Amazon: The Enabling Stalker I Just Can't Quit

Like any consumer these days, I am a BIG fan of Amazon. And with Christmas coming soon, my doorstep will be laden daily with boxes and boxes wrapped in their familiar blue tape. Wishlists, shopping carts, and gift receipts, oh my!
This will be me up until December 23rd: 

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And then after December 25th....

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........except without all the cute butterflies and with more tears and regret.






So with all the spending I (and most of you) plan to do with Amazon, I thought I should look into just what they do with all that personal information they collect. We've all perused Amazon for that perfect dress, or birthday gift, or baby shower present, and then 24 hours later, we are getting ads for that exact same thing on our Facebook feeds. What the what?! Just what kind of stalker is Amazon? And why do they need so much information just to send me a new set of headphones, a knee brace, and a bottle of ginger root???

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Turns out they DON'T need all that information, but, in the words of the very rich Jeff Bezos (or at least his Privacy Policy), "...but then you might not be able to take advantage of many of our features" (Amazon Privacy Policy, 2017). Well, then.

What the Amazon Privacy Policy states is this:

• Amazon collects information like your name, address, phone number, email address, IP address, reviews posted, SSN, driver's license number, and credit card information.
• If you update your personal information, they keep it AND the old information.
• If the delivery guy finds out you moved, they will forward your new address to Amazon. Thanks, guy.

• Amazon collects information about the things you've browsed, purchased, or added to your wishlist.
• This information is used to customize your shopping experience on their website, as well as on affiliate sites (like Goodreads).
• That means I must reevaluate some of my searches. 👀

• If you are under 13, they will not collect your information if they know you are too young, but you can purchase from them with parental consent.

• If you use Amazon on your phone, and your location services are turned on, Amazon with seek out location-based services to share with you.
• To turn off location services on your phone, click HERE.

• Amazon knows whenever you've opened an email from them. The dreaded read receipt.
• To adjust email preferences, click HERE.

• Amazon creates "cookies", or unique identification about you, which is how Amazon still has that shopping cart full of stuff you added 4 days ago, but chickened out and never purchased.
• Turning off "cookies" is possible, but "...you will not be able to add items to your Shopping Cart, proceed to Checkout, or use any Amazon.com products and services that require you to Sign in" (Amazon Privacy Policy, 2017). Okay, then.

• Amazon claims not to share your information, but admits it does HAVE to for these reasons:
• Third party sellers who you purchase from, over which Amazon has no control.
• Third party companies who do things like fulfill orders or deliver items, over which Amazon has no control.
• If Amazon ever sells itself, your information will go with it.
• For a chuckle: "Also, in the unlikely event that Amazon.com, Inc., or substantially all of its assets are acquired, customer information will of course be one of the transferred assets" (Amazon Privacy Policy, 2017). I'd like to see the company that can afford that purchase! Or maybe not.

• Amazon collects information on how long pages on their site took to load on your computer, how long you looked at an item, if there were any errors you encountered, any additional clicks you made, and what you looked up right after you left Amazon's website.
• I'm sure they are having a hootenanny seeing how often I'm clicking on their Privacy Policy!

And according to an article by The New York Times, data is what makes Amazon's world go-round, and is the fuel of Jeff Bezos. Amazon is capable of telling "...what they put in their shopping carts, but do not buy; when readers reach the 'abandon point' in a Kindle book; and what they will stream based on previous purchases" (Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace, 2015).

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Daaaannnnngggg. That's a LOT of information they have about me.

At the same time, it appears that Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and CEO, is also very adamant about protecting user privacy. After the San Bernadino shootings, the FBI tried to force Apple to create software that could be used to hack Syed Rizwan Farook's locked iPhone (he being one of the alleged shooters). Jeff admitted publicly that he was on Apple's side in the matter, and that Amazon was also creating technology that would make it difficult for government entities to gain access to user information. 

And while Jeff backed Apple by filing a legal brief in support of them, The Washington Post also pointed out that Edward Snowden (yeah, that guy), once pointed the finger at Amazon for "...not routinely encrypting shopper's browsing information on its website" (Washington Post, 2016). Great.

Reading all of the information that Amazon collects about me and what it does with it is very intimidating and a little bit creepy. It does worry me that they are a giant target for hackers because of how big and full of cash the company is. This puts me (and other customers) at a huge disadvantage, because we've come to rely on Amazon's services, and if they are the target of a large hack, I know I personally would lose trust and reduce my dependence on them. (crosses fingers)

On the other hand, what Amazon has created in such a short time (the company is only 23 years old) has been life altering. Want a pint of Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream Ice Cream at 9pm? It will be here in an hour. Forgot your laptop plug for that week-long conference you're speaking at? It will arrive directly to your hotel room. Want a pizza and wings? A driver will pick it up and drop it off on your doorstep. The world is literally at our fingertips and for that I am grateful for all the information that Amazon stores about me. Who knew I needed a Cabin Kit in a box or a Chiffon High Waist Maxi Skirt? Amazon did, that's who!

So I'm going to keep my head in the sand and hope that Jeff figures it all out so I can keep buying adult coloring books, cat litter, and cardigans (I think this is called a Librarian's Gift Pack) from the comfort of my wine and p.j.'s. 

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