Bank of India removes Personal Mobile Numbers of Branch Heads from Internet

Bank of India has removed the personal mobile numbers of its Branch Heads that were previously available on the internet. The development comes after concerns were raised by FBOIOA over the privacy and safety of bank employees due to the public disclosure of their personal contact details.

Earlier, approximately 25 Google Business listings of Bank of India branches in Bengaluru Zone had been updated with the personal mobile numbers of the respective Branch Heads. As a result, customers and other people could easily find these numbers through Google Search and contact the officers directly.

The issue had raised serious concerns, particularly among female employees, as the personal mobile numbers of female Branch Heads were also publicly available. Employees were concerned about receiving unwanted calls, harassment and calls from unknown people outside working hours, including late at night.

One female employee had also shared her concern, stating, “I received a call from an unknown person late at night on my personal mobile number. I am worried about my safety and privacy. Anyone can find my number on Google and contact me at any time. This makes me feel unsafe, especially as a female employee. The bank should not make our personal mobile numbers public without our consent.”

Following the concerns raised over the matter, Bank of India has now removed the personal mobile numbers of Branch Heads from the internet. This is an important step towards protecting the privacy and safety of bank employees.

However, the issue has also highlighted the need for a permanent communication system at every branch. The bank should provide dedicated official mobile numbers to branches so that customers can contact branch officials without having to rely on their personal mobile numbers. These official numbers should remain with the branch even after the transfer of a Branch Head.

Also Read: PNB openly publishing Mobile No of Employees on Internet, Females worried about Safety!

Union Takes Action

The Federation of Bank of India Officers’ Associations (FBOIOA) had taken note of the matter and requested Bank of India management to take several measures on priority to protect employees’ privacy and safety.

The Federation had raised the following demands:

1. Remove Personal Mobile Numbers: The bank should remove personal mobile numbers of Branch Heads from Google Business listings, its website, passbooks and all other publicly accessible platforms.
2. Investigate the Matter: A formal investigation should be conducted to determine how personal mobile numbers were collected, uploaded and published without the employees’ consent.
3. Fix Accountability: Officials, agencies or personnel responsible for publishing employees’ personal contact details without proper authorisation should be identified. Appropriate action should be taken if any negligence or procedural lapses are established.
4. Provide Official Mobile Connections: The bank should provide dedicated official mobile connections for customer communication at every branch and restore non-functional branch landline connections.
5. Formulate a Uniform Policy: The bank should introduce a uniform policy under which only official branch contact details are published on public platforms. Employees’ personal mobile numbers should not be made public.
6. Issue Instructions to All Zones: Suitable instructions should be issued to all Zonal Offices and branches prohibiting the publication or sharing of employees’ personal contact details without proper authorisation and informed consent.
7. Review All Branch Listings: The bank should review Google Business listings and other publicly available contact details of all branches across the country to ensure that employees’ personal mobile numbers are not disclosed.