It is common knowledge, if the term ‘no free lunch’ also applies in technology companies that provide free services. In the case of Facebook early last year for example. Although it allows users to access the social network for free, the benefits are user data that is used to facilitate advertisers’ access to reach the right consumers. The Google search engine giant, in fact does not want to miss.
Under the pretext of the effectiveness of advertising targets, Google is working with credit card providers from America, Mastercard. This form of cooperation is the purchase of Google credit card data from Mastercard which is estimated to reach millions of US dollars.
Bloomberg and Gizmodo reports said that the negotiation process between the two parties had actually been going on for four years. Data from Mastercard is used by Google to open the access of selected advertisers with a tool they call “store sales measurement” which Google secretly launched through its official blog last year.
But in the announcement, Google did not mention that it would involve data from Mastercard. The tool can track how online advertising can persuade its target to make transactions in the real world. These data will make Google’s advertising products more attractive to advertisers.
Because, if usually a sale and purchase transaction can only be seen by consumers, banks, and stores, then after this agreement, Google can better connect potential buyers to sellers who put ads on Google more specifically.
Although the tool has paved the way for advertisers since last year, the public, especially those who use Mastercard, are not provided with information on the collaboration with Google. Nevertheless, Google claims that the credit card transaction data that is utilized by the new advertising tool is protected by encryption and is anonymous.
But anonymous data seems to be of little significance if the owner is Google, where the ad machine can track user-specific information from a number of services such as e-mail, search history, and now includes shopping transaction habits.
Google also provides diplomatic clarification that user data is used to provide advertisers with information for their advertising effectiveness, not used to target ads. Facebook and Amazon In fact not only Google.
Compiled from the Gizmodo report on Thursday (09/06/2018), some Silicon Valley corporations also do the same thing. Facebook, indicated to be approaching the bank to get access to the financial data of its users.
The Wall Street Journal reports, Facebook wants to get specific information about financial balances and individual customer transactions. Facebook is called to make chatbots on Messenger to make it easier for users to check savings balances and questions about other banks.
Facebook representatives denied the news. However, they did not deny communicating with the bank to ask for financial information about their users, even though it was evasive if the purpose was for advertising.
In addition to Facebook, the world’s e-commerce giant, Amazon also allegedly approached the bank to request the same information. Amazon is known to be approaching several large bank companies, such as JP Morgan Chase, to make products similar to Facebook, which allows users to check bank balances
