I’ve been thinking about which is the better way to shop to maintain privacy. The way I see it there are pros and cons to each but I can’t decide which is ultimately better (and of course it depends on threat model and who you’re trying to hide from)
Irl
Pro
- Retailer doesn’t need your address/phone number/email address to complete a transaction
- If you pay with cash, your bank doesn’t have details of what you bought and can’t sell it to data brokers
Con
- Most/all stores have security cameras (often with facial recognition). You can mitigate it with masks or other coverings but I’ve seen a few stores now locally that don’t allow masks or raised hoodies
Online
Pro
- Your shopping is kept from prying eyes as far as security cameras go
Con
- If you buy something to be delivered, the retailer usually wants your address, email and phone number, and (unless using a gift card) your credit card info
- Even if you buy something to collect in store, most still require a phone number which can be hard to make private if burner phones aren’t legal where you live and/or the retailer won’t accept VoIP numbers
One thing that’s worth keeping in mind: physical retailers may have cameras, but they (in general) rotate their recordings and don’t provide an API for law enforcement. By contrast, any data that an online service gets is probably stored forever, possibly across multiple companies. If you do pick up the online package at a physical store, then you’re losing most of the benefits, so you also need to provide an address.
That being said, much of China and some of the US have significant outdoor surveillance camera networks. These usually do provide law enforcement with real time, AI search, and may keep recordings for a very long
For me, as a Canadian, I’d consider physical stores more private, maybe putting on generic clothing and a mask if it’s really important. If your city has its own surveillance system, that might be different for you. Though really, in that case, you should be more concerned about pushing for the cameras to be removed, or failing that looking into moving elsewhere: it is not sufficient to have privacy only online, only from major storefronts.
One thing that’s worth keeping in mind: physical retailers may have cameras, but they (in general) rotate their recordings and don’t provide an API for law enforcement.
They may not give law enforcement direct access but they absolutely upload and share their recordings with third party companies and other retailers. I don’t know how long they keep it for but storage space is incredibly cheap these days
IRL, you’re not a VIP so you won’t be targeted alone.
If you have to do the internet route, prepaid cards, minimal info, and pick-up locations are best, don’t deliver to your door. You could maybe deliver it to your post office too, that may be an option.
IRL : I’d argue most security cameras are, AFAIK, on closed circuits. I don’t think they can upload the data somewhere nor keep it for a long time. Also it takes quite a bit of power to process so unless there is a good reason for it, I doubt anybody nor even a computer vision algorithm, will process it to the point of face recognition.
Online : virtual credit card (not sure if they need your name) + PO box, post office or next door store compatible with the online shop. Most online shop I know do NOT require a mobile phone number. They might have a field for it but they are not using it for e.g. 2FA so if you were, by mistake or not, to put a random number I don’t think it would matter.
So at least some of the constraints can be changed.
IRL : I’d argue most security cameras are, AFAIK, on closed circuits. I don’t think they can upload the data somewhere nor keep it for a long time
It does depend. Most big retailers share CCTV footage with each other through a central company to build a profile on shoplifters (though I wouldn’t trust them to use it only for that)
Most online shop I know do NOT require a mobile phone number.
This definitely hasn’t been my experience though. I can’t remember the last time I saw an online retailer that didn’t require one, or at least require that the field be filled out. I suppose you could just enter a dummy number but then if there’s a problem with the delivery they’ll always try to contact you by phone first
I actually asked this morning at the post office specifically thinking about your remarks.
They do sell non denominative credit cards here. So your card is KYC (I imagine, I don’t think it’s possible to go around that) and they know who you are, ID and all, but stores, online or not, have no name associated to it.
Regarding online stores I do again advise to be cautious and not assume that because a contact field is there, it is mandatory. Yes it might be important for deliveries of parcels but that’s a moot point if delivery happens to a 24/7 box.
I have been deliberating this lately. Mainly due to online providers overreaching. I recently bought a small common office product. Click and collect. I ensured to click no comms/marketing. 2 times in the following 4 days I got an email offering an apple subscription from a no reply email address. I had to call and complain to get them to stop and they had the cheek to say they HAD to legally offer me this as it was free perk with my purchase. They didnt see how they could be wrong and tried to convince me this was not marketing and was infact a great deal for me. I asked him if I’d walked in store would I have been forced to somehow take the offer.
I am sick of my contact details and my spending ability being considered fair game.
You give them your money and that’s not enough they always want more.
I am sick of my contact details and my spending ability being considered fair game. You give them your money and that’s not enough they always want more.
Agreed. There was a time when only shitty free services did this (if you’re not paying, you’re the product!) but now every company under the sun wants to sell your data. If I ever buy something digital I always use a fake name/address/phone number and a gift card for payment. But with physical purchases it becomes tougher