It's not just Facebook - companies from Trade Me to the bank use your data
Wednesday, 11 April 2018
You might think you're a fairly private person.
But if you have a smartphone - or even a bank account - there is probably more information about you available in the world than you realise.
It was revealed on Monday that just under 64,000 New Zealanders' accounts were caught up in Cambridge Analytica's 'misuse' of Facebook data.
Here are some other businesses that are collecting your information.
**READ MORE:
* Mark Zuckerberg says his data was swept up by Cambridge Analytica too
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* Paid Google adverts may not be for legitimate companies
Massey University senior tutor in marketing Simon Cope said the search engine giant had a lot of ways to tap into information about users.
Your YouTube viewing history gives an insight into your interests. Your Chrome browser history shows the websites you've visited. The search engine knows what you're looking for and Google Maps can pinpoint where in the world you are.
Your Google account includes your email, documents and calendars.
Cope said information would be collated to produce ads that were relevant to each user. 'Those ads are now extremely targeted,' he said. 'The biggest concern is identity theft. You can track a person, see where they are and how long they are likely to be there and think 'I'll burgle his home or do some identity theft'.'
Apple
iPhone users will be familiar with 'location services', which track your location to deliver information on things such as the weather and how long it might take you to drive somewhere. They can also be used to find your lost device or check out where your friends are.
Any service that uses your phone's location can also use this data.
The operating system's virtual assistant, Siri, is also collecting data using artificial intelligence, to improve its ability to answer queries and give useful reminders through the day. 'Siri is getting pretty good,' Cope said. 'That is data collection going on there. What are they going to do with that?'
He said people should also be wary of what they were signing up to when they installed apps on their phones that were developed by small players. 'It's quite easy to create an app. They might look benign but be set up to collect data.'
Many apps ask users to log in via Facebook, which gives them access to the data stored there, too.
Your bank
If you have ever had a credit card payment declined because you've gone overseas without telling your bank, you will know they have a lot of information about you.
Banking expert Claire Matthews said that information would include your employment information, the assets you owned, debts with the bank and other organisations, payments made, credit history, and other personal details such as your mother's maiden name or your first pet.
It would also keep transaction records including where you shop and what you spend, and what you would normally spend in various categories.
She said that information would usually be protected by firewalls to stop anyone outside the bank accessing it.
'Any physical files will be stored in locked, fireproof storage units with restricted access – but I expect physical files are now much more limited.'
Trade Me
The popularity of the online auction site means it has collected a lot of information about New Zealanders.
Head of trust and safety Jon Duffy said it had information on customers transactions, firearms licenses, credit and debit card information and correspondence with its customer service team.
It uses cookies to track what you look at and show you things that are specific to your interests. Cookies are small files stored on your computer that hold data specific to your use of a particular website. This information carries over from one visit to the next.
Trade Me also retains listings after they expired.
Duffy said it had thorough procedures to protect the data, including privacy officers monitoring procedures. 'Only staff in particular roles can access private information. We constantly review how we manage private data and information, this is a fast-moving landscape and we know how important it is to stay current so we can keep our members' information safe.'
Loyalty schemes
Loyalty schemes collect significant amounts of information on you and your shopping habits.
Countdown would not comment on the data that it keeps on OneCard customers but its website says it has personal details such as your name, address, age, gender and phone number, what how and when you buy from its shops and your likely shopping preferences.
Loyalty NZ, which runs Fly Buys, said it held similar information.
A spokeswoman said: 'We only share member data, and always securely, with our trusted Fly Buys partners, including agents we use to operate the Fly Buys programme - such as the operator of the Fly Buys call centre, mail-houses and reward suppliers - and businesses that offer Fly Buys points.'
Cope said it seemed that the schemes could be doing more than they were to offer personalised marketing material. 'Countdown knows where I go, what I've bought for every single shop for years now.'
His colleague, Valentyna Melnyk, agreed New Zealand retailers were lagging compared to international use of loyalty data. They had more available to them than they used, she said.
She said there was no significant threat of a privacy breach from loyalty scheme data.
Insurers
Insurance companies ask for a lot of information when you take out a policy and you are usually obliged to update them with any information that is relevant to the cover as things change.
Some insurers have branched out into telematics – such as trackers in a car to monitor driving habits – and Sovereign offers a scheme in which fitness tracker-wearers are rewarded for exercise and eating healthy food.
Michael Naylor, an insurance industry commentator from Massey University, said there was a trend towards insurers making better use of more data.
'Most New Zealand insurers are too cautious to source and use social media info on a generalised basis. Insurers will investigate claimants who cause issues, and can gather quite extensive data, but this is kept confidential so insurers have not told me what they collect. This can lead claimants to wonder why the insurer treats them in an unusual manner.
'We have strong privacy laws, unlike the US which has far stronger free press laws. These conversely allows companies to gather and hold client data. The amount of information insurers hold will substantially change in the future, so regulation needs to be considered.'
Cope said it was to be accepted that modern consumers would have more data available on them than their parents' generation had.
It was the price of making new technology useful, he said.
'It is giving us so much but it has to take in return.'