Technology2 min read

Amazon uses its tracking data to guess whether shoppers have a flat butt and no friends

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Amazon uses its tracking data to make assumptions about users based on their shopping habits, revealing that the e-commerce giant has a knack for identifying traits that may not be entirely accurate. One user discovered that Amazon deduced they have a flat behind and no friends based on their purchases, leading to a series of posts filled with seemingly specific descriptions that Amazon claims apply to them. These include "flat buttocks," "cannot keep real plants alive," and "treats cats as biological children." O…

Key points

  • Amazon uses its tracking data to make assumptions about users based on their shopping hab…: Amazon uses its tracking data to make assumptions about users based on their shopping habits, revealing that the e-commerce giant has a knack for identifying traits that may not be entirely accurate.
  • One user discovered that Amazon deduced they have a flat behind and no friends based on t…: One user discovered that Amazon deduced they have a flat behind and no friends based on their purchases, leading to a series of posts filled with seemingly specific descriptions that Amazon claims apply to them.
  • These include "flat buttocks," "cannot keep real plants alive," and "treats cats as biolo…: These include "flat buttocks," "cannot keep real plants alive," and "treats cats as biological children." Other users found Amazon's description of them as "cusses when scared," "cannot keep real plants alive," "has no friends," and "treats

Most people know that Amazon collects data about your shopping history to serve up personalized product recommendations. But what some of us didn’t realize is that you can check exactly what Amazon knows — or thinks it knows — about you in your settings menu. One user’s findings went viral on Threads after she discovered that Amazon assumed she “has flat buttocks” based on her purchases, resulting in a flood of other posts with users sharing the oddly specific information Amazon uses to describe them.

Amazon uses its tracking data to guess whether shoppers have a flat butt and no friends

Some users have ‘flat buttocks,’ ‘cannot keep real plants alive,’ and ‘treats cats as biological children,“ according to Amazon.

Some users have ‘flat buttocks,’ ‘cannot keep real plants alive,’ and ‘treats cats as biological children,“ according to Amazon.

In another post, a user found that Amazon says they don’t “trust people easily,” while someone else discovered that Amazon thinks she “finds it hilarious when toys get stuck to ceiling tiles in the classroom.” Other descriptions spotted by users include “cusses when scared,” “cannot keep real plants alive,” “has no friends,” and “treats cats as biological children.”

While some of these descriptions seem like a roast from Amazon, most of them are pretty generic. For example, mine says I “maintain active aquarium systems,” “regularly consume coffee,” and “play video games regularly,” all of which are accurate.

If you want to see what Amazon may have learned about you, you can find out by selecting your account icon in the top-right corner of your screen, scrolling down to the “Your Account” section, and hitting “Your Shopping preferences.” From there, scroll down the page and select “About You.” You’ll then see a list of details Amazon uses to personalize your account, which you can edit or delete.

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Original source: www.theverge.com

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