Too much private information online!

[Poppy]

A few days ago I had eye surgery to remove a "Floater" that was obstructing about 30% of my vision in the right eye about 30-50% of the time. The surgery was a success, and I am delighted!

While completing online paperwork, I got tired of answering all of their questions, and started thinking that I was giving them too much personal information. Name, birth date, SS number, driver's license, upload a photo ID.

At that point I was done. I uploaded this.

 

[bykfixer]

I just did something similar.... on a tablet. When I gave them back their tablet the gal behind the counter said "anything you didn't understand?" I said "well you didn't ask for my first pets name so the voices say we're good".

 

[idleprocess]

Reminded of >20 years ago when 2-, 3-, and even 4-part forms were common - the sort of thing that were either filled out using a ball point pen (press hard) or a dot-matrix printer. Invariably the worst copy went to the folks that needed the most detail - production and/or the warehouse to pull the order. I always wanted to see one made with the most inane of information (such as being required to fill out the address of the company itself) along with the disposition at the bottom:

• ORIGINAL : SALES
• CANARY :CUSTOMER
• ORANGE : DISCARD
• PINK : PRODUCTION

 

[PhotonWrangler]

My health care provider sends me a survey request after every visit. It includes the absurd statement (paraphrased here) ":...To insure your privacy and confidentiality, we're using a third party provider to handle the survey." HUH? My privacy is somehow better protected by outsourcing my info?!

Needless to say, I've never participated in any of their surveys.

 

[jtr1962]

I rarely fill out those surveys either for a bunch of reasons:

1) Why should I provide free help to a for profit company? If it's worth something to them having it done, then it's worth paying to do it. A few weeks ago I got a Nielson survey. Just a few questions, nothing horribly personal, but if returned they would send $5 cash. In the mail the next day. No money, it goes in the floor file. I don't consider being entered into a contest to win something "being paid" either.

2) They probably never read or process these surveys.

3) They probably do nothing positive with the results even if they do process them. Most likely, they'll only do the things which increase their bottom line, not those which might help the customer.

4) Many of them are WAY too long. If it takes 30 minutes or an hour to complete, do they really think they're going to get many responses?

It's fun though if you give unusual answers. Once for race I answered none of the above, then wrote in Alpha Centaurian. For the usual sex question I love to just answer "yes, please".

I have even more fun the very rare times I answer a telemarketing call. Fun to keep them going up until the point they think they got a sale and ask for your information. Credit card number? 1234 5678 9000 0000. Phone number? 987-654-3210. Eventually they figure out I'm giving bogus information, scream at me for wasting half an hour of their time, then hang up. I figure it's half an hour they couldn't spend trying to screw another person out of their money.

 

[bykfixer]

I like saying my phone # is 867 5309

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

I like saying my phone # is 867 5309

Did you used to receive a lot of calls from Forrest?

 

[alpg88]

We live in information age, they sell your data, if not a med office but 3rd party that work with,. I once wanted to use a new dry cleaner place, but they wanted my name address, email, phone... I asked, "you need all of that just to clean my pants? he said yea, i said how about i give you just a first name and cash, they did not want to do it, I walked away, went to my old place that only asked my first name, I paid cash and that was it.

 

[bykfixer]

Did you used to receive a lot of calls from Forrest?

Nope, just fellows looking for Jenny Jenny.

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

Nope, just fellows looking for Jenny Jenny.

Yep! That was Forrest.

 

[jtr1962]

Another of my favorite things is when I get emails from my bank, or from online retailers I've done business with, asking me for my mobile number. There's never an option to simply say I don't have a mobile number, which I don't. Over and over the same emails. They just assume everyone has a smart phone these days.

 

[alpg88]

When i asked for phone number at stores, I say I do not have a number to give you, they ask you do not have a cell phone, I go, I did not say that, I said I have no number that I want to give you,

 

[bykfixer]

The company that I work for just announced today that any device that connects to their network will not be allowed to have TikTok. They say it's a security risk not worth trying to secure against. Their equipment already deleted the app from anybody's who used it. But if for example I want to use a portal to their network, I would not be allowed access if the device has the TikTok app.

To be honest I don't have an issue with that, but I'll bet a Pepsi that lots of my coworkers will be having a hissy fit about it.

 

[jtr1962]

TikTok is responsible for making people's already short attention spans even shorter. Any workplace that bans it has my respect.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

The company that I work for just announced today that any device that connects to their network will not be allowed to have TikTok. They say it's a security risk not worth trying to secure against. Their equipment already deleted the app from anybody's who used it. But if for example I want to use a portal to their network, I would not be allowed access if the device has the TikTok app.

To be honest I don't have an issue with that, but I'll bet a Pepsi that lots of my coworkers will be having a hissy fit about it.

I bet you win that Pepsi. Sad, isn't it?

 

[kerneldrop]

Pepsi and the Jet Fighter is a good story.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Pepsi and the Jet Fighter is a good story.

That story completely slipped my mind. I had to look it up. Here's some follow up on the story.

John Leonard has put Pepsi jet incident behind him and is now living in Alaska

The story of John Leonard and Pepsi will go down as legend but where is the ambitious former student today and did he ever get the jet?

www.hitc.com

 

[kerneldrop]

My wife's pay is impacted by surveys and patient satisfaction scores.
Is what really sucks is people can google her name and get our home address and her cell phone.

 

[raggie33]

i can be legit there isnt a human on earth who can read my handwriting.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

My health care provider sends me a survey request after every visit. It includes the absurd statement (paraphrased here) ":...To insure your privacy and confidentiality, we're using a third party provider to handle the survey." HUH? My privacy is somehow better protected by outsourcing my info?!

Needless to say, I've never participated in any of their surveys.

So I've just received a paper version of their survey, in which the form states that submitting my contact info is "optional." This is from the same third party that does the electronic surveys.

The introductory letter includes my full name and a barcode. Hmm... the survey form also includes some barcodes, so let's compare them, shall we?

YEP... one of the barcodes on the "anonymous" survey form is identical to the introductory letter that has my full name on it. Anonymous my a**. Go to hell, Press Ganey surveys.