Key facts
- Amazon's 'About You' feature generates customer profiles based on purchase history, searches, saved lists, reviews, and Alexa conversations.
- Amazon states that the 'About You' profiles do not use information from third parties.
- The data used for 'About You' profiles comes from a customer's activity across Amazon.
- Customers can edit or delete specific conclusions on their 'About You' pages.
- Editing a detail on 'About You' informs Amazon not to use that information for personalization, but does not delete underlying Amazon activity.
Amazon's 'About You' feature, which creates customer dossiers based on their activity across the platform, has become a viral sensation. These profiles, which can include amusingly specific conclusions about shoppers, are built from purchase history, searches, saved lists, written reviews, and interactions with Alexa for Shopping. While the feature has sparked social media discussion for its sometimes inaccurate or humorous insights, Amazon asserts that it does not collect any information from third parties for these profiles. Instead, the details are derived solely from a customer's engagement with Amazon services. For instance, ordering pet food might lead to an inference about pet ownership, and purchasing children's items could suggest the presence of kids. Customers have the ability to edit or delete individual conclusions presented on their 'About You' pages. This allows users to correct or remove information they deem inaccurate or no longer relevant for personalization, though it does not automatically delete the underlying Amazon activity that prompted the inference.