R.E.S.P.E.C.T. (Find out what it means to me)

The private sector seems to be taking an ominous cue from government, with the release of a survey indicating that 61 per cent of marketing staff admitted to having lost, or having stolen, confidential customer data over the past 24 months. Of the 900 data security and marketing professionals surveyed, 7 per cent of marketers said they would willingly disclose customers’ sexual orientation, 14 per cent their involvement in political activism and 19 per cent their credit card details in an attempt to increase sales.

Adding further insult to injury, last Friday a US court ordered Google to hand over the personal details of everyone who as ever watched a video on YouTube – all because Viacom, the parent company of MTV, doesn’t want such high cultural fare as Jackass and Beavis and Butt-Head shown on the Google-owned video-sharing website. An example of international copyright infringement? Possibly. A disproportionate response threatening to erode privacy rights? Absolutely, in my opinion.

We’re all entering chilly and increasingly litigious economic waters, but I ask you: Where has respect and care for consumers gone? [Note to self: Am probably sounding like an old grump. Promise I’ll lighten up next week.]