What exactly is data privacy? While the answer may seem simple, it’s actually a very involved answer that requires the utmost attention. Data privacy is known as a form of information privacy and data protection. It relates to the obligations and rights of entities and individuals as outlined by the law, with respect to the storage, transfer, destruction, collection and use of information about individuals. It also applies to any data that could be used by itself or in combination with other context or clues to locate, contact, or identify a person. This is called PII or personally identifiable information in the U.S.
Examples of PII Include the Following:
- Date of Birth
- Ethnicity
- Medical Records
- Employment History
- Financial Records
- Name
- Government Identifiers such as a Social Security Number
How Your Company Can Protect Personal Information
The best way to protect your company is to invest in data privacy training. It is imperative that you are able to protect the personal information of your customers, clients, and even your employees. In order to do that, you need your employees to be able to comply with all of your company policies and all legal requirements. The experts can incorporate the training you need including when to decide whether you need to keep personal information or not. The more information you collect about people the more it becomes a liability.
Data Privacy: Take Action!
The experts can instill in your company how critical it is to diligently perform your duty concerning data privacy. There are also many entities in which to keep data compliance including DSS, HIPAA, PCI, cloud computing requirements, and information security classifications. You’ll also learn the golden rules of handling personal information such as protect it through passwords and encryption, destroy it according to policy, and don’t collect it.
