Outcomes - Selected Case Summaries
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Retail Store Asking Customers for their Phone Numbers
Informal Resolution | 04 December 2020
A complainant raised issues about a retail store requesting their phone number at the cashier station. They were concerned that the purposes for collecting the personal data were not explained to them and that there were potential security issues in having to read out their phone number in front of other customers.
Our investigation found that there were appropriate measures in place to mitigate the low security risks related to the recording of this data. However, as there was no information given to data subjects to explain the purposes for which phone numbers were requested, the store was advised to either install signs at the cashier stations or instruct cashiers to verbally explain the purposes for collecting phone numbers. We also recommended that a privacy notice that explains all of the purposes for which personal data is being processed should be placed on the store’s website.