Miami-Dade Commission should reject plan that would expose our personal information | Opinion
Keeping our information safe is one of the cardinal rules of being a South Floridian. We shred our bills and invoices for fear of dumpster divers; we don’t share our passwords; and we sign up for the Do Not Call List to avoid scammers.
Still, unfortunately, many of us have experienced the calls, texts and even unauthorized bank accounts withdrawals that come when someone else has your personal information and uses it for their own purposes.
Despite the unwanted texts and the specter of fraud for many in our community, an ordinance before the Miami-Dade County Commission would undermine many of the careful ways we protect personal information. It could put people who order meals and groceries from third-party platforms like DoorDash and UberEats at risk.
Currently, consumers share necessary personal information, including their name, street address, email address and phone number, with the platforms that power these deliveries so they can deliver safely and accurately. These platforms protect the personal information shared with them, while providing tools and insights that help restaurants make informed decisions.
However, the ordinance before the commission would require the disclosure of a customer’s personal information every time they make an order coming from any restaurant or grocery store to that same store. That means any store employee could access a customer’s personal information and use it for any purpose.
Exposing the personal information of thousands of South Floridians to everything from more potential spam emails and texts to more nefarious uses, like piecing together someone’s identity for fraudulent purposes, hurts customers and the businesses from which they order. If customers feel less safe ordering via third-party platforms, they’ll reduce their orders and impact a restaurant’s bottom line and ability to grow.
This also impacts a customer’s ability to get what they need, especially when life gets in the way. Thousands of South Floridians have used third-party platforms to safely access meals they need when and how they need it. They enjoy the ability to order a meal they can’t cook themselves when they’re sick, groceries when their child’s soccer game is delayed and there’s not enough time to make that last-minute run to the store or a favorite dessert to surprise loved ones. Customers feel comfortable doing this because they know their data is safeguarded while they support local businesses.
Local restaurants benefit from not being obligated to hold a customer’s personal information, too. They don’t need to worry about losing any of that in a cyberattack or to rogue employees. Restaurants are able to focus on what they do best, feeding our community, instead of having to become data privacy experts.
In Congress, as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s National Security Agency and Cybersecurity Subcommittee, I worked to strengthen cybersecurity measures as part of our national security infrastructure. I also supported legislation to install safeguards around the State Department’s data infrastructure. Americans should enjoy strong cybersecurity protections to protect them from our nation’s adversaries. That’s why I’m against weakening data protections in my home county and opposed to this ordinance.
South Florida is known for its diversity of cuisines, ranging from tostadas in the morning, sushi for lunch and a fusion of any cuisines for dinner. Customers can access the best of their communities — and discover new restaurants — because third-party platforms have helped restaurants provide delivery when, previously, they couldn’t have stood up their own such service.
The Miami-Dade Commission should let customers keep their data safe and let restaurants be restaurants by voting down this broad ordinance. It undermines the reason why both restaurants and customers go to third-party platforms.
After all, customers shouldn’t have to ask their server if their cafecitos and croquetas include a sprinkling of cybersecurity.
Retired U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who represented South Florida in Congress for almost three decades, is a senior advisor at Akin. DoorDash is an Akin client.
