Easy enough for this story to get lost in all the noise that is going on. Google was a no show in yesterday’s hearing. This no doubt was a major reason. It causes me to wonder if Comcast is not up to something similar. I watched a bit of golf for the first time in years. Not long after I was deluged with ads for golf clubs. Odd it would seem. Let’s keep this in mind as we tool around the universe each day.
The latest story about Google, the globe-straddling behemoth that accounts for more 90 percent of the Internet searches conducted every day, divulges just how much power that company wields, and just how careful we ought to be.
Yes, it can track your every move through your smartphone, and tell you how you just walked and where.
Yes, it places ads on the web pages you visit based upon online purchases, or even upon your searches.
And yes, it can track whether an ad pushed you to purchase something at the store.
Data Bought From Mastercard
Google gets that last piece of information from data it purchased from Mastercard, BloombergQuint revealed last week. “For the past year, select Google advertisers have had access to a potent new tool to track whether the ads they ran online led to a sale at a physical store in the U.S,” BloombergQuint reported. “That insight came thanks in part to a stockpile of Mastercard transactions that Google paid for.”
But most of the two billion Mastercard holders aren’t aware of this behind-the-scenes tracking. That’s because the companies never told the public about the arrangement.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Mastercard Inc. brokered a business partnership during about four years of negotiations, according to four people with knowledge of the deal, three of whom worked on it directly. The alliance gave Google an unprecedented asset for measuring retail spending, part of the search giant’s strategy to fortify its primary business against onslaughts from Amazon.com Inc. and others.
But the deal, which has not been previously reported, could raise broader privacy concerns about how much consumer data technology companies like Google quietly absorb.
Snip…
Frighteningly, BloombergQuint reported, the service, called “Stores Sales Management,” gives Google access to about 70 percent of American credit and debit cards, which could mean one of two things.
That 70 percent could mean that the company has deals with other credit card companies, totaling 70 percent of the people who use credit and debit cards. Or it could mean that the company has deals with companies that include all card users, and 70 percent of those are logged into Google accounts like Gmail when they click on a Google search ad. More at
September 9, 2018 at 9:38 am
[…] Bunkerville has some disturbing info on Google and your credit card […]
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September 6, 2018 at 6:56 pm
The amount of tracking is scary! I see it all the time when I google something or I look at purchasing something and them I am immediately hit with ads. The sad part is we are getting used to it and just accept it as part of our modern life.
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September 6, 2018 at 7:27 pm
Only because of my age that I say to heck with it…. but for anyone starting out there is much to be concerned with… meanwhile Booker and Harris get all the attention.
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September 6, 2018 at 6:28 pm
Not clear if you’re aware of this, but your smarty pants phone is also listening, and if the phone knows your email address, when you talk about various things, you start getting targeted emails ads or if your browser knows your phone number because you’re using 2 step or whatever, targeted ads appear in chrome also, and probably other browsers.
This is why I always mention ladies lingerie when my phone can hear me.
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September 6, 2018 at 7:26 pm
And then we have Siri…she knows everything….:) Seriously,, it is scary as hell. I would think another search engine and FB like would start up… FB use to be a friendly way of connecting with family and friends… now…..
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September 6, 2018 at 10:20 pm
Your last sentence made me chuckle…
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September 6, 2018 at 3:52 pm
I try & stay ‘off the grid’ as much as possible. Don’t charge anything, use cash – only thing I do is use Google & I can’t remember how I did it, but I disabled the location tracking there also. Years ago. Also, no robot on my blog.
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September 6, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Congrats… the best idea, as for me, I have pretty much given up figuring at my age, the worse they can do is take my twitter account and my blog…
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September 6, 2018 at 2:34 pm
Definitely 21st Century Big Brother.
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September 6, 2018 at 2:39 pm
I am surprised that this has not gotten attention, but there is no space left in the ether apparently.
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September 6, 2018 at 12:13 pm
We are offering a new program to our customers in the pharmacy. It’s called ‘Wellness’ and when you enroll it links your grocery purchases with your health info. It ‘suggests’ grocery items that might be beneficial or helpful to you based on your that health info.
One of the pharmacists and I were discussing how long it would be before the program ‘controls’ your purchases instead of just making helpful suggestions. Granny Diabetes, you put those Oreos right back on the shelf! No salty potato chips for you, Miss High Blood Pressure. No wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey, for Uncle High Cholesterol.
I understand that people think they are ‘helping’ customers make better choices based on the medical conditions they are dealing with, but….
No, thank you, very much!
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September 6, 2018 at 12:18 pm
Or perhaps a note from Medicare informing you that since you’re leading an unhealthy lifestyle, your medical treatments will no longer be paid for by Medicare. Big brother is alive and well in America.
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September 6, 2018 at 1:49 pm
As you know no doubt, our drugs we take are open access… try applying for insurance and of course they already they know what conditions you have based on the prescriptions we take. This is never discussed, yet we go through hoops over HIPPA regs.
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September 6, 2018 at 2:23 pm
Oh my gosh, HIPPA — do not get me started, lol.
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September 6, 2018 at 11:58 am
Something about the power of Google(Well, really the Tech Titans) and their obvious allegiance to the left that is very nefarious.
The amount of power they hold is incredible.
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September 6, 2018 at 1:15 pm
Growing stronger every day. Connect all of this and no doubt ending up in the Utah Data base of the NSA.. All we are and will be will be known… soon the DNA will be submitted at birth.
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September 6, 2018 at 11:45 am
Gee, how great is this, not!!!! Apologies Bunk for not visting, school and family have been keeping me hopping -sad to say.
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September 6, 2018 at 11:46 am
Just keep on keeping on….
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September 6, 2018 at 11:49 am
Yep….sure will…smiles
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September 6, 2018 at 11:34 am
Big Brother is everywhere. Worse than Orwell ever imagined in his book, 1984.
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September 6, 2018 at 11:45 am
Day by day we are losing our freedom and we have not a clue how really bad it is..
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