McDonald’s Built a 515-Page Dossier on Me. It Says I’ll Never Stop Eating There
A journalist requested their personal data from McDonald's to understand how the company uses customer information for predictive modeling. The resulting 515-page dossier revealed detailed insights into the company's ability to predict future spending and customer behavior.
Why it matters
It sheds light on the extent of commercial surveillance and data aggregation practices used by major fast-food chains in their loyalty programs.
As a California resident, I have the legal right to access the data a company stores about me. So, I decided to request that information from McDonald’s to better understand what one of the major fast-food companies is collecting about its customers. A few days after I visited the McDonald’s Privacy Rights Center site and requested access, I received a 515-page file in my inbox with the iconic golden arches stamped across the top.
When customers sign up for loyalty programs, like the one offered through the McDonald’s app, they might not fully realize the extent to which their data is being aggregated and used in predictive models.
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