What Amazon's customer profiles got right — and hilariously wrong — about us
Amazon's new 'About You' feature creates customer profiles based on shopping habits, search history, and Alexa interactions. Employees at Business Insider reported that while some insights were accurate, others were bizarrely specific or completely incorrect.
Why it matters
It highlights growing consumer concerns regarding data privacy and the accuracy of algorithmic profiling by major tech corporations.
Amazon's "About You" page has been all the rage in our newsroom conversations this week. Getty Images/Business Insider Conversations about Amazon's customer dossiers have taken over the Business Insider newsroom. Some insights were spot-on. Others were weirdly personal. Here's what Amazon thinks it knows about us based on our shopping data. Amazon thinks Thomas Gryta really likes beef jerky. He doesn't really know why. "I've ordered more energy bars and vitamins than jerky," Business Insider's interim corporate editor wrote in Slack. He added that his Amazon "About You" customer profile "feels like a judgy accusation from a nutritionist." Thomas says he doesn't live with another adult, has kids, doesn't wear women's clothes, and only eats jerky from time to time. Amazon disagrees.
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