Your Mobile Phone Number: Why Privacy Matters
Sponsored by ConXhub.
Mobile phone numbers are a part of our daily lives. This is not going to change at any time in the foreseeable future. They act, essentially, as an identifier.
They are the one constant aspect of our lives, required to stay connected with friends, family and colleagues. However the potential risks that come with sharing your personal mobile phone number—be it on websites, service registration, someone you just met socially but don’t really know—are often left unexplored.
The number one, most identifiable risk of using your mobile phone number on public sites is making yourself available to unsolicited communications, including spam and scam calls, for men or women. GDPR and other high-profile legislative changes have made little difference to this, as those doing the targeting are also those least likely to pay any attention to current legislation. These messages are annoying and disruptive at best, and in some cases dangerous. For example, scammers routinely use phone numbers as the “thin end of the wedge” required to trick you into revealing personal information or sensitive details. Telemarketers are also persistent and disruptive, causing significant inconvenience and annoyance.
Protecting your phone privacy and avoiding unwanted calls is crucial for maintaining peace of mind. Last month alone, T-Mobile revealed that it had, as a result of hacking, revealed private information of about 37 million customers. This despite some very comprehensive security implementations. And if T-Mobile is vulnerable, we all are.
Women's safety is another major concern, and using a personal mobile phone number on public sites can also make it easier for people to identify, target and contact potential victims.
Personal information, such as a mobile phone number, can be used by unscrupulous individuals to gather ongoing information about an individual, including their location and personal habits. This information can then be used for malicious purposes, such as identity theft or fraud. Protecting your personal information and maintaining privacy is critical in today's digital age.
It is essential to consider long-term consequences of using a personal mobile phone number on public sites. The more this information is shared, the more difficult it will be to take back and may remain accessible to others for years to come.
There are several reasons why women should not use their personal mobile phone numbers on public sites. From unwanted messages and calls to potential harassment and abuse, there are many longer-term risks that come with sharing this information. Women who value their privacy, safety and peace of mind should take care to keep their personal mobile phone numbers private and only share them with trusted individuals.
The simple truth is that none of this should be necessary. Having to take precautions to protect your personal privacy from scammers and salespeople is bad enough, without considering the additional risk women face on a daily basis. There seems to be no “silver bullet” for this. More’s the pity, but it does seem prudent to put a barrier up to help fend off unwanted invasions of privacy. Nobody wants to have to change the mobile number they’ve used for years, the one that all your friends and family know by heart—and services like the one offered by VIP Safety First could help prevent that.
Nick Muir, is CEO of ConXhub the UK’s leading telecommunications innovator.
You can learn more about ConXhub at conxhub.com and you can follow on social media for the latest updates on Twitter @ConXhub, Facebook @ConXhub, Instagram @ConXhub, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Sponsored by ConXhub.