Is Privacy Overrated? Redux

Well just 2 days after my posting Is Privacy Overrated, another piece comes out with the same title from eMarketer, who says that privacy is not overrated, and consumers are more willing to give up their private information for better customer service.

Now the pendulum may be swinging the other way. When asked to balance their privacy concerns with the prospect of better customer service, many online customers are starting to lean toward service.

The new "Personalization Survey" from ChoiceStream shows that more consumers are now willing to trade privacy for personalization, to provide information about themselves to providers they trust in exchange for a better online experience.

This is all fine, as long as you can trust that who you are giving your private information is going to treat it as safely as you do. What are their security procedures? Have they been hacked before or had other security issues in the past? As Sgt. Esterhaus used to say on Hill Street Blues, lets be careful out there.

This quote from Senator Patrick Leahy at Network World, sums up this issue perfectly

In his introduction speech on June 29, 2005, Senator Patrick Leahy said. “Any company that wants to be trusted by the public in this day and age must vigilantly protect databases housing Americans private data. They also have a responsibility in the next link in the security chain, to make sure that contractors hired to process data are on the up-and-up and secure. This is critical as Americans personal information is increasingly processed overseas.”