Data privacy is an issue that has been a hot topic in the news for several years now. The concept of data privacy is close to the hearts of people in many countries around the world after several incidents have occurred where private data was accessed without permission.
One example is the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica incident that took place in 2018. In this case, data from 50 million Facebook users was used without their permission by an analysis firm for political purposes.
The reason data privacy is important comes from the fact that many people have not spoken out about how it should be handled, but let others speak for them and decide how to handle it. This can be due to a lack of knowledge on the topic, or simply not caring. The fact is that it is about time people decide for themselves how they feel about their data privacy and what they are willing to share with corporations.
Due to the many stories that have surfaced surrounding data privacy, people are now aware of how important it is to hold companies accountable for their use of private information. If you are concerned about your online data and what companies do with it, there are some steps you can take today in order to protect yourself.
How to Protect Your Data
Fortunately, there are many data privacy tools aimed at the everyday user that have surfaced in recent years. These tools are making it easier for people to keep their data private, while not having to sacrifice the functionality of popular online services — which is encouraging more people to take action.
Here are some steps you can take today in order to protect your data privacy:
- Install a data control/protection platform such as Ketch, a software firm that offers solutions for businesses to know, apply, and manage their privacy obligations to customers while also controlling how they store and process data in order to make compliance with those requirements easy.
- Use a quality VPN service, which encrypts your data and hides your online activity from prying eyes.
- Use a secure messaging app that limits how much information about you is shared with other companies, such as WhatsApp or Signal.
- Make sure you have good antivirus software installed on your computer which uses an updated database to keep you protected.
- Consider removing online accounts that do not add value to your life.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to protect yourself right now. While it will take time for mass adoption of these tools to occur, some big names in tech have already started making changes — which will push the issue forward. For example, Apple has iCloud Keychain, which will store all your passwords encrypted on Apple’s servers so you can use them across multiple devices.
Even changing your search engine could help protect your privacy! Some search engines track the keywords you use when searching the web, which allows them to build a profile of you, your interests, and your buying habits.
Conclusion
The more our professional and personal lives move to the internet and to digital devices, the more we need to protect our personal data and ensure we do not lose it. The best advice is simply: Stay informed. The more you know about how your data is stored and handled online, the less chance there is that it will be compromised or lost without your knowledge.
It is not possible to keep yourself 100% safe from snooping data thieves, but there are simple actions you can take to make it more difficult for them. Installing a data protection platform is a good place to start. You can rest easy knowing your data is protected by a company with strong encryptions to keep hackers away.
This is especially important for businesses, which need to take extra steps to be sure their data is safe from hacking events or physical disasters. Taking steps now can save you a lot of time and money later on down the road.
Data is a huge part of our modern digital life. When you swipe your credit card at the store, email a friend, post on social media, and search for travel plans — these actions create data. That is how companies can offer you coupons when you walk in the door and suggest movies for online streaming when you open up Netflix. Yet, you should be able to decide which data you wish these services to have!
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