According to Fox News: Store Customer Cards a Source for FBI?
So you have a secret craving for Little Debbie peanut butter bars and a penchant for Kendall-Jackson merlot?
While that customer loyalty card at the supermarket might perceivably save you a few pennies at the checkout counter, your buying habits could end up in the hands of government agents.
According to one privacy expert, at least one national grocery chain voluntarily handed over to the government records from its customer loyalty card database in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
And others say customer databases — including those culled from travel, financial and insurance industries — are routinely shared with the government for surveillance purposes.
“I think this is exactly what the FBI wants to do and there really isn’t any obstacle to them doing it anymore,” charged Lee Tien, a policy analyst with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.