Why you should think twice before sharing your mobile number?

Apparently, in an interview, Jan Koum, who co-founded WhatsApp with Brian Acton said that the messaging service collects very little data of its users. This free app does not ask for user’s e-mail address and does not even require a real sign up. The other things WhatsApp won’t collect are: home address, GPS location, your likes and search history. Moreover, he even added by saying that none of the user data has ever been collected and stored by WhatsApp, and that they really have no plans to collect and store user’s data.

WhatsApp has added encryption for messages sent amongst its millions of users in order to prevent messages from being hacked or monitored. If WhatsApp itself is not collecting and selling its users data then – from where are these companies getting the database (mobile numbers) of millions of WhatsApp users?

Let us consider these:

We overshare our mobile number:
Anytime we fill a form, not many of us really hesitate to give out our mobile number-whether it’s a lucky draw, a signup form, contest entry, a warranty registration, or for social networking profile. Many of us also mention our phone number in the email signature. In such situations, there is always a chance that our mobile number can end up in someone else’s hands.

Most of us accept ‘Terms of Use’ while installing any app:
Without reading or understanding the ‘Terms of Use’, many users accept them. Few Apps such as flashlight app or almost all gaming apps does not require access to users call logs or even contacts. We do not realize however, there is a lot of information that we provide when we say ‘Yes, I accept’.

Sharing mobile number on dating sites:
Users sign up on dating sites and easily provide their mobile numbers. At times, many get emotionally carried away and share other details as well on such sites.

Social media sites:
Social networking sites display phone number and e-mail address of users. This is another way how companies get our mobile number. Sometime back, Facebook admitted that 6 million of its members’ phone numbers and email addresses were accidentally leaked for a period of about a year. However, Facebook blamed the leaks on a technical glitch.

Product warranty cards:
When a user register online for a new product that he/she wishes to purchase, the user needs to provide contact number, names, addresses and e-mails, which can be later sold to marketers and data brokers.

Anti-Virus and Content Security Solution providers like eScan suggests users to never hurry to disclose their numbers so as to minimize this leakage of their mobile phone number. They also say that one should to be specifically careful while registering for contests and lucky draws and read the fine print or contest terms closely that will specify whether the contest operators will sell your data to other companies, be cautious when registering at websites. v

So next time think twice before putting up your phone number in a public domain.