Feb 172012
Maybe the web knows better than you do whether you are pregnant?
A great example of data mining and profiling for commercial application emerges from Target, where early indicators of a potential pregnancy can become a gold mine for the story if they act on them correctly and can convince the consumer – who will soon be spending a ton of money on new baby ‘stuff’ – to build habits of shopping there in time.
The longer article should be required reading for people in IT (and concerned with privacy): How companies learn your secrets.