Skip to main content

Privacy, Policy, Encryption

 Privacy, Policy, Encryption

Https Encryption

Since before the invention of modern technology, privacy was a major concern for organizations and individuals. Locks on filling cabinets and renting safety deposit boxes were used to protect sensitive data such as proprietary research materials. However, with the advancement of technology much of privacy concerns have moved to data privacy.

In the digital age, data privacy refers to the personal identifiable information (PII) of an individual or, in the case of businesses, besides the PII of customers and employees, it can refer to financial information or the proprietary research and development data. Leak of such information can result in misuse of personal data to cause scams and fraudulent activities. Or release the companies’ proprietary data to the competitors.

How can data privacy be protected?

There are many policies set by government agencies and agreed upon by experts. Once such is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). “the GDPR requires organizations to incorporate data encryption or a substitute that will protect consumer data and mitigate the risks associated with data transfer such as data sprawl or cyberattacks.” (1)

Besides encrypting data during transfer, data should also be encrypted during rest.
“To keep sensitive information confidential, data stored locally on a computer, on a drive or in the cloud, or shared via email or file sharing service, must be encrypted. Data encryption is an important stride towards data privacy, helping organizations comply with regulations like GDPR.”(2)
Companies and Organizations can also benefit by storing backups of valuable data on an encrypted drive in case of ransomware attacks. Even individuals can protect their personal data by storing it in secure vaults protected by passwords or pins.

References

  1. https://www.cmswire.com/information-management/where-does-encryption-fit-in-privacy-regulations/
  2. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/opinions/respecting-data-privacy-encryption/
  3. https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2020/07/28/what-is-privacy-and-why-does-it-matter/
  4. Featured Image by skylarvision from Pixabay


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Technology and Scams

 Piracy and Crime: Schemes and Scams Cybercrime has many forms (e.g., financial fraud, Identity Theft, spoofing, phishing, malware, piracy, intellectual property crime, etc.) that can negatively affect an individual’s life. It can cause either a major inconvenience to the victim or downright lead the victim to financial ruin, or even threaten the safety of the victim. Because of the increasing easy access of digital world, criminals are finding new ways to steal, harass, and commit crimes. According to FBI, Internet crimes scams and schemes are stealing millions of dollars each year (1). The scammers are not even taking a break during the recent pandemic. Rather, they have increased their attempts on scamming people for money or information and are even leveraging the COVID-19 by sending fake CDC emails asking to click on harmful links or download attachments, sending phishing emails asking for private information such as Bank information to receive stimulus checks (2). Altho...

Organizations and Independent Contracts

Contracts and Contracting: Laws, Issues, and Tips A Contract is described as “a written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law.” ( 1 ) Generally, a contract should be set in place to legally bind an individual or an organization to the agreed upon work, otherwise, a lawsuit may not stand in court. For an organization, establishing contract agreements is essential to protect itself of any litigation.  In many cases, organizations opt for Independent Contractor (IC) Services for work. When hiring an IC, organization run the risk of misclassification employees as ICs as there are certain tax (payroll, FICA, etc.) responsibilities tied to the employee, and IRS considers a worker to be an employee unless proven otherwise ( 2 ). These risks “can be minimized by following certain tips as stated in this article.  • The IC’s work should not be supervised and have freedom to hire subcontractors. • An IC...

Legal aspects of Website Development and Maintenance

In the 21 st century websites are essential for any business. Most consumers are either gained or retained through some form on interaction with the website. This interaction can be buying a product from an ecommerce website or signing up for a newsletter using a form. In-fact, 80% consumers initially look and assess a product or service through the website. (1) While the process of creating a website is easy, there are many legal issues to lookout for that could make any organization liable to high statutory damages. By Copyright law, without a Website Development Contract in place, the web developer holds the rights to the website. That is why it is necessary to have a formal contract with the web developer that addresses the responsibilities of both parties. The Website Development Contract is a formal agreement between the developer and the organization that legally binds the responsibilities and should have the following components addressed that could raise legal issues. (2) W...