Walmart is a behemoth of a retailer, boasting 230 million customers across digital and physical properties globally. Because of its large customer base, it is ripe with consumer data, like spending habits and demographics, that can be sold to advertising companies. One way it gathers this data is by mapping purchases to debit and credit card numbers using an anonymised ID. It works with data brokers to scrape even more information from its users and then segments them into groups that advertisers want to target. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
