There have been some very high profile stories over the past week or so about privacy and personal data. The first was the news that Apple ‘tracks’ iPhone users by storing their location data in a so-called hidden file on the device.
Researchers managed to locate the file and produce maps of where people had been, although when Apple did finally manage a public response it claimed that the phone logged the location of masts and Wi-Fi hotspots.
The second story concerned Sony, who got hacked, not once, but twice. The first time they managed to lose the personal details for 77 million PlayStation Network users and the second time it was for 25 million users of Sony Online Entertainment, with data stolen from servers and an outdated database.
Finally, TomTom, the navigation company was in the news for selling (anonymous) data about customers to the Dutch police to help them plan traffic calming measures.
These three stories are all quite different – one about snooping, one about security and one about selling data for profit – but to all come at once, it just goes to show what a struggle it is for individuals to maintain some sort of privacy in this day and age.
There is an editorial comment in the Financial Times which sums things up quite nicely. “There is nothing wrong with users trading private information for services, but they must know they are doing it and understand the consequences if things go wrong.”
If you are ultra privacy-conscious, then you probably don’t use the internet much or a smartphone like the iPhone. However, many people willingly give away a certain amount of data and privacy in order to do so, and why not.
The point is, all companies working with data especially leading brands like Apple, Sony and TomTom have a duty to be transparent about what personal information they are collecting and why, and what they do with it. Too often terms and conditions about data or privacy are embedded in long and difficult to understand sign up documents.
This leads to all of us being less than fully cognizant of how and why are data is being used. In addition, they have a duty to keep this valuable information safe, just like you would expect a bank to keep our money safe.
At ALLOW we advocate transparency and control. You should have the option to not have your location tracked by your phone; you should be informed in a timely manner if your personal details have been compromised by a hacker so that you have the opportunity to take steps to minimise your potential exposure; you should be informed and given easy to use ways of opting out if your data is going to be aggregated with that of other users and sold.
The confidence of the consumer continues to be rocked by these and other high profile breaches which ultimately will lead to a complete lack of trust and that is bad for both consumers and companies.
Justin Basini