Data privacy

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Data privacy refers to the protection of personal information that individuals share with organizations. It involves the collection, storage, use, and sharing of personal data and how that data is protected against unauthorized access, theft, loss, or misuse. Data privacy is a fundamental human right that is protected by many laws and regulations around the world. It allows individuals to control their personal information and decide how it is used and shared, ensuring that confidential data is not exploited for commercial or malicious purposes

Data privacy is essential because it plays a vital role in safeguarding sensitive information such as social security numbers, financial data, medical records, and other confidential personal information from unauthorized access. Without data privacy, this information could potentially be exploited for malicious purposes such as identity theft, fraud, or cyberstalking. Furthermore, data privacy is critical because it helps to maintain and build trust between individuals and businesses. When people know that their data is safe, they feel more comfortable sharing it, which, in turn, leads to more robust data-sharing practices and more significant innovation. Ultimately, data privacy is essential because it provides people with a sense of control over their personal information, which is increasingly becoming more critical in today's digital world.

Data privacy and cybersecurity are not the same thing, but they are closely related. 

Data privacy is about protecting personal information from unauthorized access and use, ensuring that people have control over their own data. It includes things like consent, transparency, and accountability when it comes to collecting, storing, and using data.

Cybersecurity, on the other hand, is concerned with protecting computer systems, networks, and devices from unauthorized access, theft, and damage. It involves using technology and processes to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats.

While data privacy and cybersecurity are distinct concepts, they often overlap. For example, strong cybersecurity measures can help protect personal data from cyber attacks. Similarly, data privacy laws often require organizations to implement specific cybersecurity measures to secure personal data.

Your online activity creates a treasure trove of data. This data ranges from your interests and purchases to your online behaviors, and it is collected by websites, apps, devices, services, and companies all around the globe. This data can even include information about your physical self, like health data – think about how an app on your phone might count how many steps you take. 

You cannot control how each little piece of data about you and your family is collected. However, you still have a right to data privacy. You can help manage your data with a few repeatable behaviors. Your data is valuable and you deserve to have a say! 

Here are some simple, easy tips from the National Cybersecurity Alliance that will help you manage your data privacy:

Nowadays, when you download a new app, open a new online account, or join a new social media platform, you will often be asked for access to your personal information before you can even use it! This data might include your geographic location, contacts, and photos.

For these businesses, this personal information about you is tremendously value — and you should think about if the service you get in return is worth the data you must hand over, even if the service is free.

Make informed decisions about sharing your data with businesses or services:

• Is the service, app, or game worth the amount or type of personal data they want in return?
• Can you control your data privacy and still use the service?
• Is the data requested even relevant for the app or service (that is, “why does a Solitaire game need to know all my contacts”)?
• If you haven’t used an app, service, or account in several months, is it worth keeping around knowing that it might be collecting and sharing your data?

For every app, account, or device, check the privacy and security settings. These should be easy to find in a Settings section and should take a few moments to change. Set them to your comfort level for personal information sharing; generally, we think it’s wise to lean on the side of sharing less data, not more.

You don’t have to do this for every account at once, start small and over time you’ll make a habit of adjusting all your settings to your comfort. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has in-depth, free resources like their Manage Your Privacy Settings page that lets you check the settings of social media accounts, retail stores, apps and more.

Data privacy and data security go hand-in-hand. Along with managing your data privacy settings, follow some simple cybersecurity tips to keep it safe. We recommend following the Core 4: 

• Create long (at least 12 characters), unique passwords for each account and device. Use a password manager to store each password – maintaining dozens of passwords securely is now easier than ever.  
• Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever it is permitted – this keeps your data safe even if your password is compromised. 
• Turn on automatic device, software, and browser updates, or make sure you install updates as soon as they are available.
• Learn how to identify phishing messages, which can be sent as emails, texts, or direct messages.

Data privacy might seem abstract, but it couldn’t be more personal. You generate lots of data every time you access the internet, and sometimes, when you don’t – your home address, health records, and Social Security are all pieces of data. While you can’t control the fact that your data is collected, you can take charge of how and with whom you share data with in many cases.  

Your data is worth a lot of money to many different people, businesses, and organizations, but we often don’t value our own data story as much as they do. We can all be more aware of who we share our data with and what we expect in return. Fortunately, there are a few simple, repeatable behaviors you can adopt. It appears people are becoming more aware: a recent McKinsey survey found that 71% of consumers said they would stop doing business with a company if it gave away sensitive data without permission. 

There’s an old Silicon Valley adage that if you’re not paying for it, you aren’t the customer, you’re the product. In many cases, this proves true. To be more accurate, your data is the product. Who’s buying? Advertisers, mostly, but also others like software developers. You and your data make up a slice of this multibillion bonanza.  

Here are some tips on how to take charge of your data privacy in 2024!  

The truth is, you can’t control who has access to every scrap and byte of your data. The IRS, for example, will find out how much money you make. And many online services require some of your data to function – a maps app cannot suggest directions if it doesn’t know where you are located (at least while you are using it). An image-sharing site needs access to your photos.  

Understand that there is a tradeoff between convenience and privacy. To use all the features of your devices, apps, and software, you will often have to share more and more data. By understanding this balance, you can make better informed data decisions. 

Apps, websites, devices, and software will often seek out more data than you would think is necessary — why does a Solitaire app need to know your location? Why does a social media app need to know the phone numbers of everyone you know? Here is where you can really take charge of your data.  

Fortunately, many web browsers, computers, and devices will ask you if you want to share certain types of data with a new app or website. Strike up a habit of paying attention to these requests and  actually thinking about your answers. Here are common types of data you might be asked for: 

• Your location 
• Your contacts 
• Your photos and camera 
• Data about your behavior and use of a service 

At this point, think about what you want to share. On mobile devices, you can often decide if you want an app to only have access to this data while using it.  

If an app or software program refuses to function unless you share certain data that you don’t think it needs (like the Solitaire app demanding your location), find another app. 

Generally, you might feel more secure erring on always limiting how much data you share when asked.  

Even if an app or software program never asks you for data, you should assume it is still collecting it. Routinely (every month or so) check your privacy settings and ensure everything fits within your comfort level.  

You can access app and software permissions through your device’s general settings. Remember,  apps will often ask for you to give them access permissions at all times, but you usually only need to give them permissions for while you are using the app. Here are some default settings you should usually turn off, unless you need it for the app to function and you trust the app.  

• Camera – off 
• Microphone – off 
• Location – off 
• Sync contacts – off

Every 3 months or so, go through your devices and think about each app you have downloaded — we call this an “app audit.”  

You might think that the real estate on your phone is pretty limitless, but an app audit isn’t just about decluttering. Many apps will collect and share your device-use data even when you don’t use them; you’re basically giving away your data, and you don’t even like the app! Why should that food delivery app you used once a year ago get access to all your precious data?   

If you haven’t used the app in months, delete it from your device. Don’t be afraid to be ruthless, you can always download the app again