I’ve been thinking about which is the better way to shop to maintain privacy. The way I see it there are pros and cons to each but I can’t decide which is ultimately better (and of course it depends on threat model and who you’re trying to hide from)
Irl
Pro
- Retailer doesn’t need your address/phone number/email address to complete a transaction
- If you pay with cash, your bank doesn’t have details of what you bought and can’t sell it to data brokers
Con
- Most/all stores have security cameras (often with facial recognition). You can mitigate it with masks or other coverings but I’ve seen a few stores now locally that don’t allow masks or raised hoodies
Online
Pro
- Your shopping is kept from prying eyes as far as security cameras go
Con
- If you buy something to be delivered, the retailer usually wants your address, email and phone number, and (unless using a gift card) your credit card info
- Even if you buy something to collect in store, most still require a phone number which can be hard to make private if burner phones aren’t legal where you live and/or the retailer won’t accept VoIP numbers
One thing that’s worth keeping in mind: physical retailers may have cameras, but they (in general) rotate their recordings and don’t provide an API for law enforcement. By contrast, any data that an online service gets is probably stored forever, possibly across multiple companies. If you do pick up the online package at a physical store, then you’re losing most of the benefits, so you also need to provide an address.
That being said, much of China and some of the US have significant outdoor surveillance camera networks. These usually do provide law enforcement with real time, AI search, and may keep recordings for a very long
For me, as a Canadian, I’d consider physical stores more private, maybe putting on generic clothing and a mask if it’s really important. If your city has its own surveillance system, that might be different for you. Though really, in that case, you should be more concerned about pushing for the cameras to be removed, or failing that looking into moving elsewhere: it is not sufficient to have privacy only online, only from major storefronts.
They may not give law enforcement direct access but they absolutely upload and share their recordings with third party companies and other retailers. I don’t know how long they keep it for but storage space is incredibly cheap these days
Privacy while shopping in person is literally impossible these days, so I don’t even try there.
I know I’m recorded dozens if not hundreds of times by cameras and other devices every time I leave home. Apartment building security cams, neighbors’ doorbell cams, public transit cams, police surveillance cams, dashcams, retail cams. There are thousands of automated license plate readers in my state. My car has four cams and sends all sorts of data back to the manufacturer. My apartment front door is electronic and it logs all locks & unlocks. My building’s parking garage logs every time I enter and exit. Virtually every intersection has surveillance cams (not just red light cams). Hell even when hiking you’ll end up on trail cams.
Last month police in my metro used outdoor surveillance cams to falsely accuse a woman of package theft and the cop that visited her home told her, “You know we have cameras in that town. You can’t get a breath of fresh air in or out of that place without us knowing."
Your best bet for privacy while shopping is if you walk everywhere, pay with cash and wear a mask. And even if you do all that, gait-recognition technology will be widespread in the very near future and you’ll be identifiable in public even while wearing a mask.
I hope I’ll never have to live in a place like this, sounds terrifying. I moved out of a city because paying with card and having phone apps has been increasingly forced on citizens, but this is another league.