We were talking today in class about how advanced Target's data analytics are, and I was reminded of a story I heard awhile back about Target's forensics lab, which is based in Minneapolis and Las Vegas. Target's video surveillance technology is so advanced that it goes beyond tracking shoplifters and is actually called upon by police and the FBI to help solve other crimes. The company promotes this as community outreach, and an effort to help make a difference in society. It's considered one of the nation's top forensic crime labs.
While it's great that Target is philanthropically helping law enforcement solve major crimes (though there are separate concerns about a private company having such a close relationship with law enforcement), I think it's pretty intriguing that this state-of-the-art technology was born out of the store's desire to monitor its customers. Target got really good at tracking and identifying people - so good that its forensics lab became useful to the FBI.
I think this really adds some perspective to the depth at which Target has the potential to invade privacy to gather data. The extent to which this investigative prowess is used beyond asset protection and security is unclear, but if their technology can help solve murders, surely it is capable of identifying people who walk into the store , noticing which sections they browse (even if they don't purchase anything), and targeting ads appropriately. And in fact, Target's privacy policy kind of leaves such surveillance as a possibility ("We collect information, including when you... Are recorded by in-store cameras, primarily for security purposes, and also for operational purposes such as measuring traffic patterns and tracking in-stock levels.").
Is that a bad and/or unexpected thing? Does it go too far? Are people prepared to accept that when you enter Target's domain, whether online or in the brick and mortar store, your activity will be tracked and potentially used by the cast of CSI: Minneapolis? Does our love of Target mean that we're more willing to trust these practices than we would in the hands of an evil giant like Wal-Mart? And how cool would it be to have this job?
This post reminded me of a story my group discussed last week about a Minneapolis father who discovered his teen daughter was pregnant after the customized coupons he received from Target were for baby products (http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/). He stormed angrily into the store demanding to talk to an unsuspecting manager who of course had no idea what he was talking about. Target has since changed its advertising methods to appear more random. It's impressive that Target is so technologically savvy that the FBI is seeking its services. I guess it doesn't freak me out that much though, since I know they're monitoring for shoplifters.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I'd for sure watch a CSI: Minneapolis.