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Mastercard, Visa to Use Purchases in Ad Targeting?

Companies also hope to mine your DNA

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 25, 2011 4:20 PM CDT

(Newser) – What you buy in the real world could eventually determine the ads you see online. Visa and MasterCard are studying ways of tracking consumer purchases in order to target online advertising—a plan that could take a heavy toll on online anonymity, the Wall Street Journal reports. One example offered by the Journal: Following a fast-food purchase, a consumer might see weight-loss ads. Firms would then track whether the consumer bought the advertised product.

Another idea seems more sci-fi: Visa has submitted a patent application to use DNA information to help create consumer profiles. MasterCard says it has “extensive experience” tying “anonymized purchased attributes to consumer names and addresses” with other companies’ help. A proposal to use that data for online ads would mean “taking it a level deeper” with a “much more precise targeting mechanism,” says a rep for MasterCard. Click through for the Journal’s detailed overview of MasterCard and Visa plans.

MasterCard and Visa are considering ways to link your offline and online lives. (Getty Images)

Signs for MasterCard and Visa credit cards are shown at the entrance to a New York coffee shop. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 8 comments

OuttaHere

Oct 25, 2011 10:23 PM CDT

Sounds like cash will be king again any day.

brawne

Oct 25, 2011 9:49 PM CDT

Please, I do all my research online now. You should see my Google ads after a day of dominatrix/gag balls and nunneries in the French Alps. Gotta remember that there is one good thing about no privacy--no one can keep up. Know how hard it is to keep track of three hundred million people? Yeah, your shits out there but no one has time to find it. Always add in that you're 78 and on social security--no one gives a hoot about targeting that.

Twiny

Oct 25, 2011 8:30 PM CDT

These two plans both detail a frightening loss of privacy for the consumer. Normally, I would write here that Congress should enact a law protecting our credit card use history, and another to outlaw anyone analyzing my DNA without my consent. But, I'm afraid it would be a waste of time, considering this Congress's eagerness to whore themselves out to big business.

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online advertising • Visa • targeted advertising • MasterCard • MasterCard Advisors • data tracking • credit cards

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Mastercard, Visa to Use Purchases in Ad Targeting?

Companies also hope to mine your DNA

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

online advertising • Visa • targeted advertising • MasterCard • MasterCard Advisors • data tracking • credit cards

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And they are largely quiz-taking, photo-sharing home repair fans

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Customer names, Social Security numbers reportedly safe

'Massive' Data Breach May Have Hit MasterCard, Visa

10M cards may be affected

Sarah Palin Cyber-Attacked by WikiLeaks Supporters

It's similar to attacks on MasterCard, Visa, PayPal

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Credit card company won't allow use for 'illegal activity'

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