We live in a world where it’s impossible to go for a few days without seeing a news story about data breaches or hacks that expose millions of personal records to cybercriminals. People are seeking ways to secure their information online.
It is essential to know how to protect personal data in your digital business to meet your legal obligations and to protect the privacy of your customers. Here are some tips to help.
1. Identify Personal Data
According to the laws on data protection, personal data is any data that identifies or may be used to identify an individual. In the digital world it can be an array of things ranging from names and email addresses to biometric data. A variety of types of information, which could be considered private, can be deemed to be not personal in the event that certain conditions are in place. For instance, if an organization gathers data on a variety of individuals and asks them to all declare their jobs that isn’t personal information because it cannot be used to identify a single person.
Many companies are required by law to limit the amount of personal information that they collect. This is generally an advantage, as it reduces the likelihood of being a victim of a data breach. A majority of data protection laws require a higher security level for sensitive personal information than standard personal information. This is because a breach can have more damaging effects or consequences for the person who is affected.