When online shopping becomes online stalking

Close encounters of the ad kind — when retailers cross the line into the creepy unknown

“Privacy is not something that I’m merely entitled to, it’s an absolute prerequisite.” — Marlon Brando

Remember those good old days when you would walk into a store, make a purchase, and then be on your way, sometimes never to visit that retailer again? Well, if you’re like me, the nostalgia for such days sometimes hits me like a snowball to the face, in the middle of a Canadian winter.

Yes, I was a Gen x — a latchkey child , filled with vivid memories of days unshackled by the ever-tightening nooses of technology. Increasingly, I find myself yearning for the simplicity of yesteryears: those moments when families huddled around a single, corded phone, eagerly awaiting their turn to weave plans of aimless wanderings, filled with wonder and discovery.

However, in our current era, the art of wonder and discovery seems to have been relegated to the annals of history. Instead, we find ourselves ensnared in a relentless siege by retailers, employing every conceivable tactic to infiltrate our lives with their insistent “look at me” advertisements. And frankly, my friends, I’ve reached my…