What’s Wrong With Sharing Personal Data?

As someone who does practically everything online, I know that a lot of what I do is on record somewhere. And you know what? That’s perfectly fine—for me, at least. When I first used my credit card online, I felt a bit uncomfortable, worried that some unscrupulous soul would use the information I entered to max out my credit limit and saddle me with debt.

Eventually however, I realized that as long as I limit my online purchases to retailers who have made the effort to win my trust, I should be fine. These kind of companies follow industry standards regarding data privacy, principles that include not sharing the data with third parties, and not storing credit card information (or at least only the last four digits of the card number, for verification purposes).

Yes, it’s true that companies store data about our purchasing habits, the items we bought, where we go on their websites, etc. Having worked for an internet retailer however, I know that reputable websites analyze this information to see how they can make things easier for the customer—and in a way that doesn’t tie the data to a specific individual.

Adjusting the inventory to anticipate future demand, and making online catalogs a lot easier to navigate, are made possible because of such analysis. It’s a win-win thing: shopping becomes an easier, more pleasant for visitors, while the company has a chance to make more money, by removing potential obstacles that keep customers from paying.

Now I totally understand that not everyone wants this, which is why companies should always provide options. My former employer would let people buy without requiring for additional data beyond payment information. It’s the choice of the customer if they want to provide more personal information—in return for some customer-oriented benefits promised by the business.

The point is that, while concerns over data privacy are growing, we should also realize that sharing our information with businesses isn’t necessarily a bad thing. So long as businesses keep it secure, use it to better improve the customer experience, not share it with other companies, and give customers control over how much information is saved, I’m totally fine with it.