Data Mining Amazon.com Wish Lists

Dr. Webster writes "In his article "Data Mining 101: Finding Subversives with Amazon Wishlists," Tom Owad of Applefritter outlines a way in which one could build detailed personal profiles of hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens in a matter of hours. Reading habits, personal tastes and even political party affiliation could be inferred from the results, and through the use of Yahoo! People and Google Maps, one could even map out geographically where people with certain interests or affiliations live, down to their address. Most surprisingly, the process of doing this is completely legal, and doesn't even violate Amazon's Conditions of Use."

Comments

3 Dead Trolls in a Baggie

[Anonymous Coward]

Obligatory music whenever data mining is mentioned... Privacy Song...

Lie,Lie,lie... Lie about your age, your gender and your race. ... Throw a monkey wrench right up their database.

I see

[Anonymous Coward]

So THAT'S why I'm on the no-fly list

Re:I see

[psykocrime]

So THAT'S why I'm on the no-fly list

No, that's because you ordered those Paladin Press, Delta Press, and IMS catalogs.

Re:Mining voluntary information on a public websit

[Rei]

Profile for Jaish al Ashurah ] Wishlist

Wishlist

This list is for: Jaish Al Ashurah
Birthday: None Entered
Shipping Address: Private
Unique Facts: A shadu la ilaha illah Allah

Total items: 10

"The Anarchist's Cookbook" by William Powell
"Improvised Explosives: How To Make Your Own" by Seymour Lecker
"Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual For Military And Police Snipers" by John Plaster
"Crusades Through Arab Eyes" by Amin Maalouf
"The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion With Preface and Explanatory Notes" by Sergius Nilus, Henry Ford, and Victor E. Marsden.
"Explosive Dusts: Advanced Improvised Explosives" by Seymour Lecker
"Creative Cloth Doll Making: New Approaches for Using Fibers, Beads, Dyes, And Other Exciting Techniques" by Patti Medaris Culea.
"The Tragedy of Karbala" by M.A. Naquvi
"51 Documents: Zionist Collaboration With the Nazis" by Lenni Brenner
"How to Build a Nuclear Bomb: And Other Weapons Of Mass Destruction" by Frank Barbaby

And you thought you were funny...

[know1]

...when you put that inflatable nun and bottle of baby lotion on your wishlist. woops...

Re:the usual melodrama

[Anonymous Coward]

Now we know how santa does it.

Re:Point of the article

[houghi]

the FBI can require Amazon to turn over its records, without probable cause

HTH, HAND

Everyone is missing the point

[Twid]

If this guys links Amazon Wish Lists, Google Maps, the yellow pages, and personality typing using Ruby on Rails, he can call it a Web 2.0 Mashup and make millions when Google, Yahoo!, or Microsoft buys him out.

I smell a fully monetized eyeball!