this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2023
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Privacy

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So recently, I went into a shipping service store, that is well known, etc etc. I walked in, asked a question, then walked out. I did nothing else.

A couple days later, I get an email from them, to the email address that I have used for them in the past. The email wants me to take a survey.

Now, since I have made a shipping label online with them before once, then took that label (attached to a parcel) in the store, which was then scanned, I can only assume that this recent email I got was the result of facial recognition data gathering.

I am an extremely privacy conscious person, but this tactic evades even me, as the only way to avoid it, would be to never set foot into their store.

I really really hate myself too because the email I used with them is one of my personal-name emails and now they have that. I did that before I became privacy conscious. I can only imagine how other people feel, who are much deeper in the hole than a random facial recognition incident.

Have any of your ever experienced this? where you walked into some place and then got an email? It's so creepy..

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[โ€“] tylerh@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Agree on the creepy side, though there's other possibilities besides facial recognition, namely:

  • They buy data from a data broker. Said data broker bought (or got) location data from any number of apps you have installed on your phone that monitor your location data.
  • They associated your phone's Wifi MAC (even if you don't connect to their Wifi) or a bluetooth MAC (of bluetooth headphones, watch, or other device) to you previously, then saw it again

first one is not plausible, I allow no location data to a single app, especially not any closed source apps

Second one also not plausible. I have MAC randomization.