Today, it seems, we live in a world gone security mad.
Rudely awakened from an unexpected yet totally justified afternoon nap, I was not in the best of moods when I snatched up the telephone receiver only to hear the unmistakeable background chatter of the call centre. Nor was I amenable when asked to 'confirm my identity' by giving them exactly the information a criminal would require to steal it, just so my car insurance company could try and sell me additional services.
Now don't get me wrong, I am all for security, as I demonstrated by not being in a sharing mood, I just object to the way that companies use it to make us feel they're more important than they are. No one needs to confirm my identity in order to sell me hire car cover on my insurance policy, the fact that I've answered MY phone, and said YES when they've asked for me should be enough.
The sad truth is that cyber crime, identity theft and credit card fraud has left us feeling vulnerable, but like the overuse of antibiotics, this constant barrage of pin numbers, passwords and security questions only desensitises us and makes us more exposed than we ever were before.
