How unsolicited email lists are putting you at risk

Urgent action is needed by the Zimbabwe government over abusive email lists that have become the scourge of many an email inbox.

Examples of these include dailyadverts.info, intouch zim, claxafieds to name a few.

To make it worse, one of those brazenly sent us an email saying for $20 we could have access to its database.

Sound like conventional media? Like I have people and for a fee you can access them. On the surface yes.

Except that in that scenario people voluntarily sign-up for emails. To suddenly find yourself receiving emails on some list is just weird.

So for is it means someone has illegally taken our data and either sold the lists to someone or the said organisations have used dark means to acquire our data. An attempt to have ourselves unsubscribed from these lists has been unsuccessful on many occasions meaning we continue to be bombarded by all sorts of advertising.

What is worse for us is, what other data is being passed around without our consent or knowledge? To what extent is the privacy of the average citizen being treated with contempt by organisations of this nature? How important is data protection when it comes to the security of the people of Zimbabwe? Other regions constantly update their legislation so things of this sort do not happen but in Zimbabwe there seems to be nothing happening.

Beyond being just irritating, your data being available to anyone puts you at risk. Wait until someone steals your entire identity because they could buy it off a list.

Escalate it a bit and realise that there is no guarantee that your data is accurate which means your information could be attached to some unsavaoury characters meaning your very person is compromised. Remember that you have no control over your own information and how it is used so it could be brokered for ANYTHING.

Perhaps litigation is needed.