The restaurant industry is trying to get back on its feet but COVID cases have been on the rise. New rules in the State of Michigan require restaurants to collect names and phone numbers for dine-in customers. The requirements help the state contact people in case someone gets sick and visits the location. That can be very helpful. The problem is that some might be afraid to leave their phone number and some businesses might feel uncomfortable asking. There is also the risk that the information is used and sold for other purposes. Let us talk a moment on each of them.
1. Benefits of the Requirement. Getting in contact with people and helping them get tested if they have symptoms will likely help reduce the spread. It does provide more data and ability to go to the stores and research what happens. I'm all for understanding things and getting the data to do an analysis. Yes...there are some other issues.
2. Privacy Concerns. People might not feel comfortable providing information. Some are already concerned about their information and where its going.
3. Restaurant Concerns. The establishments are asking their customers to provide information they may not feel comfortable providing. They in turn might not be happy with it.
4. Data use Concerns. We can't always control what happens with this data. Sometimes its stolen, used for marketing purposes, investigations, and much more.
No one every said the pandemic was going to be easy. The restrictions are well meaning but I'm not sure how it will work on a practical level. It will likely work for most people but there will be a group of people who have some legitimate concerns. As a society we are learning about how to handle these situations as they arise and where people feel and sit on these issues. This would be a tough one to solve without adjusting. I think we already collect credit card information...so I wonder if the issues are cash buyers.
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