Government wants access to supermarket loyalty card data... "It's for your own good".

[denny]

Two articles just out on this...

The first: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/05/ntesco05.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/12/05/ixhome.html
"The MPs suggested that loyalty cards could be used to identify customers who bought excessive amounts of foods high in fat, sugar and salt, and asked whether supermarkets could use this information to promote healthier alternatives to these customers."

The second: http://media.guardian.co.uk/advertising/story/0,7492,1099981,00.html
"David Hinchliffe, the MP who was instrumental in securing a ban on tobacco advertising earlier this year, suggested supermarkets' loyalty cards could be used to monitor eating habits."

(spotted on Politech)

Comments

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

....
Must be bad if it even puts my back up. Christ.

E.
x

[wechsler.livejournal.com]

Who the fook votes these prats *in*?

[duranorak.livejournal.com]

Well, not me, but according to most people that's part of the problem.

E.
x

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it would be nice if more intelligent people voted. Even if you're not interested in voting for someone, I'm sure you could find someone it was worth voting against.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

It probably puts your back up because you live on ready meals and Coke :)

[wechsler.livejournal.com]

*meaningful look*

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Well quite... but I get excited about worrying privacy invasions and laws that don't actually affect me as well, whereas duranorak, like gothslut, is fairly notorious for saying she doesn't care about this kind of stuff unless it directly impacts her.

[wildeabandon.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Actually, privacy is one of the few issues where I do actually have principles, although on reflection, that may be because of the slippery slope idea, so at some point is actually might have an effect on me.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Well, supermarkets already do monitor your eating habits, but they mostly try to offer you incentives to buy more of (or more expensive varieties of) the things you buy already. My recent offer vouchers were for luxury cheese, aubergines and dairy desserts (the latter prompted by wechsler's occasional mini-cheesecake habit I suspect), which probably tells you a lot about my eating habits (I like cheese and Mediterranean food).

I'm not sure there'd be much of a profit in it for supermarkets to try to encourage people who buy unhealthy, expensive pre-prep foods to switch to lower-fat or lower-salt foods, which usually means buying cheap, fresh produce and cooking your own. If the Government did try to force their hand, it would probably result, at least in the short term, in the price of healthier food being pushed up as they try to preserve their profit margins.

[kaet.livejournal.com]

I've got a co-op divvy card, but that's all. I don't think I mind a group of wet-behind-the-ears lefties that are the co-op knowing such things. I'd not trust Tescos or Sainsbury's as far as I could throw one of their stores, though.

And, is it possible to section governments under the mental health act? :)

[wechsler.livejournal.com]

I think that requires a mind to be found...

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure there'd be much of a profit in it for supermarkets to try to encourage people who buy unhealthy, expensive pre-prep foods to switch to lower-fat or lower-salt foods

That's a very good point. It's kind of sad that the most likely thing to defeat this kind of government invasion of privacy is a pragmatic money motive, but hey - whatever works :)

[adjectivegail]

*snarl* *growl* *bristle*

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

I began to stop using shop loyalty cards about six months ago, one by one, with no pattern, so it wouldn't be noticed. Paranoia is sometimes good.

[velvetfox.livejournal.com]

I've never had any sort of loyalty card. I don't want people to know anything about me! *shiver*

[random-goblin.livejournal.com]

its a sad state of affairs when i trust tescos to be better at keeping those sorts of details, than a left wing government.

i must confess to a certain sadistic pleasure at seeing david blunkett's black eye recently, as he's been behaving in the annoyingly arrogant smug twat manner that used to be the sole preserve of slimy tories.. ah well they all go the same way it seems.

[fellcat.livejournal.com]

left wing government.

The hell is the Labour Party a left-wing govt. New Labour is not Socialist.