Ryan Bridge: We need better protection of our privacy

Here's a question for your Monday morning. 

If somebody came up to you on the street and asked for DOB, next of kin, phone number, personal address, your interests, sports and hobbies.... what would you say? 

Bugger off. Why do you want all that? What will you do with it? Do you need it? 

and yet, when some random business asks you this stuff while you're buying shampoo or a computer mouse on the internet, we happily give it away, hand it over, pay for our loot (using a credit card number and password, then promptly think nothing more of it. 

The reason we do this is because we're asked to do it. And we often don't have much choice. 

If you don't answer those pesky questions with the asterisk on them.... you can't get the thing that yo want. Even if you've paid. 

Privacy Commissioner has a new survey out. Survey says F-off, basically. 

Two-thirds say protecting their personal information now a major concern in their lives (yes, major. Presumably up there with death and a mortgage)

80% say they want more control over it.

Honestly, why does my hairdresser need to know my date of birth when I'm booking an appointment? 

Does it tell them how thin my hair might be at a certain age? 

Do they need my address to ship my cut hair back to me after its swept off the floor? 

Do they need my surname because it may denote frailty in my follicles passed down through generations? 

No. It's because they can ask for it. So, they do. 

They make money off, presumably. 

Honestly, my online supermarket and electricity provider know more intimate details about me than some of the ex's. 

We regularly reveal more personal details to Countdown than we would a first date!

Companies here can basically ask you anything. You often have to answer. They must take reasonable steps to keep keeping it secret. 

Then along comes the hackers. Then it's all out the window. 

The EU has strict rules... Business must give you option to reject cookies. Informed consent. Only ask for stuff related to what you're buying or doing. AND you have the right to change or delete the info companies hold open you. 

You could avoid the internet altogether but that train's sort of left the station. So, can I suggest a question for businesses? Could you please stop asking us so many damned irrelevant and annoying questions? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's a question for your Monday morning. If somebody came
up to you on the street and said, can I
have your date of birth, your next of can your
phone number, your personal address? I want all of your interests,
your sports, your hobbies, what color yourundies are? What would
you say? You would tell that person to promptly bugger off,
wouldn't you. And yet, for some random reason, when a

(00:22):
random business asks you this stuff while you're buying a
shampoo or a computer mouse on the internet, we happily
give it away. We hand it over, we pay for
our loot using probably a credit card with a password,
and then we think nothing more of it and go
about our day. And the reason we do this is
because we're asked to do it, and we often don't

(00:43):
have much choice, you know, when you don't answer those
questions with the asterisks on them, and you can't go
to step two even if you're paying for this thing.
So the Privacy Commissioner has a new report out, and
it's basically a middle finger from us to big tech
on data. Two thirds two thirds of us say protecting
our personal information is now a major concern in our lives,

(01:05):
is a major concern presumably up there with death and
a mortgage. Eighty percent say they want more control over it,
and I agree with them. Honestly, Why does my hairdresser
need to know my date of birth when I'm booking
an appointment? Does it tell them how thin my hair
might be at a certain age? Do they need my
address to ship the hair back to me after they've

(01:26):
cut it and swept it off the floor. Do they
need my surname because it might denote the frailty in
my follicles passed down through generations. No, it's because they
can ask for it, so they do. Presumably they're making
money off it somehow, I don't know. Honestly, my online
supermarket and electricity provider know more intimate details about me

(01:48):
than some of my exes. We regularly reveal more personal
details to countdown than we would on a first date.
Companies here can basically ask you anything you have to answer.
They must take reasonable steps to keep this a secret.
But how long until the hack has come and then
it's all out there and it's all out the window

(02:09):
and it's all on the internet, right everyone knows that happens.
The EU has quite strict rules businesses must give you
the option of rejecting cookies. You notice when you go
on a website in the EU, you can decline the
cookies informed consent over there only asking for the stuff
related to what you're buying or doing, and you have

(02:29):
the right to go in and delete or change the
information that companies hold on you. I know we can't
do that, can we? You could avoid the internet altogether,
of course. I can hear what you're saying, but that
train has sort of left the station. So can I
suggest KICKSI can I ask a question to businesses this morning?

(02:49):
Can you please stop asking us so many damned, irrelevant
and annoying questions? For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
listen live to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio