Welcom to FT!

Not to be flippant, but I would drop the class.

You need to tell us your major, year level, importance of the paper. If this is Biz 101 weekly paper it's quite different than an MA thesis. Either way, the info is here on FT.

There seems to be a bias in the assignment, assuming there is great importance in giving up information in return for perks, and a what point would one say "no."

You might check out the supermarket programs like Vons Club. In return for rather substantial discounts on grocery items, I don't care if they calculate how many potatoes I purchase per year. Besides, I don't acutally have a Vons Club card, the checker swipes hers for me most time or has the checker put the stuff back on the shelf. Mr. lili was pissed with the whole grocery card club game until I explained the trade off. You agree to give them info about your shopping habits and they give you a discount. Works for me.

Or how about those sandwich club cards at local delis? I buy a lot of sandwiches for company meetings, but does the card influence me? Not really, I just order an extra for me and write the whole thing off, but I DO get my card punched for each an every one. Am I cheating my employer?

This is not big time stuff, but the ethics are the same.