Tips for Protecting Your Personal Data in Shared Environments

Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down in March 2020, I have not traveled as much as I used to, not only because of reduced business travel but because the risk of being concerned about contracting and spreading the virus to those around. I love to travel. Loyalty points and the masterful engineering of maximizing them with credit cards and loyalty numbers is almost a pastime for me. That’s why I choose the same airline, rental car company, hotel chains, etc. – all to grow those points and be able to save on travel down the road. When I travel I am always conscious of the data trail I leave behind and can’t believe some of the information I come across from other travelers in shared spaces.

Your rental car company of choice probably retains more of your data than any other entity.?When you get into your rental car, all shiny and cleaned just before you got it, you might be excited about learning the way it drives, exploring the features and functions, and thinking about what you like and don’t like compared to the vehicle you own and drive every day. However, have you ever considered that your rental car might be one of the biggest potential personal data breaches waiting to happen to you?

As a customer intelligence pro, I got to thinking about this.?What’s my personal exposure from everyday activities where my data and information is collected or used to make my experience better or more convenient??Like a bolt of lightning, I recalled my recent business trip, which included a car rental.?A few things came to mind:

Paper trail

When you arrive at the rental counter or go to the spot your app tells you, it’s customary to receive a contract printout. That’s convenient, for sure.?However, that contract includes your name, address, date of birth, and sometimes your driver’s license number, date of arrival and return, city of pick up and drop off, and sometimes your personal insurance carrier details if you opt to pass on the rental insurance. Many times, I will find the previous renter’s folio and do them a favor and tear it up. Additionally, I will sometimes find receipts, business cards, and even pictures of prior renters, all of which could be stitched together to identify the person, especially with social media.

Digital Trail

As you adjust your mirrors and seat, choose your radio station, set your AC/heat, temperature, etc., you can also pair your phone via Bluetooth, sometimes not having a space in the directory because of the profiles from past drivers that were left behind. With each profile comes a directory of contacts and calls made. In some vehicles, you can dig into the content and within the notes section find even more data. Personal contacts sometimes hold data like Social Secuirty numbers, birth dates, addresses, credit card numbers, insurance details, passwords, codes for garage door openers and home security systems, and of course phone numbers. Additionally, the car is like a DVR of your trip with the navigation system holding all the destinations entered. Imagine if you stayed with your parents, used the rental car while yours was in the shop, and it sat in your driveway or when you drove it to work. While connecting your device is convenient and improves the functionality of the vehicle, which patterns, personal information or details did you leave behind? I always do people a favor and delete all the profiles that were left in the car by prior renters, and when I return my rental, I do the same for my personal information.???

When you think about it, theft is about the value stolen item will bring to the thief or to whoever purchases it from the thief. This applies to physical things like your wallet or jewelry, but also to things like your personal identity, location, or financial information.?When combined, this data will allow the finder to locate, call, trace, track, and stitch together a wealth of personal details that can translate to identity theft, home invasion, break-ins, social media hacks, and other losses.?This is the same for hotel rooms, plane seats (seatbacks), trains, buses, etc. anything you are using for a short period of time that someone else has access to after you.

This potential risk can be present in lots of activities in your daily life where your personally identifiable information is connected to other data or information about you that could be valuable to others, and which used without your permission and could be harmful to you.

So how can you protect yourself when you travel?

1. Remove all receipts, folios, contracts, and agreements from the space and dispose of them and/or destroy them.?
2. Delete all digital history that might be captured from the rental car, hotel TV with your Netflix password, and navigation systems. This includes calls, destinations, and directories that may have been downloaded.
3. Standard practice of changing your passwords frequently will also help increase protection. Consider removing Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, codes, etc., from your phone and contacts to a secure password keeper that is encrypted, and password-protected with a face or fingerprint access.

Be conscious of the data you leave behind and how it could potentially be used against you, and do a favor to fellow travelers by destroying their paper and digital trails before it gets in the wrong hands. You’ll be grateful you did.?

Beyond your personal or business travel, and the data trail created from those transactions, it’s important to think through this same concept for your personal interactions with brands.?What is your voice-activated device capturing??How about your smart devices throughout your home??What do you find appropriate and acceptable for you??

Now think about your customers.?How is the personally identifiable data you collect from and about them managed to protect their privacy and to add value to the experience they have with your brand??As we get closer to the demise of third-party cookies, brands will need to do a much better job of collecting and managing first-party data and using it in people’s best interests.?In addition to all the current and proposed regulatory requirements, which serve to protect both the consumer and your brand, there is a growing need to develop transparency around the data you collect and how you use it.?This is called the “value exchange.”?And a key component of managing all this data is being able to accurately resolve people’s identity across devices and interactions.?If you want to protect people’s privacy and create or curate a relevant experience, you must be able to confidently identify who the person is across devices and interactions, and over time.????

Now back to my rental car example. While on my last vacation, I loved the car a rented.?It was a 2022 Ford Explorer, and It was a great SUV. It had all the cool features and functions I care about.?And with my phone connected, I drove around Florida taking my family and nephews to Disney.?At the end of my trip, I brought the car back to the rental lot, gathered all my stuff from the vehicle, deleted my personal data and history in the car’s digital system, and began my journey home with a lot of great memories from the trip.

Want to learn more about what brands need to lead the charge in privacy, ensuring they do what’s right for people and what is right in terms of the laws??Join us for the?2022 Marketing Club of New York’s Annual Privacy Event?from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 14.?An all-star panel will provide an overview of the latest developments on the regulatory front and their insights into fair and ethical use of data for marketing and the importance of information security in a data-driven and digitally connected world.