It shouldn’t 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 you’re 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 “Shops from women’s departments” and “Probably owns a Shark robot vacuum,” she found that Amazon assumes she “has flat buttocks.”
“I stumbled upon a page of assumptions that Amazon has made about me based on my purchases and I’m literally speechless,” an Amazon customer, @fangirlinmegan, wrote on Threads. “I mean it ain’t wrong but damn did you have to call me out like that?”
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. Here’s how you find out.
On desktop, you can find this page by hovering over where Amazon says “Hello, [your name]” in the upper right corner. Then click “Account” under the “Your Account” section. Under the “Ordering and shopping preferences” section, click “Your Shopping preferences.” From here, you can add in information of your own, like your shoe size, interests, and dietary preferences. But we’re not here to tell Amazon that it should stop selling you beef jerky since you’re a vegetarian. We’re here to see if Amazon thinks you have “flat buttocks.” When you scroll to the bottom of the page, you’ll see a blue hyperlinked option that says “Manage your information.” Once you click that, you’ll 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 “Account” > “Shopping preferences” > “About you.”
For me, Amazon has gleaned that I am someone who “practices photography,” “plays collectible card games,” and is “invested in the Apple ecosystem.” This is all true. Amazon has even flattered me by noting that I “read diverse non-fiction,” to which I say — 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 “natural materials” in home decor and clothing that “prioritizes comfort.” None of us had anything as affronting as “has flat buttocks,” but the Threads user noted that this was likely because she had purchased “butt scrunch leggings.”
Tech companies know too much about us, and it’s jarring to realize just how closely they’re paying attention to how we use their platforms. We live in a world of alarming surveillance, but at least I know that Amazon doesn’t think my butt is flat.
