In my process to remove personal information online I found one company conversantmedia.com which had an option to view the actual data they collected from you. Instead of simply requesting the deletion, I decided to ask for the actual data. You enter your personal info on their website, which must include your address. They then about 2-3 weeks later they mail you an actual letter with a security token (32 digit alphanumeric code) You then enter into their website to see the report.
I had no idea what this company collects or how they collected their information but after looking at the report it appears that they have relationships with over 170 physical and online stores which capture your transactions in some way and then use this data to create targeted marketing tools for other retailers. The thing that strikes me as most obvious is the 1665 purchases at Dunkin Donuts, from 2012 thru 2019. I do stop and grab a coffee at the same dunkin donuts about 4/7 7 days a week and have been doing so since my kids were little (probably 2007). I do have a dunkin rewards card so I suspect that's how these purchases are being logged. I still go there so they may have stopped participating in this service after 2012 which would explain the recent gap in the data. I do shop at Home Depot and Staples often for home and Business purposes. I have a staples Reward card but I DO NOT HAVE any sort of Home Depot rewards card, so I have no idea how they could link to my address, unless they have captured this in some other way and link it to my credit cards. Still very interesting. There are some on the list that I do not recognize, or may have been used by my wife with my credit card, or somehow just linked to our home address.
Anyway, here's a look behind the curtain. I deleted the companies where there were no transactions (and potentially embarrassing ones like www.mylittlepony.com)
I had no idea what this company collects or how they collected their information but after looking at the report it appears that they have relationships with over 170 physical and online stores which capture your transactions in some way and then use this data to create targeted marketing tools for other retailers. The thing that strikes me as most obvious is the 1665 purchases at Dunkin Donuts, from 2012 thru 2019. I do stop and grab a coffee at the same dunkin donuts about 4/7 7 days a week and have been doing so since my kids were little (probably 2007). I do have a dunkin rewards card so I suspect that's how these purchases are being logged. I still go there so they may have stopped participating in this service after 2012 which would explain the recent gap in the data. I do shop at Home Depot and Staples often for home and Business purposes. I have a staples Reward card but I DO NOT HAVE any sort of Home Depot rewards card, so I have no idea how they could link to my address, unless they have captured this in some other way and link it to my credit cards. Still very interesting. There are some on the list that I do not recognize, or may have been used by my wife with my credit card, or somehow just linked to our home address.
Anyway, here's a look behind the curtain. I deleted the companies where there were no transactions (and potentially embarrassing ones like www.mylittlepony.com)
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