Many people enthusiastically discuss reward platforms for online purchases, appreciating the chance to earn refunds on intended buys. However, concerns arise about the handling of personal information collected through these services.
Reward platforms offer practical benefits when used cautiously, as the insights websites gain into user habits can sometimes lead to unintended complications.
These platforms operate by installing a browser add-on or mobile application, which alerts users to available deals during online shopping sessions. Rewards typically involve a percentage rebate, sometimes limited to a maximum value, or a set amount, with prominent services like Rakuten (previously known as Ebates), Swagbucks, and TopCashBack.
During high-traffic sales events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, rebate rates can increase significantly, reaching up to 15 percent at select retailers. For expenditures of $50 to $100, these savings accumulate meaningfully, often offsetting taxes and providing additional funds.
Banks provide comparable yet distinct rebate features, usually linked to credit cards. Users must first enable the deal via the bank's portal or app, after which matching purchases trigger automatic refunds based on specified conditions, like 2 percent up to $5. Notable examples include $100 credits on Dell orders over $500. These promotions rotate frequently with defined end dates and require upfront activation to qualify, without retroactive application.
The key distinction lies in the scope: reward platforms track comprehensive online shopping patterns, whereas bank rebates rely solely on transaction records. Rakuten's privacy statement outlines extensive data gathering, including:
"…records of products, product types, merchants, merchant types, goods or services purchased, obtained, or considered by you, including products, merchants and coupons you searched for, viewed or clicked, items added to cart and abandoned, shopping trips initiated, merchant sites visited from our Services, transaction history related to our Services, purchase confirmation data…"
The policy further details additional tracked elements, such as visited page URLs, browsing timestamps, and referral sources to Rakuten's site. It also notes inferences drawn about user preferences, interests, and behaviors within legal bounds.
Rakuten claims it avoids selling data to external entities but shares it with partners unless users opt out. This practice helps tailor recommendations to encourage more frequent shopping, potentially beyond original plans.
In contrast, bank rebates limit new data collection; institutions already access purchase locations and timings via card statements and apply rewards accordingly. Banks profile customers partly to detect fraud, and they may share data with affiliates for operational and marketing purposes, though users can request to discontinue such sharing—a step worth considering.
To explore this, an account was created with Rakuten, involving some site navigation and minor transactions, followed by a formal request for the amassed data.
The retrieved information aligned with the platform's policy, revealing records of visited websites and timings, acquired items, device and browser specifications, and similar details—nothing unexpected for those acquainted with the terms.
While much of this data appears innocuous, the prevalence of website breaches and data exposures means such records persist online indefinitely. Shopping profiles reveal personal insights, conveniently aggregated by reward services.
This data could fuel targeted threats, including phishing schemes or extortion attempts exploiting inferred vulnerabilities or sensitive purchase patterns.
Ultimately, the trade-off depends on individual priorities, with some opting out of rewards to safeguard privacy. Prudence in usage remains advisable.
Given uncertainties in data security evolution, minimizing shareable personal details seems prudent. Two decades ago, rapid online connectivity and inferential analysis from minor data points were unimaginable, highlighting capabilities like pinpointing locations from subtle image cues—both innovative and concerning.
Incidentally, during investigations of reward platforms, the Vivaldi browser proved effective; praised by experts like Mark Hachman and Michael Crider, its strengths became evident upon use.
Economic pressures persist, with projections suggesting potential challenges ahead. While rewards provide timely relief, they should align with broader digital security practices.
Alaina Yee, a 15-year contributor to technology and gaming media, addresses diverse subjects at PCWorld. Joining in 2016, her coverage spans CPUs, Windows, PC assembly, Chrome, Raspberry Pi, and beyond, including deal spotting (#slickdeals). Her current emphasis is cybersecurity, guiding users on online protection. Previous publications include PC Gamer, IGN, Maximum PC, and Official Xbox Magazine.