We live in an age in which it’s difficult to go more than a few days without hearing a news report about data breaches and hacks that expose millions of personal information to cybercriminals. In the wake of this, people are seeking ways to keep their personal information secure online.
It’s vital to understand how to protect the personal information that is incorporated into your digital business in order to meet your legal obligations and safeguard consumers’ privacy. Here are some helpful tips to help you do so.
1. Identify Personal Data
As defined by the laws protecting data as personal data, it is information that can be used to identify or be used to identify an individual. In the digital world that could include a wide range of items ranging from names, email addresses to biometric information. Many types of information, which could be considered personal, can be excluded provided certain conditions are in place. If, for example, an organization collects data about a wide range of people and asks them to provide their job titles and occupations, it is probably not personal information as it cannot be used to identify a particular person.
Many organizations are legally required to limit the amount of personal information that they collect. This is usually an advantage, as it decreases the chance of an incident involving data. The majority of data protection laws require a higher security level for sensitive personal data than normal personal information. This is because a breach can cause more harm or consequences for the person who is affected.