Is it personalized marketing? Or a deep invasion of privacy?
As the volume of data generated about each of us grows, so do the opportunities for organizations to provide more personalized services. And for hackers to intrude on our personal and often financial well-being.
Mike Dover, HBA ’91, MBA ’97, together with Professor Niraj Dawar, took an Ivey Idea Forum audience through the uses and abuses of data collection, privacy, and the roles of consumers, marketers, and regulators in the process. The event, held June 12, 2018 at Ivey’s Tangerine Leadership Centre, was part of the Gilbert and Margaret Clarke Lecture in Marketing.
Dover’s presentation was based in part on his recent book, Dante’s Infinite Monkeys. Here is a quick Q&A with the author on the main issues of the Idea Forum.
What are the privacy issues businesses need to worry about?
Businesses need to think about what legislation affects them, based on their geography. Europe right now, is the biggest issue. Businesses need to figure out what their current footprint in Europe is, and be sure to practise good privacy hygiene.
“I relate it to one of the questions that came up (today): It’s good to be doing that stuff anyway because if you are forced to do the exercise of collecting this information and have it well sorted and curated, that can lead to an advantage,” Dover said.
What are the takeaways on the personal side of the privacy issue?
Be diligent about password hygiene, said Dover. Assume that someone you know is going to get hacked each year. If you use the same or similar passwords for everything, smart hackers will figure them out. Think about the password you use to book a squash court at the community centre. If you use that same password everywhere, they’ll say, ‘Well, we have his email, so let’s try the password on Amazon.’
“They’ll order three flat screen TVs and have them all delivered today, and by the time you figure it out, they’ll be gone,” Dover warned. “Then they’ll try it on eBay, they’ll try it on Skype… so password hygiene is certainly important. For things like health and financial information – especially, say, a brokerage account – have that in a very secure account and change your password quite often.”
What are the main things you learned while developing this book?
I think it’s where goal posts are changing in different ways, said Dover. In areas such as sexual morality or fidelity, new technologies, such as augmented reality, will have a big impact on what we consider normal.
What worries keep you up at night as you consider privacy issues for individuals and corporations?
The danger of being attacked online has certainly increased in the online world. For example, the dangers of someone scamming you by pretending to be your friend who needs help. The more people know about you through online platforms such as Facebook, the better they are able to do it. This continued invasion of privacy and people’s acceptance of it, is also a major concern for Dover.
What are you are working on next?
“I may do a sequel to Dante’s Infinite Monkeys as an e-book, talking about new developments in the area because it was written before the last election.” For example, Dover plans to detail the effect that Russian hackers actually had on the U.S. election, versus the information that is available in the media.
