Fast, free delivery included - minus the peace of mind

We are living in an era where our everyday lives are intertwined with cloud computing, big data and disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence-driven innovations. The price we pay for the convenience of services like Uber, Amazon, FedEx, Netflix and others? Surrendering our personal information.

When we compulsorily though reluctantly leave our footprint online releasing information to businesses about our hobbies, habits, rituals, consumption patterns, and confidential information such as date of birth and residence address, can we really be sure our data is safe and won't be abused?

On Thursday, the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart announced its latest effort to compete with online giant Amazon in the US market. Called "associate delivery", the program - still in its testing phase - would use Wal-Mart's 4,700 American store sites and approximately 1.2 million employees to expedite delivery and cut costs. It would pay its store employees to deliver packages ordered online when they drive home from their regular work shifts.

Wal-Mart has stores within 10 miles of 90 percent of the American population, the company said, adding they are testing two stores in New Jersey and one in Arkansas.

"Now imagine all the routes our associates drive to and from work and the houses they pass along the way," Marc Lore, chief executive of Wal-Mart's US online operations, wrote on the company's website, hinting there is a "very dense web" of potential delivery locations for the company.

Leaving alone its long-scolded minimum wage and overtime pay policies, the program is Wal-Mart's latest challenge to Amazon's online dominance, as speed of delivery has become a key area of competition in the industry.

Amazon guarantees the same or the next day delivery for its Prime members in thousands of areas under a $99 yearly membership charge.

However, some consumers have shared their concerns of possible privacy breaches under Wal-Mart's new initiative.

"Their employees then will gradually accumulate pieces of information about our consumption patterns - what we like and how often we buy," said Li Zhang, a frequent patron of Wal-Mart's website. "They can even learn how many family members we have and when we are away from home at work.

"The idea of a particular Wal-Mart employee having a detailed knowledge of my life is awful," she added.

Abnav Gupta, who usually shops at Wal-Mart online, said he would rather pick up items at the nearby store himself rather than having someone from Wal-Mart deliver them to his home.

"Unlike delivery folks for Amazon or eBay, who don't know the contents of my parcels, Wal-Mart employees would know exactly what my order is," said Gupta, adding it was intrusive, "especially if they also might remember where you live and who you live with."

In China, data security also made national headlines last week. China's two largest parcel carriers - Alibaba affiliate Cainiao and SF Express - blocked access to each other's data due to a dispute over the sharing of information related to customers' packages and other data.

As the disagreement over control of the customer data had escalated into a tug of war, Alibaba customers who had placed orders through Taobao and Tmall that were being shipped by SF Express were unable to track their parcel information,. SF Express accused Alibaba of blocking its access to critical customer data and removing it as a shipping option for customers after SF refused to provide customers' data to Cainao.

"We are surprised and disappointed by SF Express' abrupt action to stop providing the information that is necessary for the smooth completion of parcel deliveries," Cainiao said in a statement.

Richard Liu Qiangdong, chairman and chief executive of Alibaba's online shopping competitor JD.com, said on Friday that he supported SF Express in the dispute, while calling for an official investigation into any data privacy malpractice on Alibaba's platforms.

Both parties should seek a solution on the basis of the largest possible common ground, abide by market order and consumers' rights and refrain from exerting severe and negative social influence because of company feuding.

China's industry watchdog State Post Bureau finally intervened and had the two resume their business partnership after a week-long standoff.

Nothing personal, it's just business.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.