It’s unusual for me to click a link in an unsolicited email. However, Optus just sent me an email with an offer of new broadband pricing and services for business. I’m keen to see what companies are offering in the leadup to the NBN rollout, so I clicked their link.

I’m sure Optus expected me to be amazed and excited when my name and the name of my business came up on my screen. I know how they did it, and it’s all very benign.

But my first reaction as a consumer was one of mistrust and a visceral feeling that my security had been in some way compromised.

As I said, it hadn’t. It’s pretty straight-forward to create a campaign like this, but I think Optus is going to regret this approach in the current privacy environment.