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A purchase made by Mercado Livre went viral on social media after the customer opened the box and found 32 crumpled resumes being used as protection material inside the packaging with full names, addresses, phones, and documents of people who were looking for jobs at the store responsible for the shipment.
According to the portal TecMundo, a customer of Mercado Livre made a regular purchase and received a surprise that caused outrage among millions of people. Upon opening the package box, the consumer found 32 resumes of people looking for jobs crumpled as protective paper inside the packaging. The documents contained full names, addresses, phone numbers, and identity numbers of dozens of candidates who had left their resumes at the store responsible for shipping to Doces Biba, a company with 53 years of history in the candy market, located in São Paulo.
The post made on X (formerly Twitter) surpassed 2 million views and generated thousands of comments of outrage. “They used the resumes of people who are in need of jobs to pack goods, exposing personal and important data to anyone,” wrote the customer. Mercado Livre responded to the post stating that they regret the incident and requested contact to investigate the case. The selling company suspended shipping operations and announced information security training for the entire team.
32 crumpled resumes inside the box: what the customer found in the Mercado Livre order
The images shared by the consumer show various crumpled papers inside the packaging, placed between the product and the walls of the box exactly where there should have been bubble wrap, kraft paper, or another appropriate protective material.
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Upon unfolding each sheet, the customer discovered that they were complete resumes: 32 documents with sensitive personal data of people seeking employment at the store that sold the product through Mercado Livre.
“I unfolded each one with an absurd pain in my heart,” wrote the consumer. The resumes contained information such as full names, residential addresses, phone numbers, emails, and document numbers protected by the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) and were exposed to an unknown person simply because someone in the company decided to use resumes as packaging material instead of properly discarding them.
Who is the company that used resumes as packaging paper in the sale through Mercado Livre
The store responsible for the sale on Mercado Livre was identified as Doces Biba, a company located in São Paulo with 53 years of tradition in the candy market.
After the repercussions, the owner classified the episode as a “serious and unacceptable failure” in the internal document disposal process and stated that the use of resumes as packaging material does not reflect the brand’s standard of care.
In an official statement, Doces Biba declared that it has temporarily suspended shipping operations through Mercado Livre to review its procedures and ensure compliance with the LGPD.
The company also informed that it intends to contact the holders of the exposed information to provide clarifications and offer support, and that the entire team will undergo new information security training.
What the law says about the use of personal data from resumes as packaging paper
Resumes contain sensitive personal data protected by the General Data Protection Law (LGPD). When a person submits their resume to a company, they are providing data for a specific purpose: to apply for a job.
Using this data for any other purpose, including crumpling them as protective paper in packaging, is a deviation from purpose and violates the legislation.
The customer who found the resumes in the Mercado Livre order reported that she intends to report the case to the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) and to Procon. The LGPD provides for sanctions ranging from warnings to fines of up to 2% of the company’s revenue, limited to R$ 50 million per infraction.
In addition to the responsibility of the selling store, the repercussions of the case raised a debate about the extent to which platforms like Mercado Livre should be held accountable for the practices of sellers operating in their marketplace.
What Mercado Livre said about the case and what happens now
Mercado Livre responded directly to the customer’s post on social media, stating that they regret the incident and requested contact to investigate the case and offer support.
The platform did not detail whether it intends to take additional measures against the selling store or if it will change its packaging guidelines for Mercado Livre sellers.
The case exposes a flaw that goes beyond a single company: while platforms like Mercado Livre set detailed rules for types of packaging, box sizes, and protective materials, there is no practical oversight on what sellers actually put inside the boxes.
The Mercado Livre packaging guide itself recommends crumpled kraft paper, foam, or air cushions and at no point mentions printed sheets with personal data of third parties.
Crumpled resumes as protective paper: what this case reveals about data disposal in Brazil
The case of the 32 resumes found in the Mercado Livre order is both absurd and revealing.
Absurd because it turns the personal data of vulnerable people looking for jobs into packaging waste. Revealing because it shows that, despite the LGPD being in effect since 2020, many companies still have not incorporated a data protection culture into their most basic operations.
32 people submitted their resumes with the hope of getting a job. Instead of a response or at least a dignified disposal, their names, addresses, and documents were crumpled inside a box of sweets and sent to a stranger.
The question that remains is: how many companies in Brazil do the same without anyone opening the box and noticing?
Have you ever received a package with strange material used as protection inside the box? And what do you think: is the blame solely on the store or should Mercado Livre also be held accountable? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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