Say no to sharing your personal info

Everyone needs to be aware that sharing personal information is often a choice.

Everyone needs to be aware that sharing personal information is often a choice. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Protecting personal information is an individual’s responsibility, but there are plenty of instances when we all willingly surrender our private details.

For instance, in stores across the UAE, it’s very normal for customers to be asked at the checkout about their names, email addresses and phone numbers. Sometimes they are pressed for additional information in order to open an account or obtain membership to rewards programmes. Too often those stores appear to share customers’ personal information with other affiliated stores, or worse, with unaffiliated companies.

As The National reported earlier this week, the authorities have urged residents to keep their phone numbers to themselves when they visit stores to avoid being on the receiving end of unsolicited text messaging. This came after receiving complaints from a large number of customers, many of whom were not aware that they actually had a choice not to give their phone number out.

As psychologist Justin Thomas commented, shop assistants have a way of asking that usually makes shoppers feel it is part of the transaction. In other words, as necessary as handing over a credit card or cash to complete a payment.

The UAE’s relatively safe environment and low crime rate could have had an impact on people’s attitudes. The fact that many people feel so unthreatened here means they may have a tendency to drop their guard and willingly offer up information that they wouldn’t normally surrender.

But giving out personal information in unnecessary situations should always be avoided as a way of preventing identity theft, stalking and blackmailing. If asked about any personal information, it’s always important to ask why that person needs it, how they will safeguard it and who they plan to share it with.

A few years ago, when online shopping was in its infancy, many people worried about the safety of completing transactions on the internet. Of course, to a greater degree, those fears have proved unfounded and most banks offer online verification services to keep consumers safe. The UAE Banks Federation has also recently set up an intelligence gathering forum to specifically identify and neutralise cyber-attacks by hackers.

It’s ironic that the biggest battleground over personal data should now be raging in the real world rather than in the depths of the virtual world.

All of us must heed the warnings over freely offering up personal data and learn to say no. The first line of defence against junk texts and cybercrime starts with each and every one of us.