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Tesco building secret information database on every person in the country

Tesco is quietly building a profile of you, along with every individual in the country - a map of personality, travel habits, shopping preferences and even how charitable and eco-friendly you are. A subsidiary of the supermarket chain has set up a database, called Crucible, that is collating detailed information on every household in the UK, whether they choose to shop at the retailer or not.

The company refuses to reveal the information it holds, yet Tesco is selling access to this database to other big consumer groups, such as Sky, Orange and Gillette.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1573821,00.html

Fucking 'ell! :eek:



*awaits Kermit's comments*
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Comments

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Doesnt surprise me in the slightest, Tesco are coperate scumbags of the lowest order. They are no different from Walmart in terms of ethics.

    They are 'good' at their job though, their growth has been impressive. Its just a shame the Competition Commission hasnt the balls to take them on.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To be honest I don't care - its not like there putting spycams in my bedroom and there are benefits to me (eg better marketing and less rubbish of no interest to me, a more efficient Tesco leading to reduced costs or better profits (which helps pay my pension)

    There's too much crying wolf.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    *Jimmy Nail voice*

    Tescor - We f**king own yoo!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think it sounds scarier than it is.

    The only thing they or the people they sell to, are going to use the info for is advertising and marketing

    Which isn't that bad really...........
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Do they not need our permission first?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Dinted wrote:
    Do they not need our permission first?

    No, I could set up a marketing company and collect all the details of what you spend, where and how. From this I could build up a profile of you all totally legally.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I would have thought they need our permission to pass our details to other companies.

    That certainly seems to be the case everywhere else, when companies ask you to tick a box to let them know whether they can pass your details to others.

    Tesco however are not only building a file of every person in the country, even if they don't have a clubcard or even shop at Tesco, but are also selling said details to the likes of Rupert Murdoch.

    Dodgy as fuck if you ask me :mad:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So after finding out I enjoy cricket Sky are going to offer me a cheap subscription to watch the Test. Or perhaps after finding I read a broadsheet they won't send me tokens to get a half-price copy of the Sun

    - fuck me the sky is falling in :nervous:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    I would have thought they need our permission to pass our details to other companies.

    All these details are sold on by our banks, when we use our debit and credit cards. I'm fairly sure that part of the agreement with card issuers is that they sell our information.

    You or I could do this, it just takes time, money and a well organised database.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Big brother is watching....
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I thought the data protection act would have stopped them passing on our details but obviously not.

    Not a big suprise anyway the way the world is going today.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Shogun wrote:
    I thought the data protection act would have stopped them passing on our details but obviously not.

    Not a big suprise anyway the way the world is going today.

    As long as you have good reason to have the data (as in you have services they might want) then its ok to use it, you cant just store it for no reason.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Interesting, from a tech point of view.

    It annoys me, because if I wanted to be profiled, then I'd do one of those fucking personality test things.
    I understand that Experian and the like already do hold data, but I should have to give my express permission for some other person/organisation to access data about me (i.e. signing an agreement when I need credit checking for credit).

    It's not about having owt to hide, more about it being no-one else's business what I eat and how I pay for it (and all the other information they mine).

    Nowt new, I know, but hmmph :grump:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have known about this for quite some years, as I was told about it during my Sociology degree course, but surely if its information on us the the freedom of information act should allow us access? I might be wrong about that though, i'm not particularly au fait with law and legislation!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    NQA wrote:
    So after finding out I enjoy cricket Sky are going to offer me a cheap subscription to watch the Test. Or perhaps after finding I read a broadsheet they won't send me tokens to get a half-price copy of the Sun

    - fuck me the sky is falling in :nervous:
    You perhaps don't get sackfulls of junk mail through the letter box- I do, and it pisses me off no end.

    And whereas such personal information might not being used for malicious purposes today, who is to say it won't in the future? I don't want my 'profile' or 'habits' being sold to third parties for profit, thank you very much. And I don't like the fact that they could be supplied to government agencies in the future. Who the hell are those twats to trade with my personal details like that, without permission???
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    And I don't like the fact that they could be supplied to government agencies in the future.

    It happened in the last election, they figured out who were the 100,000 or so important voters, where they lived, what issues interested them and how they could be pushed towards one party or the other.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    bongbudda wrote:
    It happened in the last election, they figured out who were the 100,000 or so important voters, where they lived, what issues interested them and how they could be pushed towards one party or the other.
    On one hand, id rather they didnt do it, yet on the other hand, I like it when they send me vouchers for things that I am already likely to buy, as opposed to stuff I wouldnt ever get.

