What Groupon knows about its subscribers

In the wee hours of July 10, Groupon informed users of some potentially big changes to its privacy policies while providing additional details about the data it collects from subscribers and how it uses the info.

One item of particular interest is the Groupon software app for mobile phones that’s become more widely used since the company recently introduced GrouponNow deals targeted to users based on their location rather than a once-a-day e-mail blast. If you've downloaded the app, you’re opening the door for Groupon to collect information about your whereabouts. According to the statement sent to users, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal blog All Things Digital: “In short, if you use a Groupon mobile app and you allow sharing through your device, Groupon may collect geo-location information from the device and use it for marketing deals to you.”