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Online Purchases Can Give You Away
Abhishek writes "New Scientist reports that Retailers could guess your age, sex, birthday and wedding anniversary simply from the types of gifts purchased for you online and their timing, according to a patent granted to online retail giant, Amazon.
The information could be used to remind your loved ones of an impending special occasion and offer gift suggestions.
Currently Amazon makes personalised suggestions to customers based on previous purchases by that customer, previous web pages browsed and comparisons between customers who have bought similar products. But the company may vastly increase its predictive capability in the future."
Demographics can be reversed!
... that if it's from a man it's probably being given/ordered late?
Stop buying me those Barbra Streisand DVDs for God's sake!
Amazon.com: "It's time to purchase Rocco's true anal stories 29!"
Wife: "WTF?"
All you have to do is buy 'inappropriate' gifts for your friends and it'll keep suggesting more of them!
Your purchases of:
1. Childrens clothing (young female)
2. Childrens Videos (Mecha fighting robots IV)
3. 'Fairy' Wand
4. 'Young Princess' wings and headband.
Indicate that you are a 40yr old Male, Single... probably naked right now...
This has got to be the most bizarre attempt at trolling ever.
welcome back fred,
from your [and your wife's] recent purchases we think you may like the following recommendations:
Marriage on the Rocks [Book]
Cheaters [DVD]
This is why when I feel like making an online purchase, I catalog all offered items from a particular retailer, use a random number generator to pick one from the list, and finally have it sent to a completely random address.
Sure, I'm paying for random crap for people I don't even know, but let's see them find a pattern in that!
If someone buys a casket for you, will they stop spamming you ?
What keeps me going is my inertia.
I, for one, welcome a new endless flood of redundant jokes.
vicious, untreated political sewage...niche entertainment for the spiritually unattractive...worshipless pap
Data: I wish to buy a selenium-based epoxy for repairing Spot's dinner plate. Make it quick as I'm in a temporal zone.
Amazon 2501: I'm sorry, I'm not able to profile you. Please fill out these forms so we can get to know you better and allow the purchase to flow quicker (wink wink).
Data: I'm an android. I have no data profile that you can use.
Amazon 2501: Drat.
They dont have me! I don't have a wife or a girlfriend hahahahaha!!!
Haha!
Ha...
ha...
Oh. Dammit. I don't 'any' either.
I want to change demographics now.
Try to hack my 31337 firewall!
1. Buy an expensive gift?
2. Buy a really expensive gift?
3. Spend $50 for the special "have the invoice dated last week" HubbySaver(tm) feature?
4. Cringe in abject terror?
5. Sleep on the couch?
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
Not only that, but try ordering a gift subscription of "Zoobooks" for someone else's kids. I now get mail for every child's product under the sun. I'm single, and childless, and it's annoying.
However, it's only slightly less annoying than the mailing list I'm on where they've confused me with my Dad, and I get AARP and health care mail all the time.
Put them together, and somewhere, there's a database that thinks I'm a 70 year old that's having tons of kids.
Find out about the Lexus Rx400h Hybrid!
Dear short, fat, balding, over-the-hill, poorly-dressed, divorced and lonely couch-potato. We have some wonderful discounts to fit in with your special life-style....
Table-ized A.I.
I'm buying Christmas cards tomorrow....
...that'll throw them off my trail...
Hehehehehehehehe
I ordered a gift from Victoria's Secret once. Now they send me their catalogues all the time. I really don't mind.
We see that you have distrust of large corporations. We suggest Conspiracies and Cover Ups: What the Government Isn't Telling You : A Shocking New Study by David Alexander. Or perhaps you would be interested in an Azurite Mind Power Necklace, 19" which helps absorb thetatronic mind control rays directed at you by an advance alien race.
I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
what... if "basement" is in the address, they should suggest tech magazines?
Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
Vic's totally ROCKS IT.
the models are ATTRACTIVE and don't look like they are pumped full of silicon
you can find things to buy for the GF
they send it to you for free
how can you go wrong?
Amazon makes personalised suggestions to customers based on previous purchases by that customer...the company may vastly increase its predictive capability in the future.
Given Amazon's unerring ability to recommend only books that already own, I imagine this means that they will begin recommending the ones that I have just added to the cart.
Don't become a regular here -- you will become retarded.