There is no doubt that this data can be stored and sold to direct mail and telephone marketing companies. In fact whenever you do business online you are broadcasting a piece of your personality. Critics of this information gathering technique are making the absurd claim that some online companies are evil because they're observant and have good memories. Of course they also know the names, credit card numbers and browsing habits of every one of their customers. It's easy to picture some social studies major somewhere, waxing nostalgic at their electric typewriter, wondering how they can make a name for themselves by inventing an unforeseen cultural consequence of Internet commerce.
Target marketing is neither evil nor new.
Marketing companies don't want to waste time advertising rosary beads to Mormons, as much as Mormons don't want to be bothered by such ads. What a wonderful day it will be when during the Superbowl I get to see commercials for photomultiplier tubes, diode lasers, computer games and violent action movies while our anti-progress Internet critics get to watch adds for kerosene lanterns, horse drawn buggy's, bows and arrows and the latest play at the ampitheartre. Then there are those who claim this is an invasion of privacy. Privacy freaks are mild conspiracy theorists who think someone is watching them. Get over it.