Data Privacy

Data privacy issues are becoming more prevalent in today’s technological landscape. Data breaches committed by cyber criminals are costing industries billions of dollars, and more legislation is devoted to data privacy than ever before. This means that organizations need to meet data security compliance requirements, and individuals should be more aware of why their data privacy matters.

Also known as information privacy, data privacy sees personally identifiable information as belonging to the individual. Data privacy law such as the American Data Privacy and Protection Act is meant to protect this sensitive, personally identifiable data.

What some people get confused by is the idea of data privacy. It doesn’t necessarily mean that an organization won’t be collecting your personal information, or they won’t be tracking your site visits. What data privacy means is that if your information is being collected or used, there is a data privacy policy declared by the organization’s website. That way, visitors to the site can make their own decisions about whether they want to continue visiting the site.

Certain data privacy laws will extend to software applications, real-life interactions, and more. Data privacy does not only exist within the cyber security world but the physical world as well. Essentially, privacy laws serve to protect the interests of consumers and individuals, whereas they set out clear guidelines and frameworks for businesses and companies.

What Is Data Privacy

So what is data privacy, and why is it such a big deal? Data privacy in cyber security is so important because it protects both companies and individuals from data theft.

To answer the question of what is cyber privacy, we will first go over the different types of data privacy. The main types of data privacy deal with the following kinds of information:

• Personally Identifiable Information (PII) – This is the basic kind of information that could be utilized to determine the identity of an individual.
• Personal Health Information (PHI) – Health information has a wide range of types. Anything from medical history, insurance information, and data collected by healthcare professionals is considered personal health information. In the United States, this information is strictly forbidden from being shared without express permission (one of these healthcare-related data privacy laws is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, HIPAA).
• Personally Identifiable Financial Information (PIFI) – Bank details, credit card information and other financial information that an individual has is considered private and needs to be protected under data protection laws.
• Student Records – The records that involve someone’s educational history are also considered personal and private information.

There are also two primary types of data that are not actually counted when it comes to privacy laws and privacy concerns. This is in part because they are not considered sensitive information and are generally much easier to find. Not all data is considered equally important. If you are concerned about how your data is being processed and handled, it is a good idea to look at the applications you use and sites you’re visiting to find out whether your data is being

• Non-sensitive Personally Identifiable Information – This kind of data is already able to be uncovered by the public. This public information could be found in a phone book, an online directory, and other channels.
• Non-personally Identifiable Information – This kind of data cannot reasonably be used to determine someone’s identity. This may include cookies. Still, what counts as non-PII may differ depending on which privacy law is in play. This is because non-PII may be used in conjunction with other kinds of information to ultimately figure out somebody’s personal information and identity.

Because there are so many different types of data, data privacy usually prioritizes the most important ones and details how they should be handled. Critical sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, is handled with the utmost care and confidentiality. On the other hand, you have probably already received many spam calls before.

Why Is Data Privacy Important

Data privacy becomes increasingly important as we grow ever-reliant on technology. More data is being stored and used, so it is critical that we know where it’s going and how it is being used. When it comes to the topic of why is data privacy important and the importance of data privacy law, it’s impossible to not discuss the benefits of data privacy.

Data privacy laws are enacted across the world for the sake of protecting people’s personal data and privacy. They serve as a sort of legal framework for organizations so that they know what rules they need to follow to ensure data privacy. For the individual, data protection means that you are less likely to have your sensitive personal information stolen.

Imagine a world in which anyone could have access to your personal information, like your health records, your student transcripts, and even your credit card information. There would be no sense of security at all! Your bank wouldn’t be able to verify your identity properly due to all the fraud concerns; your history would be visible to potentially malicious parties who could leverage it against you.

Data privacy is incredibly important. Without it, no one would be able to feel safe when accessing the Internet, going to the hospital, or interacting with companies. At least with data privacy, individuals will have a general idea of what data is being collected and how it may be used (so long as the companies are trustworthy and declare their intentions truthfully through a data privacy statement).

If a company does not comply with data privacy laws, it can incur financial penalties. In serious cases, it may even lead to imprisonment. While reductive, it is safe to say that when sensitive data falls into the wrong hands, bad things happen.

For organizations that have to do with national security, a data breach can mean top-secret information getting leaked to dangerous actors. This can lead to catastrophic attacks. More common malicious uses of sensitive data include identity theft, stolen money, and other kinds of misuse.

General Data Protection Regulation

The General Data Protection Regulation, also known as the GDPR law, is the biggest data privacy law in the European Union and European Economic Area. What this means is that if you want your website and organization to operate in any EU area, you need to make sure that you meet GDPR compliance.

GDPR requirements are fairly strict compared to other kinds of data privacy laws.

When it comes to the GDPR, personal data needs to be protected. There are ten key requirements, which are the following:

1. There Needs to Be Transparency and Fair Processing of Data

The GDPR requires there to be lawful processing of data. There should be a lawful reason for why the personal data is being processed, and those whose information may be collected should be aware of how this data is being processed and utilized.

2. Limitations of Personal Data Collection

When data is being collected by an organization, there are certain limitations imposed by the GDPR. If the information is no longer needed for this specific purpose, then the information should be deleted afterward.

These limitations do not apply to all purposes. For example, if the data is collected for a scientific or another similar purpose, there is more freedom in data processing and collection.

3. Data Subject Rights

There are numerous data subject rights that the GDPR lists. They include the right to be informed, the right to access, the right to rectification, the right to erasure, the right to restrict processing, the right to data portability, the right to object, as well as rights related to automatic decision-making, including profiling.

As you can see, there is an abundance of rights that the GDPR prescribes to individuals. GDPR compliance can be tricky, but with the right tools and assistance, an organization can ensure that it is meeting the right requirements. That way, it can operate safely without worrying about fines.

Data Privacy Policy

A data privacy policy is basically the statement that is made by a business. It talks about how the company handles personal data. It is meant to increase transparency and help individuals be aware of how their data is being collected, used, and protected.

Looking at a data privacy policy example can provide you with more insight into how these policies look and work. The typical data privacy policy for a company will list information such as how the data is being collected, processed, and used. One example to look at is the Google Privacy Policy, which emphasizes contractual confidentiality obligations and the fact that the company restricts access to personal data by its employees.

A data privacy policy is very critical for companies to meet data privacy law compliance requirements as well as gain the trust of their customers. When data is collected or used, and customers find out it was done so without their consent or knowledge, it can seriously hurt the reputation of a company on top of resulting in heavy fines.