Google now knows when its users go to the
store and buy stuff
Washington Post article notes:
“Google has begun
using billions of credit card transaction records to prove that its online ads
are prompting people to make purchases – even when they happen offline in
brick-and-mortar stores, the company said Tuesday.
The advance allows
Google to determine how many sales have been generated by digital ad campaigns,
a goal that industry insiders have long described as “the holy grail” of online
advertising. But the announcement also renewed long-standing privacy complaints
about how the company uses personal information.”