping where their ads are trying to get you to go.
What does this mean for you, the individual?
It means that linked to your Google profile will be a series of ads that will correspond with your store-bought purchases. Why? Because online marketers know that you are susceptible to these products and don’t care about your privacy.
Your vulnerability is the optimal primetime these companies to infringe on, and make no mistake; they take no hesitation in doing so.
Consider this…… Did you know about this deal? Where was the late night special? When you signed up with your bank were you allowed to opt out of these decisions?
A Bloomberg columnist writes about Mastercard spokesperson Seth Ellison refusing to share information about this deal specifically writes “Mastercard shares transaction trends with merchants and their service providers to help them measure ‘the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns.’”
However, what constitutes information from being personal to being publicly shared?
Gambling with your valuable insight
If only the madness stopped there but get this, Mastercard trades your purchase information and sells it to hedge fund companies so they can gamble on new upcoming trends which people are buying into.
“Alternative data” is the new term dubbed for business purchasing transactional histories from said credit card companies. TABB Group says hedgefund corporations are interested in alternative data consisting of “location tracking, satellite imagery, transaction data and public website data.”
Venture capitalist, hedge funds and several types of money managers are buying into alternative data, providing their companies with new insights in market demand. Real-time data is used to construct ideas and execute new investing strategies.
And while companies are purchasing alternative data and profiting from your purchase decisions, you stand by idly and unaware, not knowing that your data is being sold-off as a hot commodity to some muppet of an entrepreneur.
Now that you know about the devious tactics used by Mastercard and Google let us show you how you can better secure your private information.
5 ways you can protect yourself against information breaches
- Find out what Google knows about you already. Here is a link that will give you six powerful tools to see what the infamous search engine has collected about you so far.
- Opt out of Mastercard data analytic tracking services. It’s as simple as entering your card number but unfortunately unknown to most users. You can do that here.
- Delete Google web tracking. Web history shares a few things with Google- Locational searches, interests, images, etc. Unless you reference your web history constantly, it’s better to delete it altogether.
- Apply Mastercards web analytic opt-out cookie. Mastercard’s website has a cookie that can be easily installed into your browser; this cookie is designed to protect your search information from being accessed by any Mastercard affiliated website. Check that out here
- Opt out of personalized Ads/Ad tracking. Google caters ads to individually designed to target a user in their prime susceptibility to a product. Opt out of Ad tracking to ensure you don’t fall victim to this rouse.
If you liked this blog and want to learn more about how marketers impede on personal privacy, we’d love to chat. Let’s grab a coffee, discuss ethical and organic marketing strategies. and work together to increase your revenue.
-Christopher Robles
