De-anonymization: Potential Impact on Payment Data Collection

In an increasingly interconnected technological world, consumers around the globe are either consciously or inadvertently handing over private data. Payment transaction data collected has great marketing potential, but it has a downside for consumers and the merchants they patronize. Researchers have shown that through fairly simple means it is possible to "de-anonymize" information to reveal sensitive personal and financial details. This Mercator Advisory Group Research Note discusses the risks of de-anonymization of consumer data.