INDIANAPOLIS - PayPal recently emailed users to alert them that the company will soon begin sharing their data with third party merchants. According to the email, PayPal will begin gathering users’ data November 27th in order to share it with merchants. “Personal information we disclose includes, for example, products, preferences, sizes, and styles we think you’ll like,” the email states.  “Information gathered about you after the effective date of our updated Privacy Statement, November 27, 2024, will be shared with participating stores where you shop." PayPal will begin sharing the collected data with merchants in the Summer of 2025 “to help improve your shopping experience and make it more personalized for you,” the email states. For consumers, this will likely lead to more targeted advertising from the merchants receiving the collected data.  However, users do have the option of turning the data sharing off.  Here’s how: Open PayPal: Log in through either the app or website. Go to Settings: If you’re using the app, tap on your profile icon at the top right. On the website, you’ll find the gear icon in the upper-right corner. Find Data & Privacy: Scroll down to the Data & Privacy section. Manage Shared Info: Look for the Personalized Shopping option under Manage Shared Info. Toggle It Off: Once you find the toggle switch, turn it off to stop PayPal from sharing your data.