Students receive free coffee in exchange for personal information at campus coffee shop

A Rhode Island coffee shop on the campus of Brown University is generating buzz after they began offering students free coffee and networking events in exchange for their personal information.

The coffee shop is called Shiru Cafe, it is a Japanese-owned chain.

To get the free coffee, students must have ID and provide names, phone numbers, email address, and majors.

It's only open to students and faculty.

Once they share their information, they open themselves up to corporate sponsors.

They're the ones who pay the cafe to reach the students through things like logos on cups, digital ads around the store, even chat with baristas.

The cafe calls it an innovative space for connection, and of course, students love free coffee.

However, critics worry about breaches in privacy.

Currently, 76-percent of students have signed up.

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