    I wouldnt say it was my greatest concern.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    NQA wrote:
    To be honest I don't care - its not like there putting spycams in my bedroom and there are benefits to me (eg better marketing and less rubbish of no interest to me, a more efficient Tesco leading to reduced costs or better profits (which helps pay my pension)

    There's too much crying wolf.


    tescos etc are actually hugely expensive for the service they provide, they ruin producers and arent honeslty that cheap

    its been obviously happening for years, 'pineapple chunks' from urban gothic tv show springs to mind
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    You perhaps don't get sackfulls of junk mail through the letter box- I do, and it pisses me off no end.

    And whereas such personal information might not being used for malicious purposes today, who is to say it won't in the future? I don't want my 'profile' or 'habits' being sold to third parties for profit, thank you very much. And I don't like the fact that they could be supplied to government agencies in the future. Who the hell are those twats to trade with my personal details like that, without permission???

    I do, but if Tesco know that I never use my creidt card perhaps they won't waste my time and there's on that junk mail. And I might get junk mail for things I might actually consider buying.

    To be honest I think things like this are, as I said crying wolf, and all they do is hide the real human rights issues, such as people being held in house arrest without trial or the moves to ban certain radical (albeit odious) political/religious groups. If we start screaming about how this is leading to '1984' no Government dept would be uisng cmputers for benefit, passports, vehicle licensing etc.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't really have a problem with it, providing -

    1) They ask for my express permission.

    2) When I tell them to delete it they do so in a heartbeat.

    3) They pay me a percentage.

    Targetted mail etc is big business these days. What few people are aware of of is the failure rate. Readers digest have the best return rate on their blind mailings and they get about a 1-2% response rate.

    "Tesco" are seeking to limit this cost by slotting you into different categories to sell their own products more effectively. Alternatively, in the interests of free and fair competition that information should be in a public library somewhere for anyone who wants to use it.

    And, as always, there is no such thing as "tesco", it's a group of individuals seeking to minimise responsibility and maximise progits by banding together. On that basis, for any information they collect, i should get some back.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't think it's a big deal.

    If you don't want them to know what you're buying then people can pay in cash and not use their club cards to collect points.

    Knowing what peope want and when they want it can help them to provide the things consumers actually want. For instance I prefer shopping late at night when there's less people in Tesco or Asda, so the new breed of 24 hours a day stores are good for me.

    If they see their sales of their own Brand Jaffa Cakes is going down they can work out people either don't like it or maybe another brand has come on the market which they like
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah...that happens. I should know. I work for them.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    it's not very secret is it.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Junk mail, often the credit card crap often includes a pre-paid envelope. Let a few of them pile up and then bung them in the post box empty to cost the companies sending it out a few quid. Or better still stick the pre-paid envelope onto something heavy so it costs them even more – a bag of rubbish perhaps? I might be wrong but I’m pretty sure that the Royal Mail have to deliver whatever the pre-paid envelope is attached to and charge the company accordingly…
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    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    it's not very secret is it.

    :lol:

    Im not supprised, how ELSE do they dominate the market?

    Capitalist scum gaining control... and Wal Mart is also invading the UK with Asda now. We're fucked!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teh_Gerbil wrote:
    Capitalist scum gaining control... and Wal Mart is also invading the UK with Asda now. We're fucked!

    There's always Waitrose. We're a partnership! As anybody who works there will have been told repeatedly to the point of being indoctrinated all permanent staff are partners who own the business. Bit that counts though is annual profit share.
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    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    There's always Waitrose. We're a partnership! As anybody who works there will have been told repeatedly to the point of being indoctrinated all permanent staff are partners who own the business. Bit that counts though is annual profit share.

    Haha... they all ge a really, really, small share no doubt?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    is this the sort of power we'd likesupermarkets to have

    this was one of the 1st canadian wal-marts where workers voted to affiliate with a national union - it was subsequently shut down, probably to flex some muscle
    http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/09/news/international/walmart_canada/
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teh_Gerbil wrote:
    Haha... they all ge a really, really, small share no doubt?

    It depends on John Lewis and Waitrose's profits. It's paid as a percentage, last year I think it was about 12% and all partners got 12% in bonus of what they earned in that year...So it's pretty big and for a part time student job you really can't complain.
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    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    It depends on John Lewis and Waitrose's profits. It's paid as a percentage, last year I think it was about 12% and all partners got 12% in bonus of what they earned in that year...So it's pretty big and for a part time student job you really can't complain.
    Awesomeness. If we had one locally, I'd work there!
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