Is data privacy the need of the hour?
Why do we need data privacy now more than ever?
In an era where almost everything is getting digital, from ordering groceries to communicating with your loved ones abroad, everything you do online, leaves a digital footprint. And how would you like it if this data gets leaked or misused? It won’t be a pleasant feeling, right?
Moreover, did you know that according to the World Economic Forum, 95% of cybersecurity breaches occur because of human mistakes? For instance, errors like clicking on a phishing link, storing sensitive documents outside approved systems, or overlooking a change in bank account details.
Not only this but you will be surprised to know that 1.7 megabytes of data is created every second by an individual. This produces 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day! You can estimate the number of breaches based on this information.
Furthermore, what if I tell you that you can avoid these errors and protect your data without extra effort? Wouldn’t you want to know more about it? Hence, this blog is your solution to all the cybersecurity issues. So, what are you waiting for? Dive in NOW before you become a prey of such cyber crimes!
But first, What is Cyber Crime?
Imagine this, you are having your morning coffee and you are all set to open your inbox to check emails. And you notice a very intriguing message saying “You have won a free vacation”. You click on that link, and the site looks official but something slightly feels off. This is an example of a phishing scam to get into your credentials and information. This is just one of the many cybercrimes.
Beyond that, cybercriminals commit offenses like fraud, identity theft, data breaches, computer viruses, etc. Hence, the illegal activities that take place using computers, the internet, or network devices are given the term “cybercrime”. We’ll learn more about how to prevent these crimes. And also about what is data privacy, in the upcoming sections of the blog.
What is Data Privacy and Prevention from Cyber Crimes?
I’m assuming that almost every one of us uses social media. And we decide our privacy settings on every platform. For example, we choose who can see our posts and photos, like or comment on them, share them, etc. Similarly, data privacy is your personal space in the digital world. It means choosing who can access your digital information.
Other than that, it is responsible for handling sensitive information like financial records, personal details, and intellectual property. As a part of data protection, data privacy also includes backing up data and saving it from threats. Some businesses still like to store their data on tapes, which are then protected and vaulted offsite for an extra layer of protection. If you’d like to go a step further regarding security, you can rely on Corodata offsite tape vaulting to ensure any physical data you have is protected. Other than this, it protects the data’s confidentiality to meet the legal requirements and maintain accuracy.
Now, let us look at an example. Imagine you get home from work one day. And you are very exhausted. You want to order yourself a delicious dinner, but you find out that your bank account is empty! Not even a single penny is there. What would you do? You would freak out, and immediately go to the bank right? When you do, it turns out that it was the work of a hacker.
Hence, to save yourself from such unpleasant surprises, it is important to have control over your digital data. This is possible only through data privacy.
Key Features of Data Privacy
To understand this concept better, let us look at the key features of data privacy.
- Controls the sharing of data with third parties
- Controls how and where this data is stored
- Controls the specific regulations that apply to these processes
However, it is important to note that every country has a separate form of legislation regarding data privacy. This legislation correlates with a particular industry or a section of the population. Let us learn more about this concept in the next section.
What is Data Sovereignty?
In simple terms, digital sovereignty is that aspect of data privacy that says “digital data must follow the laws of the country where it is located”.
There has been an increase in using cloud data services when it comes to storing digital data. On the other hand, there is a sudden decrease in security. Due to this phenomenon, many countries adopted diverse legislation. They make sure that the data is kept within the country where the customer resides.
Lately, this process of data sovereignty to ensure data privacy has faced difficulties due to its complex nature. Now that we have understood what data sovereignty means, let us dive into a few laws that govern data privacy all over the nation.
Important Laws and Data Privacy
We have established the fact that it is important to control and organize our digital data. But the question remains ‘Who is responsible for taking up this task?’ Here come the data privacy laws. We have listed the three basic laws related to data privacy.
- National Data Protection Laws – Some countries have a comprehensive set of data protection laws. For example – Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and others.
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – It is a generalized law that regulates how the data of the European Union (EU) data subjects is stored, collected, and processed. In addition to this, it also gives the data subjects the right to control their data.
- California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) – It is a right given to consumers, which states that they must be aware of what personal data is collected. And it also gives them the right to tell organizations not to sell this personal data.
Challenges that users face while protecting their digital privacy
From navigating complex privacy settings to managing brutal data tracking, users face an enormous amount of challenges while trying to protect their data. We have listed a few of these challenges below.
- Online Tracking – Companies use cookies, web beacons, and other tools to monitor your browsing patterns. This builds a profile of your interests and habits. Not only this but it is then used to target you with personalized advertising, mostly without your consent.
- Lack of Transparency – Many apps and sites offer extensive privacy settings, but navigating them could be one hell of a job. This is due to their convoluted and technical language. Hence, this lack of transparency makes it hard for users to communicate with the websites.
- Social Media – Every post, like, and comment on your social media leads to an online footprint. This could eventually turn into oversharing, exposing sensitive details, and being misused by cybercriminals.
- Losing Data Control – All digital data can easily be shared, copied, and stored indefinitely. Hence, controlling where it goes and who sees it is difficult. This lack of control contributes to a larger risk of data leakage (financial, medical, or even private).
What is Data Protection?
Having control over who can see your digital data is undoubtedly very important. But, what about the data that you publish online? Doesn’t that need to be protected too?
Hence, data protection means safeguarding sensitive information from corruption and data loss. It aims to ensure that the data is protected, available, and abided by the rules concerning the regulatory requirements.
But you must be wondering, what is the difference between Data Protection and Data Privacy? Well, the last section of this blog is solely about that.
How is Data Privacy different than Data Protection?
Imagine your digital data as your personal belongings in a safe deposit box.
Now, data privacy is your right to control the contents of this box. You are in control of this box. You decide what goes into this box and who can access it. Also, who can see your posts and comments, etc.
On the other hand, data protection focuses on the safety measures taken to protect your data. Consider it like an alarm system for your safe deposit box. It involves management like encryption and access controls to allow only authorized people to access your data. Beyond that, these protection strategies make it mandatory for companies to minimize the risk of data breaches.
Master the Digital Age
Yes, digital privacy can sound like a complex phenomenon but once you navigate your way through it, there’s no coming back. A few key takeaways from this blog:
- Data Privacy is your right to control your digital data
- Data Privacy laws encourage you
- Data Protection ensures the security of your data
- Lastly, challenges exist, but solutions are available
Finally, always remember that as technology is an evolving phenomenon, so is data privacy. Stay informed, stay proactive, and always safeguard your digital information!
Feel free to reach out to us if you have any queries. Thanks for reading!
