Data Privacy Day is a global effort, taking place annually on the 28th January that generates awareness about the importance of privacy, highlights easy ways to protect personal information and reminds organisations that privacy is good for business.
Millions of people are unaware of and uninformed about how their personal information is being used, collected or shared in our digital society. Data Privacy Day aims to inspire dialogue and empower individuals and companies to take action.
Key advice for organisations Includes;
If you collect it, protect it.
Data breaches can not only lead to great financial loss, but a loss in reputation and customer trust. Follow reasonable security measures to keep individuals’ personal information safe from inappropriate and unauthorised access. Make sure the personal data you collect is processed in a fair manner and only collected for relevant and legitimate purposes.
Consider adopting a privacy framework.
Build privacy into your business by researching and adopting a privacy framework to help you manage risk and create a culture of privacy in your organisation.
Conduct an assessment of your data collection practices.
Understand which privacy laws and regulations apply to your business. Educate your employees of their and your organisation’s obligations to protecting personal information.
Transparency builds trust.
Be open and honest about how you collect, use and share consumers’ personal information. Think about how the consumer may expect their data to be used and design settings to protect their information by default. Communicate clearly and concisely to the public what privacy means to your organisation and the steps you take to achieve and maintain privacy.
Maintain oversight of partners and vendors.
If someone provides services on your behalf, you are also responsible for how they collect and use your consumers’ personal information.