When I first downloaded the McDonald’s app years ago, I signed up for its loyalty program hoping to get better deals. Why not get some cheap French fries? While I understood that this would entail some type of data tracking, I didn’t grasp how the information would be used to algorithmically predict my next purchase.
As a California resident, I have the legal right to access the data a company stores about me. So, I 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 I visited the McDonald’s Privacy Rights Center site and requested access, I received a 515-page file in my inbox with the iconic golden arches stamped across the top.
A really eye opening report about the state of data collection in this, year of our lord, 2026.
If McDonalds can use your data to come up with tracking this detailed — understanding the days and times you’re most likely to come in, the expected order value, how often you’re likely to return — imagine what bigger orgs with less focused data collection can do.
I’m a recovering former employee of the marketing technology system, so I understood some of this, but the scale and scope is even more stunning than I anticipated. Unreal stuff.