Almost 1 in 3 Brits between 18 and 34 years old have received unwanted contact from delivery drivers or other workers asking them out on dates or for sex, the UK’s data watchdog has warned.
The survey of over 2,000 British adults carried out for the Information Commissioner’s Office found that, in total, 17% of people have had their personal information used for a romantic or sexual proposition after handing it over to a business.
That figure rises to 33% in London, where such incidents are most common.
“People have the right to order a pizza, or give their email for a receipt, or have shopping delivered, without then being asked for sex or a date a little while later,” said Emily Keaney, a deputy commissioner at the ICO. “Our research today shows a disturbingly high number of people, particularly young people, are falling prey to these text pests,” she added.
…A growing number of firms, particularly in delivery, transport, or logistics, rely on gig economy or contract workers. These workers are not entitled to the same employment rights as full-time workers, the jobs can be precarious and badly paid, and turnover is often high. One consequence is that sensitive customer information, such as phone numbers and addresses, is accessible to casual workers.
Read more:
Syme, P. (2023, August 25). A hidden consequence of the gig economy is that workers keep asking customers for sex or dates. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/delivery-drivers-asking-customers-sex-dates-2023-8