Steps to Mitigate Privacy Concerns

When it comes to securing vast amounts of data, it is quintessential that a company utilizes sophisticated data protection standards. Data mining techniques can extract heaps of information from consumers, spanning everything from the brand of shampoo they prefer to the name of the street that they live on. When these and more personal forms of data are placed in wrong hands, then the possibility for illicit activities is likely to increase. It is a scenario like this that must be taken into consideration when any form of customer loyalty program is implemented. In fact, most customer loyalty programs are failing, as less than half across the US are in active use; this is due to numerous issues, but most consider privacy concerns to be the primary culprit [14]. Fortunately, business trends and practices are currently in place that attempt to mitigate any possible breaches in security that consumers may encounter.

Safeguarding Consumer Data:

There are steps that retailers can take to attempt to lessen the threat to their customer’s data. Strict guidelines, controls, and monitoring practices need to be established that lay down the foundation of a company’s security measures; such measures should include continuous monitoring of stored data that give priority to the monitoring of any suspicious activity, such as multiple failed login attempts and numerous changes to personal information [8]. If any of these types of indicators are flagged, then it could be a sure sign an unauthorized third party is attempting to access secured data. In addition to establishing strict monitoring software, companies can also implement secure loyalty card readers and checkout systems, which would also add another layer of protection against fraud [6].

While retailers are able to implement strict privacy policies and adopt mounds of security features, it is ultimately the customer who decides their fate. If a customer wishes to lessen their chance of fraud or being a victim of privacy invasion, then they have to be vigilant with the type and quantity of information that they share. One’s risk will exponentially increase as they divulge larger quantities of data to a company, as they are placing more of their personal effects into the digital landscape. When it comes to consumer privacy, the best offense is a strong defense.