Data privacy defines who has access to an individual’s personal data, and allows individuals to control how Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is collected, stored, and used.
Data privacy has become front and center of the privacy vs security debate when it comes to the internet. The general lack of regulation around in previous years fostered widespread corporate abuse of end user data to drive greater profits. The backlash to abuse led to greater protections for individuals which limits how organizations may collect, store, and use any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
The European Union (EU) was the first to act on with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May of 2018. The state of California followed suit in June 2018 with its own version – the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). And these regulations continue to expand across the globe to support greater protections for individuals with regards to keeping their personal data private.
We are constantly reminded of the growing number of privacy concerns from the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Some are quick to blame governments or commercial entities when our personal information is compromised. Very few stop to think whether or not the blame should be pointed at ourselves. To what extent are we as end-users responsible for facilitating our own personal privacy?
People don’t seem to worry much about privacy when “checking in” to a favorite local restaurant or coffee shop, or from other social media posts that reveal one’s location. What if you were approached by a complete stranger who knew your name and other personally indefinable information within minutes after making an upload? A few socialites got quite the shock after a social media experiment revealed how much personal information can be extracted from publicly viewable status updates.
Consumers will soon know exactly how much of their personal information is being collected online, by whom, and may one day be able to correct errors or opt-out entirely from such activity. The name of the game is “privacy” and thanks to a combination of recent investigative reporting and pressure from advocacy groups, regulatory entities and politicians, the urgency to reach this point is now mainstream news.
The past weeks have been rife with accusations of privacy infringement against Apple for covertly collecting geo-location information from iPods, iPhones and iPads. Although the collecting of private information by mobile phone manufacturers and 3rd party apps is nothing new, the manner in which Apple stores its data has resulted in criticism from end-users and security experts alike.