Amazon’s Creepy Assumptions Exposed: Shoppers Discover ‘Flat Buttocks’ Label

Amazon customers have uncovered that the company generates inferred assumptions about their physical characteristics, including labels like 'flat buttocks,' based on their shopping behavior. The discovery was brought to light by a shopper who shared their shock on Threads, stating, 'I stumbled upon a page of assumptions that Amazon has made about me based on my purchases and I’m literally speechless.' The page, part of Amazon’s advertising preferences, allows users to view and edit the inferences the company has drawn about them.

This revelation underscores the extensive data profiling that e-commerce platforms employ to tailor advertising and recommendations. Amazon, like many tech giants, uses purchase history, browsing behavior, and other signals to infer attributes such as age, gender, interests, and even physical traits. While the company argues that these inferences improve user experience, privacy advocates warn that such detailed profiling can feel intrusive and may lead to discriminatory practices. The incident follows a series of privacy controversies surrounding big tech, including Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal and Google’s location tracking lawsuits.

The discovery has sparked a broader debate about transparency and consent in data collection. Consumers are increasingly demanding control over their personal data, and regulators in the EU and US are scrutinizing algorithmic profiling under laws like the GDPR and proposed federal privacy legislation. Amazon has not yet issued a public statement, but the company’s advertising preferences page allows users to opt out of interest-based ads. As awareness grows, shoppers may pressure Amazon and other platforms to be more transparent about how they infer and use personal attributes, potentially leading to changes in data practices or regulatory action.