Here's what data Amazon admits collecting from people that do business with it.

How to stop it? That's easy. First, don't buy from Amazon. Second, ask your friends not to give Amazon your name, address, or anything else. If that has already happened, that doesn't mean you have to let it happen again!

I can testify that it isn't hard, because I do that for _all_ online stores. The only exception I make is for prescriptions, since those have to be in my name.

The extra level of boycott that I do against Amazon is that, if someone is going to buy something for me -- either as a gift, or as a favor which I'm going to reimburse -- I say, "Please do _not_ get it from Amazon!"