It should come as little surprise to modern consumers that e-commerce giants collect massive amounts of data based on purchasing habits. If a customer consistently buys large quantities of cat litter, an algorithm will likely infer that they own cats. Similarly, frequent purchases of targeted skin care products might lead a retailer to deduce that an individual is prone to acne breakouts. Even though most internet users are well aware that platforms like Amazon customize shopping experiences based on past orders, seeing all of those personal details laid out in a convenient, itemized list still has the power to shock—especially when those automated assumptions cross the line into uncomfortably intimate territory.
The latest reminder of just how closely algorithmic profiling can hit home came when a user on Meta’s Threads platform stumbled upon a hidden section of her Amazon account settings. This particular page displays a running list of who the retail giant believes the customer is based on their digital footprint. Alongside more benign, everyday assumptions such as "Shops from women’s departments" and "Probably owns a Shark robot vacuum," this particular user discovered that Amazon’s automated profiling system had arrived at a much more specific and personal conclusion: the algorithm assumed she "has flat buttocks."
The discovery quickly struck a chord across social media. "I stumbled upon a page of assumptions that Amazon has made about me based on my purchases and I’m literally speechless," wrote the customer, who posts under the handle @fangirlinmegan 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 exploded in popularity, garnering over a million views and igniting a wave of curiosity as other users rushed to check their own Amazon profiles to see what the retail behemoth had quietly deduced about them.
For those navigating the platform on a desktop browser, locating this revealing page requires a specific series of clicks. Users can hover over the navigation menu where Amazon displays a greeting in the upper right corner, then select the account option under the main management section. From there, navigating to ordering and shopping preferences leads to a page dedicated to shopping preferences. While this area allows customers to manually input personal information such as shoe size, general interests, and dietary restrictions, scrolling to the bottom reveals a blue hyperlinked option labeled "Manage your information." Clicking through this prompt opens up a detailed view of the digital profile Amazon has quietly built behind the scenes.
Mobile app users can access the same data by tapping the hamburger menu icon from the bottom navigation bar, and then navigating consecutively through account settings, shopping preferences, and the "About you" section.
When other users and tech journalists began inspecting their own profiles, the results ranged from remarkably accurate to amusingly flattering. For some, the platform correctly deduced interests such as practicing photography, playing collectible card games, and being deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem. In other instances, the algorithm noted that an individual reads diverse non-fiction, prompting amused reactions from those who felt the profile successfully painted a picture of an open-minded intellectual with an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Other colleagues and independent reviewers found that Amazon accurately cataloged their appreciation for vinyl records and ceramics, as well as a distinct consumer preference for natural materials in home decor and clothing that prioritizes comfort. While none of these professional checks yielded anything quite as jarring or direct as the assumption regarding flat buttocks, the original Threads user deduced a logical explanation for her unique algorithmic label: she had previously purchased "butt scrunch leggings."
The viral moment highlights a broader, ongoing conversation about the state of digital privacy and the sheer volume of data contemporary technology companies amass about everyday citizens. Tech companies inherently understand a great deal about their users’ habits, preferences, and lifestyles, but it remains jarring for consumers to realize just how closely these platforms pay attention to the granular details of their digital behavior. In an era increasingly defined by alarming trends in mass surveillance and corporate data harvesting, discovering that an e-commerce platform has formulated specific opinions about a person’s physical attributes serves as a visceral reminder of the invisible data-gathering apparatus operating quietly in the background of modern consumer life.
