Write a paper exploring the privacy policy of three social shopping Web sites. Do they sell user information to third parties?
There are a number of social shopping Web sites that have become increasingly popular in recent years. These sites allow users to browse and purchase items from a variety of retailers, often at discounted prices. However, as with any online activity, there is a potential for privacy concerns. In this report, we will take a look at the privacy policies of three social shopping Web sites: Groupon, LivingSocial, and BuyWithMe.
Groupon’s privacy policy states that they collect personally identifiable information from users in a number of ways, including when users sign up for an account, make a purchase, or participate in certain promotions or surveys. This information may include name, email address, mailing address, phone number, credit card information, and other information. Groupon states that they may use this information to provide users with a better experience on their site, as well as for marketing purposes. They also say that they may share this information with third parties, such as retailers or advertisers, but only if it is necessary to do so in order to provide the requested service or product.
LivingSocial’s privacy policy is similar to Groupon’s in that they collect personally identifiable information from users in a number of ways, including when users sign up for an account, make a purchase, or participate in certain promotions or surveys. This information may include name, email address, mailing address, phone number, credit card information, and other information. LivingSocial states that they may use this information to provide users with a better experience on their site, as well as for marketing purposes. They also say that they may share this information with third parties, such as retailers or advertisers, but only if it is necessary to do so in order to provide the requested service or product.
BuyWithMe’s privacy policy states that they collect personally identifiable information from users when users sign up for an account, make a purchase, or participate in certain promotions or surveys. This information may include name, email address, mailing address, phone number, credit card information, and other information. BuyWithMe says that they use this information to provide users with a better experience on their site, as well as for marketing purposes. They also say that they may share this information with third parties, such as retailers or advertisers, but only if it is necessary to do so in order to provide the requested service or product.
As you can see, all three of these social shopping Web sites have similar privacy policies. They all collect personally identifiable information from users, they use this information to improve the user experience and for marketing purposes, and they may share this information with third parties if it is necessary to do so. However, each site does give users the option to opt out of having their information shared with third parties.