Big Brother is watching...and compiling...and selling

The Information Age seems to have taken us full circle back to the days of hunters and gatherers - only now they're digital hunters and gatherers. Massive bureaucracies and corporate entities are all too happy to hunt down the details of our lives, scoop 'em up, and sell 'em to a willing bidder. And it's only going to get worse.

Don't believe me? Read this piece from Consumer Reports and you'll be enlightened. It outlines eight ways Big Brother is behind the scenes, quietly rummaging through life's daily transactions. Sure, some of these are supposed to be for our protection, but mostly they're for Big Brother's.

Remember that ill-fated sweater you bought for your wife last year, the one that she returned to Kohls? Big Brother remembers it:

Your purchase returns
The Retail Equation maintains information on merchandise returns made to an undisclosed number of national retailers...

What's here?
It can include a record of your past returns at participating stores, the purchase prices, and whether or not you had receipts.

How is the information used?
Retailers are on the lookout for certain fraudulent and abusive practices.... If your pattern of returns at a particular store raises red flags, you might not be able to get your money back the next time you try. (emphasis added)

Yikes! Makes me a little nervous about my next home improvement project when I'll inevitably buy the wrong thingamajig - many times. Will I have to kowtow at every trip to the return register, praying I don't hear the dreaded, "No return for you!"?

If there's an upside, perhaps it's a potential business opportunity. I'm not sure how it would work, but there's a mint to be made for a company that can sell anonymity. If you have any ideas on how to make this happen let me know, I would love to go into business with you. But first I'd need to access your credit report, run a criminal background check, examine your insurance-claim history...
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Matthew Pryor in his 8th year with Sound Mind Investing, now serving as Director of Operations. Visit www.soundmindinvesting.com to learn more.