Does securing our personal data really have to be this frustrating?

What was supposed to be a simple request from  my mobile carrier turned into a marathon of frustration. It all began with a minor change. I wanted to add a phone line and drop my insurance on my current  soon to be obsolete iPhone.  Easy enough, right?

Not easy at all! It required my password and PIN number. Okay, the password I entered  didn’t work.  It was news to me that I had a PIN number. But wait….my computer saves my passwords.  I was to learn that my trusty computer fell down on her job.

Soon I was buried in a labyrinth of passwords and PIN numbers. Each step seemed designed to test my patience, from verifying my identity multiple times to resetting forgotten security questions. Those who know me well, will attest to the fact that patience is not my strong point.

Finally, I thought I may be getting  somewhere. A prompt appeared wanting to send a verification code to my phone. Geez, you’d think I was verified by now.  The code arrived. Taking a few deep breaths, although I suspect that I  was hyperventilating, I entered the verification code. I was prompted to add my new password twice.  The PIN number was entered again for added security. Honestly, folks, the processes seemed never ending; each step was more  convoluted than the last.

When a red error message appeared that read: “Access denied” I was seized with rampaging riots of undisciplined squads of emotion. I called the help number. I may have screamed into the phone “Customer Service”  while angrily pressing zero.

After holding on the line,  listening to “phone music”  for what felt like an eternity, a friendly voice greeted me. I explained my issue, my frustration mounting with every word. The representative assured me that they will get someone to help me.  I was transferred to a different number. I was placed on hold again, listening to more “phone music.”

Five minutes later,  a different voice picked up, asking me to repeat my issue. Before she could help me, she needed my security code. Feeling a tad proud I gave her my  hard-earned code. The cycle of explanation, hold and repetition continued until finally the changes were made, or so I thought.

The representative wanted to verify the changes:  “Miss Celia, I have added a new line and cancelled your current line along with the insurance.”

“What? No! That is  not what I requested.”  I bellowed into the phone.

“I am sorry, Miss Celia, can you explain your issue again?”

Taking a deep breath to rein in my exasperation, I started again, carefully enunciating each word to make sure nothing was misunderstood this time. “I want to add a new line to my account and discontinue the insurance on my current phone, not cancel the entire line,” I clarified, trying to keep my voice steady.

The representative responded with a polite yet strained acknowledgment. “I apologize for the misunderstanding, Miss Celia. Let me correct that for you right away.”  And she did.

Then the representative asked: “ Miss Celia, is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, that will be all, thank you ” I replied, feeling a mix of relief and lingering frustration.  

After ending the call, I realized that a task intended to simplify my life had only caused frustration. Ensuring privacy has become a nightmare.

I feel violated.  As the owner of this account, I believe that accessing it should be more straightforward.  I get that this watchdog procedure was for my protection.  But I considered this over-reach by my carrier.

Mindlessly scrolling through my phone ( a habit I am trying to break) I was aghast. I happened upon  an article about alleged government over-reach into our personal data. Did they have to follow the same steps I just did?

Reading more articles from different sources, I learned, apparently not. 

Apparently some non-government 20-something tech geniuses may have been given carte blanche access to personal data and lord knows what else? It makes one wonder, who grants these folks  access to our personal data so effortlessly? 

While we struggle to navigate the labyrinth of privacy protocols to access our own information, some people seem to bypass such hurdles with a mere wave of their digital wand.

The balance between security and privacy appears increasingly skewed, and we are left wondering if there’s anything at all we can do to protect our private information, but at the same time be able to access it ourselves without extreme difficulty and frustration.