#3
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Amazon keeps extremely detailed records on all of its customers. Whether you shop online for books, clothes, furniture, or supplies for your hobbies, your purchases say something about you.
But some things are better left unknown. You don’t need to know everything that other people think about you or say behind your back, and you probably don’t need to know what assumptions big tech companies have made about you. If curiosity has gotten the best of you, though, TechCrunch shared an explanation of how to find out if Amazon thinks you have “flat buttocks.”
#6
You can find this information by clicking on “Account” on Amazon and then going to the “Your Account” section. Click on “Ordering and shopping preferences,” then “Your Shopping preferences.” If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you’ll see “Manage your information.” From there, you’ll be able to see exactly what the tech giant thinks of you.
Obviously, all of their assumptions may not be correct. You could have purchased something for a friend or family member that they assumed was for you, or you might have browsed items that you’d never actually purchase yourself. But this page is a reminder that big tech companies know so much more about us than we often realize.
According to research by Security.org, of all the big tech companies, Google keeps the most data on its users. They keep track of everything from your address to comments you leave on YouTube. They don’t keep customers’ Social Security numbers or driver’s license numbers, but that’s not saying much considering how much info they do have. They even share your data with various third parties, such as advertisers, publishers, and developers.
Unsurprisingly, Meta also keeps a close eye on its users’ data. They don’t keep track of quite as much as Google, but they do collect data on your payment information and contact info from your devices. Of course, they also keep track of your location and share your information with plenty of third-party advertisers. That’s why you’ll often see hyper-specific targeted ads pop up on Facebook or Instagram.
#13
Amazon, on the other hand, actually does store users’ Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers, along with stored photos and videos, stored documents, and contact info from devices. They aren’t keeping track of emails you write and receive or comments you leave on YouTube, though; they leave that to Google. One good thing about Amazon, however, is that they actually allow users to opt out of having their data shared with third parties.
On Security.org’s data collection scoring system, the company that actually performed the best was Apple. Receiving an A+, Apple collects minimal data on users compared to many other tech giants. They were also the only company to not source any information about users from publicly accessible sources. They may, however, use third parties to verify information that users provide to them, such as the address that is associated with a user’s credit card number.
