Have you ever handed over your phone number to a company just to keep your account safe, only to be bombarded with marketing messages a few weeks later? If so, you’ve experienced “purpose creep”—a sneaky practice that’s becoming too common in our digital world. Suddenly, your private data is fueling marketing campaigns you never signed up for.
What Exactly Is Purpose Creep?
Purpose creep happens when data you gave for one reason ends up being used for something else—without your clear consent. Imagine you give your phone number to a social media platform for two-factor authentication so you can log in securely. A month later, you start getting WhatsApp ads from that same company. You never agreed to this new use, but your data is out there, working overtime in ways you never intended.
Trust and Transparency: Where Do Companies Draw the Line?
For businesses, data is a valuable asset. But with great power comes great responsibility. When companies blur the lines between security and marketing, they risk damaging the trust that users place in them. Transparency is key—users should always know what their data will be used for and have the ability to say no to secondary uses. When businesses are clear and honest about their data practices, they not only comply with privacy laws but also build loyalty and goodwill. Drawing the line means putting users first never assuming consent for one purpose means consent for all, and always making it easy for people to control how their data is used.
Security vs. Sales: Why One Consent Isn’t Enough
Security and marketing are two completely different purposes. Just because you’ve agreed to provide your phone number for account protection doesn’t mean you’re open to receiving sales pitches. That’s why privacy experts and regulators insist on granular consent—separate, clear permissions for each use of your data. How about this?
When collecting your phone number, platforms should ask:
“Can we use your number for account security?”
“Would you like to receive marketing updates via WhatsApp?”
If you only say yes to the first, that’s the only use permitted. It could make the exploitation minimum.
Making Sense of Granular Consent
Granular consent might sound like legal jargon, but it’s actually pretty simple.
Imagine you are at a buffet you pick a salad. the chef shouldn’t assume you want dessert too, unless you say so. In privacy terms giving your number for security is like picking salad and using it for ads is dessert- something you should be asked about separately
What Should Responsible Businesses Do Differently?
For companies, respecting consent isn’t just about avoiding fines—it’s about building lasting relationships with users.
Be upfront: Clearly explain every intended use of data, in simple language.
Ask separately: Don’t bundle security and marketing consents together.
Honor user choices: If a user says “no” to marketing, don’t contact them for it.
Review data practices: Regularly audit how data is used to avoid accidental purpose creep
Why Do Companies Fall into the Purpose Creep Trap?
Purpose creep often happens because companies want to get the most out of the data they collect. Sometimes, it’s due to unclear privacy policies or a lack of internal controls or it’s a deliberate decision to boost marketing efforts, hoping users won’t notice or mind.
