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Google Wallet: the End of Anonymous Shopping

Posted by timothy on from the if-you-choose-to-accept-it dept.

jfruhlinger writes "Google today announced Google Wallet, an NFC-based payment system that will allow people to pay for purchases just by waving their phone across a reader. It's the beginning of a future where commercial transactions are 'frictionless' and convenient — but it's a future where every transaction can be tracked and data-mined, as Dan Tynan points out. Stores can user information about your Doritos purchases to rearrange their wares; Google could push coupons via its new Google Offers service; your health insurance company might be interested in your sodium intake."

7 of 253 comments (clear)

  1. Hyperbole by Sonny+Yatsen · · Score: 5, Funny

    C'mon, Google Wallet is the end of anonymous shopping? No, if you don't want to be tracked by Google Wallet, just don't use Google Wallet. If you want to stay anonymous, use cash.

    And wear a hat.
    And gloves.
    And a fake mustache.

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    1. Re:Hyperbole by pushing-robot · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Also, credit cards, debit cards and checks claim prior art.

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    2. Re:Hyperbole by Stunning+Tard · · Score: 5, Funny

      BitCoins! I have no idea what they have to do with the current discussion, just throwing it out there.

    3. Re:Hyperbole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Fuck that, they'll just go to Experian.

      Experian? Who are they? Yeah, if you don't know about Experian, you don't understand privacy today.

      See, Experian is, to the public, a credit rating agency. So they just so happen to collect all your credit card data, loan information, and so forth. Fancy that!

      But it gets better.

      See, they also collect all that loyalty card data that you believe is so difficult to acquire... among *many* other things. They then correlate the data up, package it, and sell it to whomever wants it. Traditionally this has been direct mail marketers, among other things.

      And the breadth of the metrics available? Astounding. People who purchase that data know if your fucking car lease is about to expire or not.

      So trust me when I say, Google Wallet is nothing. The privacy horse ran out of the barn a long long time ago.

    4. Re:Hyperbole by tftp · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's not like I can Google "nschubach bought ? on Tuesday" and get a full report.

      Why don't you try that query yourself? I did. Congratulations with your purchase of '04 Silver RX8 - G/T Package - 6 Spd. MT in June 2004. It was probably nice weather then in Schaumburg, IL. Is there anything else you'd like to announce to the whole world? Google doesn't need to do a thing here, other than to collect what people willingly reveal about themselves.

      With regard to my own username, it is short and common (as in RFC 783). Besides, I don't reuse usernames. The only way one can associate my posts across multiple sites is by writing style.

  2. How the hell is this different from credit cards? by Kuukai · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Aside from being run by Google?

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  3. In the off chance someone wants facts by geekoid · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.google.com/wallet/how-it-works-security.html

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