[vinair]

Literally appalled at the way companies have infiltrated our personal lives! Now they want to get us through our children!! This (attached picture) is what was given to my son in his school as a coloring project today! I was simply shocked to see how Bharati Axa is using children to get potential leads by requesting phone numbers of the parents! Imagine how many children (even some parents) would have unsuspectingly provided their (of their parents/guardians I mean) telephone numbers and would have fallen prey to the ever growing personal database scam!!

How do I ensure this is escalated (I am taking it differently with the school management) to IRDA? Would IRDA do anything about this? Any channel I should follow? Welcome any comments or views here!

[Engine_Roars]

I won't be surprised if school was paid a certain amount to include this in children's syllabus. I could not help but notice the occupation field as well, this is nothing but data gathering activity and is being done with the help of your child's school management.

[NaXal]

When our government has sold entire (nation wide) DL & RC database with all personal details to as many as 33 private companies, then I don't see any point in raising concern with government entities for privacy issues.

Refer here :- https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...tion-data.html (Government clears policy to sell vehicle registration data)

Thanks

[jailbird_fynix]

That's some clever 'indirect' database marketing. I would put in the principal's contact number and maybe get a couple of other parents to do the same.

[ajayclicks]

And what prevents the school management from simply turning over its database to the company? We even include our designation, salary, company name in the admission form. Not sure if there is any law that effectively prevents schools from doing so.

[mvadg]

It's the new normal. Once you've been <expletive> it doesn't feel that bad anymore.
There is no point complaining to anyone. I suggest we expect that everyone's personal details be made public, no privacy anymore. Want to listen in to any person's "private" chat? Just pay a tiny fee (It should be free, actually) and get to listen in - in real time. Why should only some people's communications be intercepted "for their own good", better make it applicable to everyone.
Why do you think you are carrying around that smartphone, with a battery that you cannot pull out? And you still think Alexa is here to serve you?
1984 is now and forever!

[$tar_boy]

Ah! Data is the new Diamond these days. These types of things are common. As a parent, you must have filled a Personal details form that contains all important details like address, phone number, Religion, occupation, qualification, annual income, etc. What's the guarantee that these data aren't sold to marketers by the school. We can only hope they don't do so. I still remember this incident which happened in my school last year, in an attempt to make things digital and easy for parents they told to fill the 'personal details' in a google form(earlier it was to to be written in a perforated sheet of paper in the school diary, which would be torn and handed over to the class teacher). As soon as I finished filling the personal details in the google forms I saw an option 'View previous responses' I clicked it and voila I got all the 'Personal details 'of the people who filled the form before me, it even showed me a pie chart and statistics representing the majority occupation, religion of students of my school. As a responsible student, I reported this issue to the higher authorities of my school and I don't know whether they took this issue seriously. It was my final year at school, I hope they follow a safe and secure system from this year.

PS: Just realized that Bhpian ajayclicks has commented about the same.

[Jaguar]

Data privacy in our country is a joke. Unfortunately most of the people who handle the data do not understand the cocept of sensitive data or the ill effects of data theft.

A friend of mine was trying to build a product for government shools and asked me to help with some database stuff. He had managed to procure the database of school kids, details of their parents with full address etc. What more, the database included the information of teachers as well along with their phone numbers, emailId and salary. Aparantly this information was freely available in that state's education dept website.
Locally here, a school principal gladly copied over student info onto a pendrive when the request was made through a some education dept official. I had a hard time educating the people working on that project to not store the sensitive information in their servers at least, for the sake of privacy and safeguard against any future legal concequences. Anyways, the project didn't take off.

