Ho, Ho, Hold on a Minute… How to Safeguard Your Personal Information During the Holiday Shopping Season
As fall fades and winter draws closer, many of us are turning our attention to the upcoming holiday season and all the preparation that entails. A growing trend shows that Canadians will be spending more this holiday season and that most Canadian shoppers prefer to support local and Canadian businesses.
While the average holiday shopper is busy making their shopping lists and checking them twice, they might not realize that the hottest holiday trend is their personal information!
Any identifiable information you share with a retailer could potentially land in the wrong hands. Examples of this information may include your full name, home address, phone number and birth date. Once you have given your personal information, created a customer account or opted into a loyalty program, you may have unknowingly consented to share your personal information with data brokers[1] and other third parties. Think about the consequences if the retailer is subject to a cyber breach. That is the ultimate fear but we are seeing this occur on a frequent basis these days.
Consider these 3 ways to safeguard your personal information and become a conscious consumer before you hit the pavement this holiday shopping season:
- Be a Grinch – less is always better!
The best way to safeguard your personal information is not to share it in the first place if you don’t have to! Holiday shopping can be as easy as 1, 2, 3… choose the gift, pay for it at the till and collect your receipt! You do not need to share your name, address or financial information to make an in-store purchase. Christmas doesn’t have to “mean a little bit more” sharing of your information, so tighten up those privacy purse strings and be a Grinch!
- Dream of a “White Christmas” – paper is perfection!
Grab that lovely paper receipt and rest assured that your privacy has been protected! What about the oh-so-convenient e-receipt? It may not be as innocuous as you think. In 2023, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada completed an investigation into the disclosure of customer data collected by Home Depot of Canada Inc. to a third party (Facebook)[2]. In a subsequent press conference, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Philippe Dufresne, addressed the seemingly innocent choice between paper or e-receipt by stating:
“Most customers likely understand that this [option] is for their benefit and convenience in this increasingly digital world. Canadians would likely not expect or accept that their personal information would be shared with a third party, like Facebook, simply because they opted for an email receipt.”[3]
Consider going paper-all-the-way this holiday season!
- Take the “holiday road” when it comes to creating a customer account
Does one need to create a customer account full of personal and precious financial information just to buy Grandma a new scarf or to snag that new Lego set for your kids? Definitely not. The popular franchise Toys R Us Canada recently confirmed a privacy breach of its customer database during which vast amounts of customer information was breached by an unauthorized third party and posted on the dark web.
Carefully weigh the pros and cons when you consider creating a customer account. Can you adjust your privacy settings online once you’ve created that account? Have you read through the company’s privacy options? These are all great questions to consider. Check out a previous OIPC blog titled 5 Ways to Protect Your Privacy for more ways to protect your privacy in general.
Do you have young shoppers in your family who are ready to dive into the consumer landscape? Teach them “SANTA”, an easy acronym to help them safeguard their own personal information (and perhaps yours) during the holiday shopping season.
S – share like a Grinch!
A – always get a paper receipt
N – name and number? No thanks!
T – take only my hard cash!
A – ask why it is needed (if not satisfied, then don’t provide!)
Hopefully this blog helps you create a safe and fun holiday shopping experience for you and your family!
[1] Data brokers are companies whose primary business involves the trading and analysis of personal information. Specifically, data brokers are focused on the gathering and selling of consumer data for targeted marking purposes. OIPC Guide to FOIP, Ch 6 p. 357, also see Tracking the Surveillance and Information Practices of Data Brokers: A Report
[2] PIPEDA Findings #2023-001, January 26, 2023
[3] Statement by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada following an investigation into Home Depot of Canada Inc.’s compliance with PIPEDA, January 26, 2023