It shouldnâÂÂt come as a surprise that Amazon collects data about you based on what you buy. If you buy a lot of cat litter, Amazon will probably infer that you have cats, or if you buy a lot of anti-acne skin products, then Amazon might guess youâÂÂre prone to breakouts. Even if we know that Amazon customizes our shopping experiences based on our purchase history, it still comes as a surprise to see all of these personal details laid out in a convenient list. Especially when those details get uncomfortably intimate.
One Threads user came across this section of her Amazon settings, where you can see who the shopping giant thinks you are, and alongside more benign assumptions like âÂÂShops from womenâÂÂs departmentsâ and âÂÂProbably owns a Shark robot vacuum,â she found that Amazon assumes she âÂÂhas flat buttocks.âÂÂ
âÂÂI stumbled upon a page of assumptions that Amazon has made about me based on my purchases and IâÂÂm literally speechless,â an Amazon customer, @fangirlinmegan, wrote on Threads. âÂÂI mean it ainâÂÂt wrong but damn did you have to call me out like that?âÂÂ
In less than a day, the post garnered over a million views, including many from users who were curious what their own Amazon profiles might reveal. HereâÂÂs how you find out.
On desktop, you can find this page by hovering over where Amazon says âÂÂHello, [your name]â in the upper right corner. Then click âÂÂAccountâ under the âÂÂYour Accountâ section. Under the âÂÂOrdering and shopping preferencesâ section, click âÂÂYour Shopping preferences.â From here, you can add in information of your own, like your shoe size, interests, and dietary preferences. But weâÂÂre not here to tell Amazon that it should stop selling you beef jerky since youâÂÂre a vegetarian. WeâÂÂre here to see if Amazon thinks you have âÂÂflat buttocks.â When you scroll to the bottom of the page, youâÂÂll see a blue hyperlinked option that says âÂÂManage your information.â Once you click that, youâÂÂll see what dirt Amazon has on you.
On the mobile app, you can get here by clicking the hamburger icon from the bottom menu bar, then navigating to âÂÂAccountâ > âÂÂShopping preferencesâ > âÂÂAbout you.âÂÂ
For me, Amazon has gleaned that I am someone who âÂÂpractices photography,â âÂÂplays collectible card games,â and is âÂÂinvested in the Apple ecosystem.â This is all true. Amazon has even flattered me by noting that I âÂÂread diverse non-fiction,â to which I say â why yes, I am indeed an open-minded intellectual with a thirst for knowledge. Thank you for noticing.
Other colleagues of mine found that Amazon correctly noted their interests in vinyl records and ceramics, as well as a penchant for âÂÂnatural materialsâ in home decor and clothing that âÂÂprioritizes comfort.â None of us had anything as affronting as âÂÂhas flat buttocks,â but the Threads user noted that this was likely because she had purchased âÂÂbutt scrunch leggings.âÂÂ
Tech companies know too much about us, and itâÂÂs jarring to realize just how closely theyâÂÂre paying attention to how we use their platforms. We live in a world of alarming surveillance, but at least I know that Amazon doesnâÂÂt think my butt is flat.
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