A fast-food loyalty program user in California requested his personal data and received a 515-page dossier from McDonald’s containing algorithmic predictions on his spending habits and visits.
When a California resident named Rogers downloaded the mobile application for McDonald’s and signed up for its loyalty program years ago, the goal was simple: cheap french fries and better deals. While understanding that the registration would entail some type of data tracking, the customer did not grasp how the information would be used to algorithmically predict his next purchase, with the volume of information ultimately surprising him.
Exercising legal rights granted to residents in California to access stored corporate data, the customer decided to request that information from McDonald’s to better understand what one of the major fast-food companies is collecting about its customers. A few days after he visited the McDonald’s Privacy Rights Center site and requested access, a 515-page file stamped with the iconic golden arches across the top arrived in his inbox.
Inside the 515-Page Dossier and Algorithmic Predictions
The file proved lengthy and difficult to parse, prompting the customer to use a generative AI tool to extract key information before verifying details against the original document and reaching out to privacy experts. The introductory page of the report stated: This report contains specific pieces of personal information about you that were identified by searching McDonald’s systems which contain information about our customers.
The dossier included numerous predictions on the customer’s shopping habits, including how many times he was likely to visit the store and his average spend. The dossier also stated Rogers had a Customer Attrition Likelihood of zero, meaning McDonald’s believed there was no chance he would stop eating there.
Commercial Surveillance Disguised as Loyalty Programs
When customers sign up for loyalty programs, like the one offered through the McDonald’s app, they might not fully realize the extent to which their data is being aggregated and used in predictive models.
“McDonald’s secret sauce is really commercial surveillance.”
Jeff Chester, executive director at the Center for Digital Democracy, a group that advocates for consumer protections, via WIRED
Privacy experts noted that while this level of detail may feel invasive to average consumers, it is fairly standard for how large companies in the US run their loyalty programs.
Expert Reactions to Automated Consumer Profiling
The sheer scale of the document startled observers familiar with corporate data practices.
Photo: Nzherald
“515 pages on one customer boggles the mind. That’s AI going crazy. We ought to be concerned globally. This is one case. Imagine this going on in, you know, hundreds and hundreds of retailers across the United States, right? This is not a one-off.”
Joseph Turow, a professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, via New York Post
Turow added that McDonald’s goal is to make its relationship with you so personalised that you will see yourself in their relationship with you.
Corporate Defense and the Future of Data Privacy
“McDonald’s takes data privacy and security seriously, and we take robust steps to safeguard customer information. Like many digital loyalty programs, we use information such as past purchases to provide a more engaging, personal customer experience—like delivering the most relevant deals, offers and messages.”
Wired reporter gets 515 page data dossier from McDonald's
A McDonald’s spokesperson, via WIRED
After the discovery, Rogers asked the McDonald’s Privacy Rights Center to delete the data. He also vowed to stop eating at McDonald’s.
