How Fast-Food Apps Took Over the Drive-Thru | Eater

"The company's mobile app is tied to extensive data collection and targeted marketing: buried deep in the chain's privacy policy, to which all app users must agree before placing an order, the company notes that it may use "inferences drawn from [collected data] to create a profile about a consumer reflecting the consumer’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, or aptitudes." The brand has also sought proprietary technology through strategic investments — most recently purchasing a minority ownership stake in a mobile app development company for exclusive access to its technology — and uses app-exclusive deals that many consumers find compelling (examples in the reporting include offers like $2 off fries or a free cheeseburger). As one critic put it about the trade-offs: "As the old saying goes, if something is free, you’re the product," (Frances Fleming-Milici, director of marketing initiatives at the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health) — a concern tied to apps' access to location, order history, social-media-linked demographic data, and other personal information." - Amy McCarthy