A digital "footprint" as small as a "LIKE" on social media platforms or an Internet search of a product category can be a useful piece of data for commercial purposes in the age of big data. Every click onto web pages may be "monitored". Smart consumers should stay vigilant to protect their own privacy from being misused.
According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, 206 complaints related to the use of information and communication technologies were received in 2014, more than double the number for the previous year (93 cases). Personal data are collected tactically and commonly in the following ways:
Social media network: through inviting users to recommend products to their friends, traders acquire the means to reach potential client groups. They also learn via social media the personal information, interests and brand loyalty of users.
Online behaviour tracking: With tracking technology devices such as cookies, server logs, traders can track and trace the surfing habit of a user such as frequency of visits to a certain website, sites visited before and after, and to which country the user's IP address belongs to.
Membership registration: Traders formulate sales and promotion strategies based on data collected for membership registration, surfing records and purchase activities.
Quiz games / Market surveys: Prizes are offered to attract users to participate in quizzes or market surveys which give traders access to information such as population's characteristics, preferences, habits and tendencies.
Consumers or users may not see any issue with the traders collect data through the above means. Some might even consider that data disclosed on the Internet does not involve much privacy. In fact, Internet users may expose themselves to different levels of privacy risks by virtue of their online activities.
In general, traders will classify users into different client groups for targeted sales activities upon conclusion of market surveys. Traders would send to certain category of clients only advertising materials and information which may interest them. As a result, these users are indirectly deprived of the opportunity to receive other sales communication.
When running a survey, traders may only adopt a consolidated approach in data compilation and analysis. However, as the technology in data mining advances with time, it is technologically feasible for traders to deduce the identity of users based on the information users left with various platforms. The know-how in "data merging" also enables traders to create a "super database" with data collected from various platforms. A simple action such as clicking or sharing a "LIKE" on social media network or a customer registration via mobile phone can become useful information for traders to compile into big data for further analysis and interpretation to strengthen their business strategies.
A greater concern is the possibility of financial loss in an event of data theft. Loss caused by negligence in leaking password or personal data may not be recoverable, however.
The Consumer Council made the following recommendations for consumers to protect their privacy while surfing on the Internet:
- Computer security: Enhance software and hardware security. Delete data permanently if your personal computer needs to be repaired, sold or dumped.
- Account management: Use highly secured password and change it regularly. Avoid using the same password for different accounts.
- Web pages browsing: Avoid using suspicious public Wi-Fi. Set up browser properly and install anti-malware software to boost level of security.
- Software downloading: Only download software from official or reliable sources. Think twice before submitting personal data required for downloading.
- Submission of personal data: Do not disclose personal data casually. If disclosure is a must, read carefully the terms on personal data, including details on collection purposes, data usage and transfer.
- Social media network: Manage friends list properly. Be selective in personal data disclosure. Do not make public sensitive information such as address and car license number.
Good use of technology enhances quality of life. Big data analytics does not necessarily intrude personal data privacy. The key lies in whether personal data is properly managed and stored. Be it online or offline, consumers are reminded to stay alert and strike a balance between data sharing and personal data privacy.
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