Another recent incident. My usual response to any insurance renewal related calls is to tell that I don't hold such a policy and to make them believe that they have the wrong info. But this lady who called me last week was insisting that I did hold a policy and claimed that she will get additional information. She was not calling from the company who's policy I hold, so I too played along. Five minutes later, she calls me with the details like Name, DOB, Policy number, Premium date and amount etc. Aparantly all you need is the name and DOB to pull all the information from any insurance company. All my comments on how wrong this was fell on deaf ears and she was willing to let me try and see her policy details to prove that she is not hacking into any system and just looking at public data

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Data privacy in our country is a joke. Unfortunately most of the people who handle the data do not understand the cocept of sensitive data or the ill effects of data theft.
...
I had a hard time educating the people working on that project to not store the sensitive information in their servers at least, for the sake of privacy and safeguard against any future legal concequences. ...

No. I don't agree to the above points. They do understand. They just pretend not to when it suits them. This is a classic strategy used by government officials. And if you think that private sector employees are sincere, efficient, sympathetic and customer centric, just wait till you need their assistance on such issues.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by mvadg

No. I don't agree to the above points. They do understand. They just pretend not to when it suits them. This is a classic strategy used by government officials. And if you think that private sector employees are sincere, efficient, sympathetic and customer centric, just wait till you need their assistance on such issues.

The top guys and stratigists understand, but not the common man. Just talk to your colleagues and relatives about data privacy.

[Aditya_Bhp]

I am not thinking about data security now. The moment I register on any govt portal for competitive exams, I start getting messages and calls with promises of assured seats in colleges and all. This is happening with the central govt websites as well as state govt.

The best part is people still call me 6 years after I had applied for an examination, I just talk with them, they have all my details like Name, Examination applied, etc, its fun, bargaining with them as they promise packages for 80 to 90Lakhs and you know you have done the same professional course for free.

So do not think about all these. Don't even think about leading a private life now.

[V.Narayan]

1. Put it out on social media through your Whats App connections.
2. Write to Bharati Axa informing them that you think this sucks and you are protesting via social media.
3. Go meet the school principal and thump the table. File a written complaint.
4. Log it on IRDA's website

Your results may not be perfect but you will get some results for sure.

Data privacy is little understood in India by either private sector companies or the Government. Even in the US where data privacy laws abound they are violated in full by their own Govt. You cant solve this problem but through these efforts you can make a dent.

My advice would be to act if you feel strongly about it. Too many of us Indians grumble but don't act. Best of luck.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by vinair

Literally appalled at the way companies have infiltrated our personal lives! Now they want to get us through our children!! This (attached picture) is what was given to my son in his school as a coloring project today! I was simply shocked to see how Bharati Axa is using children to get potential leads by requesting phone numbers of the parents! Imagine how many children (even some parents) would have unsuspectingly provided their (of their parents/guardians I mean) telephone numbers and would have fallen prey to the ever growing personal database scam!!

How do I ensure this is escalated (I am taking it differently with the school management) to IRDA? Would IRDA do anything about this? Any channel I should follow? Welcome any comments or views here!

Nope. This is a marketing form called School Contact Program or SCP.

A competition is created, in this case a colouring competition, for which the parent's data is required for participation. Depending on the scale of the SCP, a few winners will be announced by class/age/school/zone/city/region.

SCPs have been a popular marketing form since the 90s.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by Viraat13

Nope. This is a marketing form called School Contact Program or SCP.

A competition is created, in this case a colouring competition, for which the parent's data is required for participation. Depending on the scale of the SCP, a few winners will be announced by class/age/school/zone/city/region.

SCPs have been a popular marketing form since the 90s.

Just because its happening since a long time does not make it right.
Why would a childrens colouring competition require the profession of the parents?


This is WRONG on so many counts. It needs to STOP!!!

[N33raj]

Yes agreed that this is not something which should be done, but there is a difference between "should" do and "can" do.
I have faced this issue when something similar was given in my son's school as part of a colouring contest; i simply took the liberty of filling out garbage information.
For those pesky telemarketers, there is Truecaller. Works quite well i say.
Yes i get irritated with such tactics but i have never gotten round to doing something about it. I suppose my excuse is that i m busy with my job and no time left for any such pursuit.
Please take up the issue and let us all know what develops.