Protecting your Personal Information in Today’s Consumer Landscape
In today’s fast-paced world, there is nothing better than the satisfying task of checking purchases off your never-ending to-do list. Who doesn’t love the delight of browsing for treasures and the weight of a shopping bag full of glorious, new purchases in their hand? A growing trend shows that most Canadian shoppers have returned to brick and mortar stores and are ready to support both local and Canadian businesses again.
While making budgets and planning out shopping excursions, the average consumer might not realize that their personal information is even more valuable to retailers than their cold, hard cash. 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:
- 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. Shopping can be as easy as 1, 2, 3… choose your item, 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. When making online purchases, carefully read the fine print before entering your personal information when completing your purchase.
- 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]
When in doubt, take the paper receipt.
- Creating a customer account? Be cautious!
Does one need to create a customer account full of personal information just to buy a 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, whether that’s in person or online. Can you adjust your privacy settings 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 “STOP”, an easy acronym to help them safeguard their own personal information (and perhaps yours) during the shopping process.
S – share nothing
T – take only my hard cash
O – opt out
P – paper receipt, please
Hopefully this blog helps you create a safe and fun 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