Sports Authority to Sell 25 Million Customer Email Addresses

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I’m sure you’ve always wondered why pretty much every retailer unnecessarily asks you for your email address at checkout. For years, I’ve always declined and will definitely continue to do so, particularly after reading the following.

From GeekWire:

Another day, another reminder that companies don’t really have to abide by promises to not share your personal information. They have a big “but” in their contracts.

Last week, it was WhatsApp and Facebook. We’ll get to that in a moment.

This week, millions of Sports Authority customers began receiving notices that their e-mail addresses and other data were about to be transferred to competitor Dick’s Sporting Goods. The transfer is legal because Sports Authority declared bankruptcy and sold off its spare parts this summer. Dick’s, smartly and legally, bought the customer information. According to the L.A. Times, a treasure trove of 25 million e-mails and some other data cost Dick’s $15 million. So you might not think your data is valuable, but someone sure does.

First, here is your need-to-know. The transfer is happening right now. You should look for an email from Sports Authority explaining the terms and how to opt-out.  Go to SAPrivacyTransferNotice.com and opt out there if you wish.

(Update: Looks like you’ll need a code from the email, which is an unnecessary and consumer-unfriendly hurdle)

But you probably didn’t know that. In fact, when Sports Authority asked for your email, you may have been told, “We won’t share it” by an employee or a web page. Consumers are often told that. It’s a lie, unless it includes the “but,” which is often casually omitted or otherwise missed by consumers.

When Facebook announced it would acquire WhatsApp in 2014 for an astonishing $19 billion, the social media giant promised nervous users it would not suck out their data. Then last week, WhatsApp announced it would, in fact, share phone numbers with Facebook. European regulators are looking into the announcement, and privacy groups have asked the FTC to do the same here in the U.S.

Again, users can opt out, but the process is a bit convoluted. (Click here for an explanation).

What does all this really mean? As privacy researcher Alessandro Acquisti from Carnegie Mellon remarks often, it’s much easier to surrender your privacy than to get it back. The nudges to share information are strong; the fight to protect it or recall it is nearly impossible. So know this: Every time a company asks for your data and tells you it won’t be shared, just assume that’s a lie. Almost certainly, it will be shared or sold or auctioned off some day. If you are fine with that, go ahead and reveal. But do so with your eyes wide open.

Here’s a hint. Unless you want someone emailing you, don’t give out your email address.

While we’re on the topic, let’s revisit a few excerpts from a related story published last year titled, “This is No Longer Fiction” – The Era of Automatic Facial Recognition and Surveillance Is Here:

ID checks were a common response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but they’ll soon be obsolete. You won’t have to show your ID, because you’ll be identified automatically. A security camera will capture your face, and it’ll be matched with your name and a whole lot of other information besides. Welcome to the world of automatic facial recognition. Those who have access to databases of identified photos will have the power to identify us. Yes, it’ll enable some amazing personalized services; but it’ll also enable whole new levels of surveillance. The underlying technologies are being developed today, and there are currently no rules limiting their use.

The critical technology here is computer face recognition. Traditionally it has been pretty poor, but it’s slowly improving. A computer is now as good as a person. Already Google’s algorithms can accurately match child and adult photos of the same person, and Facebook has an algorithm that works by recognizing hair style, body shape, and body language — and works even when it can’t see faces. And while we humans are pretty much as good at this as we’re ever going to get, computers will continue to improve. Over the next years, they’ll continue to get more accurate, making better matches using even worse photos.

This is no longer fiction. High-tech billboards can target ads based on the gender of who’s standing in front of them. In 2011, researchers at Carnegie Mellon pointed a camera at a public area on campus and were able to match live video footage with a public database of tagged photos in real time. Already government and commercial authorities have set up facial recognition systems to identify and monitor people at sporting events, music festivals, and even churches. The Dubai police are working on integrating facial recognition into Google Glass, and more US local police forces are using the technology.

You have been warned.

In Liberty,
Michael Krieger

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3 thoughts on “Sports Authority to Sell 25 Million Customer Email Addresses”

  1. Reportedly one shop in Russia already installed face recognition, because employees used tricks to fake work hours records and because ex-employees kept walking in and out.

    Granted, they had a relatively small database and they have 6% error rate, but they think that is practical and better than id cards.

    Reportedly EU shops whose guards fail to tell Arab refugee faces from one another immediately started asking to install the system to their houses too.

    Reply
  2. it is just not too cool to not be seen, heard and recognized ..I’m too sexy for my life…me and my ro-lex..me and my face-book, me and my oh, so awe-some smart(?) phone….

    ……….and the meek shall inherit the earth….
    ….You can have everything and have nothing
    ….You can have nothing and have everything.

    Reply

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