singley.org > blog archives > Respect the Data 07.31.2007

You're sitting in the doctor's office on your first visit with a new physician. He comes in the room, sits down, and begins asking you routine medical history questions: age, weight, height, disease history, sexual orientation, drinking habits, psychological health, etc. You share this information quite willingly with your doctor because one would assume that he or she needs all of that data to treat you most effectively.

Now let's say you go to the dentist and he asks you the same questions. Some are still relevant, but now you're a little bit uncomfortably that this fellow knows you binge drink 1-2 times/month.

Then you're at the bank opening a new account, and they try to ask the same things. Now, of course, you would object. There is no clear reason why your bank needs to know such intimate details about you and your past.

So when it comes to the information we're comfortable sharing, where is the line? If we feel like revealing sensitive info is necessary to the service being provided and will result in a higher level of satisfaction in this service, it seems we're much more willing to share.

Now you're on eBay and they ask you for your name, address, birthday, location and hobbies. Some of this information they need, some they will use to customize your experience on their website. Are you OK with this? So now where is the line? What information would you not share with eBay, even if they claim it will make the service better for you? My sense is that for most people, they are comfortable giving very little information to a web site unless there is a very, very clean benefit for the customer.

But I think this is changing. Younger people today put an incredible amount of information about themselves online: where they are, where they're going, romantic involvements, family dramas, etc. Kids grew up with a greater level of comfort "living in public."

To me, this is a good thing. I have little problem providing somewhat personal information to an organization if I think I'll get some value out of the sharing. However, there is one other important condition: that the organization treats my information with respect. If they use it to put my name on mass marketing mailing lists, then I'm done with them. But if they show me that they'll only use it to provide me with a better service, then I am an open book.

There is a lot of debate on this privacy topic today in many different areas: online, government, medical, identity - and it really comes down to respecting the data. If an organization can instill trust in its participants by respecting the information they've shared with it, then its participants will be much more inclined to share. Respect is a business model. A policy. A necessity. Embrace it, and people will open up.