What Do You Get With Your Airmiles?

Have you ever wondered what you really get when you swipe your Airmiles or your Safeway Select? What you should really ask is what you give up: It’s your privacy! Maybe it’s not worth much, you think, but I bet you just haven’t really considered it. These cards track what you buy, when you buy it, where you buy it, how often you buy it, what you buy it with, & how you paid. They have your name and address, and other identifying and classifying information. Add it all up and they know you better than your spouse, your mother, your friends, and maybe better than you know yourself. And then they sell that knowledge.

So, what can they possibly tell about you? Would you worry if the Government knew your voting preference? You should. Or maybe you might be concerned about your sexual preference. Are you sure Airmiles data can’t end up with groups like this? The fact is, a good data miner could easily discern, with a high probability, your voting preference, your marital status, your sexual preference, whether you’re having an affair (swipe the Airmiles card at the No-Tell Motel much?), or if you’re declaring all your income (did you answer honestly when they asked your household income?). Are you environmentally conscious or are you an evil polluter? I sure hope you don’t make regular trips to Bangkok on business, you might just be marked as a potential sex-tourist . . .

Maybe I’m just paranoid, but in this age of computers, it’s very easy to compile a very detailed profile. Are you sure that toaster you’re saving points for is worth it?

Read the Small Print:

SAFEWAY CLUB CARD CUSTOMER
AGREEMENT STATEMENT
We respect your privacy. Safeway does not sell or lease personally identifying
information (i.e., your name, address, telephone number, and bank and credit
card account numbers) to non-affiliated companies or entities. We do record
information regarding the purchases made with your Safeway Club Card to
help us provide you with special offers and other information. Safeway also
may use this information to provide you with personally tailored coupons,
offers or other information that may be provided to Safeway by other companies.
If you do not wish to receive personally tailored coupons, offers or other information, please check the box below. Must be at least 18 years of age.

The AIR MILES® Privacy Pledge
The Loyalty Group does not give, rent or sell Collector lists from the AIR MILES® Reward Program to any organization or individual other than business units of The Loyalty Group, Sponsors of the AIR MILES® Reward Program and companies contracted to process and manage Collector transactions, redemption requests and communications. In addition, a Collector's specific transaction information from one AIR MILES Sponsor is not disclosed to any other AIR MILES Sponsor.