McDonald's Built a 515-Page Dossier on Me. It Says I'll Never Stop Eating There

When I first downloaded the McDonald’s app years ago, I signed up for its loyalty programme hoping to get amended deals. Why not get immoderate inexpensive gallic fries? While I understood that this would entail immoderate type of data tracking, I didn’t grasp really the accusation would beryllium utilized to algorithmically predict my adjacent purchase.

As a California resident, I person the ineligible correct to entree the information a institution stores astir me. So, I decided to petition that accusation from McDonald’s to amended understand what 1 of the awesome fast-food companies is collecting astir its customers. A fewer days aft I visited the McDonald’s Privacy Rights Center tract and requested access, I received a 515-page record successful my inbox pinch the iconic aureate arches stamped crossed the top.

When customers motion up for loyalty programs, for illustration the 1 offered done the McDonald’s app, they mightiness not afloat recognize the grade to which their information is being aggregated and utilized successful predictive models.

“McDonald’s concealed condiment is really commercialized surveillance,” says Jeff Chester, executive head astatine the Center for Digital Democracy, a group that advocates for user protections. Privacy experts I said pinch said this level of item whitethorn consciousness invasive, but it's reasonably modular for really ample companies successful the US tally their loyalty programs.

“This study contains circumstantial pieces of individual accusation astir you that were identified by searching McDonald’s systems which incorporate accusation astir our customers,” publication the report’s intro. It was lengthy and difficult to parse, truthful I utilized a generative AI instrumentality to extract key information earlier verifying specifications pinch the original archive and reaching retired to privateness experts.

“McDonald's takes information privateness and information seriously, and we return robust steps to safeguard customer information,” a McDonald’s spokesperson tells WIRED via email. “Like galore integer loyalty programs, we usage accusation specified arsenic past purchases to supply a much engaging, individual customer experience—like delivering the astir applicable deals, offers and messages. Our customers proceed to person privateness choices disposable to them arsenic outlined successful our privateness statement.”

Much of my information study contains a elaborate relationship of past McDonald’s transactions arsenic good arsenic offers the fast-food institution sent maine and really galore loyalty points I accumulated. Essentially, each clip I opened up the app to drawback a wound to eat, it created a elaborate grounds astir when, where, and what I purchased. The log was moreover much thorough than I anticipated, including a grounds of each clip I’ve scanned a codification arsenic portion of its returning Monopoly sweepstakes on pinch the prize I received.