So recently, I went into a shipping service store, that is well known, etc etc. I walked in, asked a question, then walked out. I did nothing else.

A couple days later, I get an email from them, to the email address that I have used for them in the past. The email wants me to take a survey.

Now, since I have made a shipping label online with them before once, then took that label (attached to a parcel) in the store, which was then scanned, I can only assume that this recent email I got was the result of facial recognition data gathering.

I am an extremely privacy conscious person, but this tactic evades even me, as the only way to avoid it, would be to never set foot into their store.

I really really hate myself too because the email I used with them is one of my personal-name emails and now they have that. I did that before I became privacy conscious. I can only imagine how other people feel, who are much deeper in the hole than a random facial recognition incident.

Have any of your ever experienced this? where you walked into some place and then got an email? It’s so creepy…

  • DirigibleProtein@aussie.zoneEnglish
    61·
    1 year ago

    Could also be Bluetooth or wifi recognition of your phone, I know of several supermarkets that combine this data with rewards cards to recognise you and track you.

  • JoeKrogan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Not happened to me but I’d say learn from it and make a new account with fake info and unsubscribe from them and ask to be removed from their database.

    Its more than likely the barcode triggered the system

    • Unlucky_Boot3467@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      i didnt scan any barcode when i went in recently. I was saying that I did before (a couple years ago i think), which could be how to attached facial data to email, if indeed they did do it the association that with facial data

  • tylerh@kbin.social
    1·
    1 year ago

    Agree on the creepy side, though there’s other possibilities besides facial recognition, namely:

    • They buy data from a data broker. Said data broker bought (or got) location data from any number of apps you have installed on your phone that monitor your location data.
    • They associated your phone’s Wifi MAC (even if you don’t connect to their Wifi) or a bluetooth MAC (of bluetooth headphones, watch, or other device) to you previously, then saw it again
    • Unlucky_Boot3467@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      1 year ago

      first one is not plausible, I allow no location data to a single app, especially not any closed source apps

      Second one also not plausible. I have MAC randomization.