Safeguarding Data, Ensuring Privacy!
Blog: NASSCOM Official Blog
Data privacy is a trivial concern for everyone and anyone who has access to the world wide web or any social media platform. More than 40% of the world’s population was on social media in 2017 and this figure is only bound to increase in this decade. It is of concern that we understand what Data privacy is and the importance of it in today’s world and what few steps you can take to avoid uninvited interruption in your daily lives of peace and freedom.
A decade ago, what now seems to be the buzz word, “Data” was not even in the use as much as it is today. Every now and then we come across the term “Data”, mostly in its most negative form i.e. “Breach of data”, “User data used for illegal activities”, “Data leak lead to loss of millions of dollars” etc. The discussion over data security is reaching rooms of not just government gatherings but across the globe into the room of every organization, big or small. Data privacy is a trivial concern for everyone and anyone who has access to the world wide web and the applications such as Facebooks and Instagrams of the world.
A simple Definition: Data Privacy
In simple terms, you may be already aware, Data privacy means careful handling of data i.e. consent, notice, regulatory obligations, etc.
Meeting someone and introducing yourself involves first just your name and other few details but you never share your personal information except to the ones who are close to you. But opening a bank account, applying for a loan, passport, Aadhaar may involve giving up a lot of information. Now, it just does not end here, we share our information on almost every social media website in one form or the other and it ultimately haunts us as it can reach and be used by anyone, anywhere in the world. And, that is why Data privacy is important and it is important for us to understand the T&C of its use. Well, after all, we don’t want “Your information could be for sale on the dark web” pop up come true.
Importance of Data Privacy
“Trust” is how you keep your fellow employees and customers in sync with your beliefs and what you do (products & services). Similarly, while we give out information every day in any form on any social media or in general on any website on the internet, it is the responsibility of that organization to keep this “trust” a customer shows, by carefully handling the data and giving it for use to only those who are responsible and has the authority, to maintain the integrity of the data.
Data is the most valuable asset a company can ever have. Organizations such as Facebook, Google have topped the list of innovation and growth because of data. And, in today’s world of consumer awareness on every subject, companies are very transparent in how they place a request for consent in using the data which abide by their privacy policies, and like I said, managing this data is vital for building accountability and trust with customers and partners who expect privacy.
Privacy is the right of an individual to be free from uninvited surveillance and users need to have the rights on their own data and any sort of usage requires explicit consent.
“In today’s world where data is the most valuable asset, users need to have rights on their own data. Usage of any of your data first needs your explicit consent” says Brittany Kaiser at NASSCOM Technology & Leadership Forum 2020.
Here are a few Data Privacy Tips
- Keep a close watch on attackers and be cautious of where ever you give out any information on the world wide web
- Never underestimate the use of your information by any organization. Always read Terms & Condition of data usage
- Always use strong and unique passwords for all your online accounts
- Make sure you secure your home WIFI network to avoid criminals to eavesdrop
- Before you discard any document whatsoever, make sure you destroy your account number, etc. or any other important information document might contain.
There are other measures as well which you can take every time you are giving some crucial information. It is your right to know where and in what capacity your data will be used and for what purposes. This decade of 4th Industrial Revolution will bring a lot more for us but data will always be the no.1 asset.
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