Handing out your details for a coffee, would you do it? Opening yourself up to advertising (spam) now is a payment method at a cafe at Rhode Island, understandably it is also being implemented at other campuses.

No cash needed at this Cafe explains the method to Shiru cafe operating around getting students “data” in exchange for their products. From getting students email, mobile number, course and interests advertising can be tailored to fit the target.

Staff will even say  phrases and speak ads when handy over a coffee. Its bizarre but kinda fits into the world today. Ads are everywhere, they just mostly exists in visual form apart from the radio which seems to be 80% ads nowadays.

The pay with data situation would only work in certain environments, students are young and hard pressed for money for in theory a zero $ coffee for their email address works well. Put this cafe downtown and it wouldn’t be a hot take. Depending on its location and quality I wouldn’t give details and listen to a worker speak an ad to get a free coffee.

What is your data worth?

It’s not my go, but on the other hand going to the coffee shop and looking around you’re taking in mass ads anyway. Another issue is outside the university environment the coffee franchise may decide to sell the data and do other dodgy actions with it.

Rewards systems which in most cases know your name and other details could essentially just be seen as a variation too this yet in this case you get a better outcome for your data. In the future potentially Starbucks may make a move to give a big discount for customers “accurate” data.

Data aside, this is also a rare case where we give something up that isn’t money in return for goods. This concept relies on accuracy but aside from that the given data could vary in its worth, depending on the person and extend of its reach.