Stop Facebook from Spying on You...: And Other Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy (2015)

How Stores Are Spying on You

Retailers keep track of shoppers’ returns. How: They track individual shoppers by name—not just returns in general. Best Buy, J.C. Penney, Victoria’s Secret, The Home Depot, Nike and other stores maintain return-tracking databases.

Retailers say they need the databases to fight theft and fraud. But consumer advocates say that the databases—whose existence often is not disclosed by retailers—invade consumer privacy.

To see what return information retailers have on you: Request a free copy of your Return Activity Report from TheRetailEquation.com.

Source: Round-up of experts in retailers’ data practices and consumer protection, reported in USA Today.