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Domain: catalinamarketing.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to catalinamarketing.com.

Comments · 7

  1. Re:Drop that Kroger Card by C.+Mattix · · Score: 3, Informative · on RFID Coming 'Whether You Like It Or Not'

    That is functionally equivilent. The Catalina Marketing system that Kroger uses doesn't care if the identification came from your loyalty card, your phone number, your debit card, or your checking account number.

  2. Re:Article has wrong focus by Kallahar · · Score: 4, Interesting · on RFID Will Stop Terrorists?

    Apparently you haven't heard of Catalina Marketing... They're one of the companies behind those store cards that get you discounts. In return for getting that discount, you're letting them put your buying habits into a giant database (250 million transactions per week for Catalina). It's already tied to who you are, and it already tracks what you've bought and when and where. The government doesn't have to get a search warrant for every store you visit, they just need one for the giant corporation that collects all that info from its clients.

    I'm sure they can come up with an algorithm for when you sell/give something. Say you're always carrying 15 RFID's at a time, if one of those shows up on another person then it'll get flagged as being shared.

    The more you think they can't do it, the more they're able to do it without you noticing.

    Privacy is not a crime.

  3. Re:When will this ever happen? by C.+Mattix · · Score: 1 · on Privacy Incursions to Support Price Discrimination

    You just live in the wrong place. Check out Copient Technologies (now owned by NCR). They developed the "MyMarsh" program for Marsh Supermarkets in Indiana.
    Also, if you shop at any stores that have those little printers that print out coupons, such as Meijer, those are run by Catalina Marketing and those are custom.

  4. Only if you pay cash == privacy by C.+Mattix · · Score: 3, Interesting · on Privacy Incursions to Support Price Discrimination
    To all the people that say that they don't use discount cards in order to maintain privacy, do you ever pay with credit card, debit card, or check? Many many companies use Catalina Marketing as their targeted marketing company. That company establishes who you are looking at your bank account number, or your credit card number. Then they can follow that number from store to store establishing correlations. From their website:
    Catalina Marketing provides a multi-dimensional understanding of the customer by combining purchase behavior inside and outside of the store with demographical information, attitudes and preferences ... Manages one of the sixth largest databases in the world, containing over 100 million customer records
    For more information check out CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering).
  5. Only if you pay cash == privacy by C.+Mattix · · Score: 3, Interesting · on Privacy Incursions to Support Price Discrimination
    To all the people that say that they don't use discount cards in order to maintain privacy, do you ever pay with credit card, debit card, or check? Many many companies use Catalina Marketing as their targeted marketing company. That company establishes who you are looking at your bank account number, or your credit card number. Then they can follow that number from store to store establishing correlations. From their website:
    Catalina Marketing provides a multi-dimensional understanding of the customer by combining purchase behavior inside and outside of the store with demographical information, attitudes and preferences ... Manages one of the sixth largest databases in the world, containing over 100 million customer records
    For more information check out CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering).
  6. Re:No wonder they call us "consumers". by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on High Tech Shopping Carts Offer Discounts, Ads

    The store is not the one selling the information. Catalina Marketing is. They don't even use cards, they read who you are from your checking account number, credit card number, or debit card number, and then use it to cross refrence at other places that you shop. Any place where they have the little "check-out coupon" printer they are doing this. Take a look at the pantents that they own.

  7. There are comanies that already do this. by C.+Mattix · · Score: 1 · on Feds Open 'Total' Tech Spy System

    There are companies that already hold much of this data about purchases. A company called Catalina Marketing who makes those little printers that print coupons when you buy things at grocery stores, or pet stores or whatever, already keep track of all purchases, including credit card numbers, checking account numbers, types of items purchesed, frequency, geographic locations, etc. All that data is searchable via a CRM system. Wal-Mart also has that system. People just need to learn that there is no "reasonable expectation" of privacy in any place outside of your own home. Unencrypted email has never been secure, it wasn't designed to be, ISP records are just as open. There never has been "privacy," so I don't know what most of the advocates expect.