Cheap Black Friday deals cost to your privacy

It’s the perfect time to pick up holiday gifts for your family and treat yourself to that pricey watch you wouldn’t splurge on otherwise.

Black Friday is a worldwide cultural and economic phenomenon today. It comes with much anticipation, great discounts and a shopping frenzy. Its success is such that it now lasts the whole month. But don’t let the excitement cloud your judgment. 

The deals are enticing, but there are dangers lurking beneath the surface.

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The devil’s in the privacy policy

Particularly when it comes to online shopping, we give up personal data with every purchase. Information such as your email address, name and address is necessary to create an account or receive a delivery. And that’s fine as long as it’s used for these purposes only.

However, the fine print linked under “Privacy Policy” that you agree to at checkout often comes with a long list or, worse still, an unspecified number of third parties with which your data will be shared. Retailers often sell personal information and purchase histories to third parties, such as marketing companies and data brokers, who use it to build detailed consumer profiles. Once it’s out there, it’s very hard to remove your information from these third-party databases.

Arguably, this happens all the time, Black Friday or not. But with all the marketing strategies pushing us to buy quickly and buy more, we’re just less likely to pay attention.

A woman shopping online on her laptop. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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The spam and scam aftershock, a post-Black Friday hiccup

The term “Black Friday” was originally coined in the 1950s by Philadelphia police officers to describe the chaos that ensued the day after Thanksgiving, when hordes of shoppers and tourists flooded the city.

After the shopping extravaganza of Black Friday, your inbox and phone may experience their own dark moments. A surge in spam is widely reported during the month of November. This unwanted communication can come from several sources.

First, from the online shops where you’ve left your email and phone number. Second, from all the companies that received your consumer profile, the ones listed (or not) in the fine print of the privacy policy. Third, from all the retailers you bought from in the past, including that one-time purchase of a kettlebell set three…