What could a company learn by connecting where you go, what you browse, and what you buy? Data integration brings separate sources or categories together so they can be used as a larger collection. Digital data makes this far easier than when records were mostly local and paper-based. section 2.7 section 1.0
A fuller picture of grocery spending
In-store and online grocery purchases each show only part of your spending. Combine them and a company can see more of your grocery purchases. Add browsing data to purchase data, and the picture changes again. section 8.6.2
The stakes go beyond convenience. Companies can combine information about you and people you know with sources such as local offers, unemployment figures, and housing data. They can use the result to anticipate situations and time offers around their goals—even when buying more is not in your interest. Analytics matters, but it is the range of data collected and integrated that makes this possible. section 2.5
Integration could also serve goals you choose. A proposed model of specialized data companies would group your data with other data, price those groupings, and help you set changing objectives for its use. Before agreeing to a new use of your data, ask what will be combined, who gains access, and whose objective the combination serves. section 8.6.2 section 2.5
