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My friends have on occasion mocked me because I wont use a store loyalty card or anything similar. The trend for store-cards is worse in the USA where stores offer special discount on some items that you only get if you have a loyalty card. Your shopping patterns end up on a database & the fact that they compile the data and use it was enough for me to want out of the loop.

Today I learned about "Voter Vault" the technology database that the US republican party uses - it studies your social characteristics (like shopping, eating and lifestyle) that it compiles from these databases and then identifies voting tendencies within the demographic. They use this to specifically target individuals who are likely to be swing voters, then they shape the message they deliver to address the specific concerns of the voters particular "niche" within the demographic. Does it work? The Republicans used it in the 2002 mid terms and say that it moved the vote by 4% in their favour. After the last election fiasco in the Usa we all know what a 4% difference can be.

And the good news is that the Conservative party have completed trials of Votervault in the UK. They did a study of 340,000 people using 400 social characteristics - and had an 82% success rate in predicting voting trends. According to Michael Howard they will be using the software in the next general election. While we still have free will - use it to switch on your television and listen to your dully elected leaders talking about the necessity of going to war to export freedom and preserve Democracy.

cough dictatorship cough

Well, I have no loyalty cards, although Boots people seem to be permanatly bugging me to get one.
That sucks, and is rather rediculous. And it IS very dictatirship like!

two words: thrift stores

I don't use thos loyalty cards as well. Never liked them.

My passion for sharp cut designer 3-piece suits and loose cut lacy undergarments aside - big thumbs up.

Why is this so bad? I mean really I dont give a damn if someone knows wheter I buy Charmin or Northern. If I get stuff cheaper I could care less about this type of tracking.

and Zero I hope you are wearing those lacy undergarment UNDER those suits.

Because they are using the information to alter the "natural" course of elections. If you choose to see it that way.

You could say that it's simply a method of getting the right information to the right people to enable them to make the right choice. I think it's a warning flag.


as to the other issue - you betcha.

If you buy glass beads and hemp rope, you probably aren't running with the conservative crowd.

I do care if the government keeps a database of my shopping habbits and developes a profile on me for whatever purpose. If they can tell whether you vote republican, democrat or green, they can probably guess where you stand on things like abortion, gun control, taxes for the rich, environmental issues, etc.. While I'm in favor of expressing my views and telling the government what their doing wrong, I don't like the idea that they are getting that information from me based on the credit cards that I use and how I spend my money.

The other thing is--and I'm not necessarily saying they do this, only that they certainly could--they can interpret their findings any way they want. And if they don't like you for some reason (political beliefs, religion, race, whatever), you can bet that they'll put everything they've got towards finding something that makes you sound like a terrorist. They've claimed that for things equally as insignificant in the past.

you have certainly given me something to think about....

i do use those discount loyalty cards to get things cheaper....and untill i can afford to not care about the cost of Charmin....then ill have to keep using them regardless of that fact....4 daughters arent cheap

666, Digital Angel, it's all making sense! devil

http://www.digitalangelcorp.com/


I really dont care.
If they use that information to target me chances are I'm leaning towards them anyway.

I dont really care if anyone knows what I buy or where I shop.

If you're really so concerned about your privacy and prying eyes, use cash only, walk wherever you go, and leave your cellphone at home!

But you're right.
What if your health insurance company looks into your grocery list and decide to drop you because you're not eating healthy.

Or your boss sees that you bought a dildo at a local sex shop and fires you.

"Or your boss sees that you bought a dildo at a local sex shop and fires you."

You've experienced this one first hand, haven't you Tex?

Tex got fired cos he bought a dildo?!

Thats discrimination -sue them! SUE THEM!

I still think its not exactly right. Just as Zero said in the title ''Big Brother Way''

Old conservative men watching my every move? drool

I personally don't care either way.
I have those cards for some things, but they're insignificant things, like a pharmacy, I really don't care if someone knows the brand oh toothpaste I use

Could it also be that we don't want to know just how predictable we are?

No, it's just that we don't want people (Big Brother) using that predictability to benefit themselves.