[smsm42]

True. But if I buy a gift card with my regular CC, my CC record would have a line that says "purchased a gift card", but I don't think the actual gift card number would be there? And on the GC data there would be whatever I bought, but there's nothing linking the GC number to me, is it?

[alexanderdmitri]

Yeah, I guess it depends on the level of data sharing and how good AmEx is at identifying its users based on other data points. Either way they are explicitly stating they're gathering data and passing it on in a much more standardized and defined form than they're willing to share with the consumer. Entities buying the data are probably throwing a lot of capital into joining datasets on a macro level.

Another comment mentions privacy.com as a solution. I've actually thought of creating a little terminal program to leverage it because it's a neat product and super cool they're maintaining a well-defined API for it.

All this ultimately bums me out though. Jumping through so many hoops to avoid this intrusive (and increasingly default) behavior can't be good for mental health. Plus where do you draw the line? When it's so widespread and largely unaccountable while everyone is saying it's up to the individual to avoid it, it really starts to feel rather quixotic trying to take measures to protect yourself.