Restaurant Worker Uses Contact Tracing Details to Personally Contact a Woman
| Restaurant Worker Uses Contact Tracing Details to Personally Contact a Woman | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | Restaurant Worker Uses Contact Tracing Details to Personally Contact a Woman |
| Location | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Date | May 2020 |
| Solove Harm | Secondary Use, Insecurity, Increased Accessibility, Intrusion |
| Information | Identifying, Contact |
| Threat Actors | Subway restaurant worker, Subway, Facebook Inc. |
| Individuals | |
| Affected | A female Subway customer |
| High Risk Groups | Females |
| Tangible Harms | Anxiety |
A woman in Auckland, New Zealand was contacted by a restaurant worker who got her personal information from the details she provided to help contact tracing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Description
In spring 2020 in the context of COVID-19 pandemic New Zealand people were told to share their personal information to help contact tracing.
A woman in Auckland, New Zealand complained that after providing such information to a Subway restaurant a worker from the restaurant misused her personal information to make numerous approaches to her. This is an example of Secondary Use. The woman was asked to share her name, home address, email address, and phone number which allowed the man to also find her Facebook and Instagram profiles. This is an example of Increased Accessibility. He could then contact her through these social media sites and through text messages.Intrusion
It can also be seen as Insecurity since the information the woman had to provide wasn’t protected from improper access: she was asked to submit all personal details in plain text in person to the restaurant worker.
The woman described, that she felt "gross", "uncomfortable", "creeped out" and "vulnerable".
Subway says that Subway restaurant worker has now been suspended after the woman complained, and a new digital contact tracing system will be in place at all restaurants.