away in a sales agreement. "Your data is 100% secure" boasted the back of a shredding truck I recently saw on the road. "Your privacy is guaranteed" promised a paper-based survey form immediately after requesting all but my passport number.
We see blatant exaggerations and plain misrepresentations all the time. I bet you can think of at least three right now: the names of other patients on a clinic's computer screen, a recycling bin's interesting contents, the saved photocopies of the device's previous user.
The media is not even keeping up with the number of businesses found to be in breach of privacy law or whose mishandled data has been hacked, so with the complexity of today's technology and the rush to market of important projects, how could anyone make such claims?
Next time you come across a store that casually asks you to blurt out your personal information, simply question it, or say no. You'll be surprised how unfounded their claims can be. If a claim sounds good good to be true, arm yourself with Occam's Razor and ask for the evidence you need to cut through the bull of unlikely claims by zealous marketers. Three easy questions:
1. Why do you need my personal information and until what exact date?
2. Send me a detailed list of measures you plan to use to safeguard my data.
3. Can I get an independent report on that security or privacy claim?
I guarantee you'll have fun with the answers.
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