The Stay Safe Online Blog

For the last fifteen years, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has tracked publicly-reported data breaches to identify trends, attack vectors, case studies, the number of people impacted by data breaches and much more. The release of the 2020 ITRC Data Breach Report and launch of the ITRC’s data breach tracking tool supports the Data Privacy Day 2021 initiative to help build trust among consumers and promote transparency around data collection practices.

Today is National Data Privacy Day, when many organizations and government agencies, including the FTC, join together to raise awareness about privacy issues and to offer tips and information. As more and more of our devices are connected and share information about us, privacy is increasingly important.

As more and more major data breaches are announced, it’s not surprising that consumers are left wondering “how does this keep happening?” Which is a fair question. But businesses like yours should be asking a more important question: what exactly am I doing to protect consumers’ personally identifiable information from data leaks, breaches, and unauthorized use/access? As we’ve learned from other major data breaches, the immediate damage of those attacks, on the surface, appears to be strictly monetary; however, there are much larger, long-lasting effects which can wreak additional havoc on businesses.

Carved into four tons of stone, the Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest legal codes ever written. The code sets forth punishments and fines through almost 300 rules and standards. Surprisingly, at more than 6,000 words, it may be a quicker read than many of today’s end-user license agreements (EULAs) and Terms of Service (ToS), which companies require users to agree to before using their product. 

Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety,” which helps capture the conundrum of data privacy in today’s digital society. It’s all about tradeoffs—and everyone needs to understand there are serious privacy risks when interacting online.
In recognition of international Data Privacy Day, below are five ways you can make informed privacy choices while taking immediate action to protect the sensitive information of you and your family.

Seems like we always have a connected device somewhere within arm’s reach, whether it’s a smartphone, laptop, tablet, a wearable, or some combination of them all. In a way, we bring the internet along with us nearly wherever we go. Yet there’s something else that follows us around as well—a growing body of personally identifiable information, also known as PII.

The global pandemic has certainly proved to be a challenge for not only adults, but children as well. It’s become even more apparent over the last tumultuous year that while children may be required and, in many cases, enthusiastically adopting new technology and applications, they may not have the knowledge and practice to keep themselves safe and secure online. Tablets, laptops, and smart devices are now the norm in-school and at home for fun AND education. But as we’ve certainly seen in the news and many have experienced first-hand, moving children’s lives to a completely digital world has come with extreme challenges, not the least having to teach children how to stay safe online amidst the confusion. 

Privacy can be an emotional topic. Many people have an opinion about it, but is there a lack of understanding around privacy policies? Recently, Facebook updated its WhatsApp privacy policy, causing many users to leave the platform, claiming that new rules would mean that Facebook would gain access to their information, messages, and contacts. This is a good example of people making a judgment about a privacy policy without being fully informed. Now, for the record, I don’t share my life on social media, and I don’t understand why people are so addicted, but everyone is entitled to an opinion on the merits and business models of social media companies and whether to remain a user.  

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly present in our lives. The nature of the fast-changing technological landscape has brought this into focus for organizations and regulators alike, particularly when it comes to data privacy. AI has myriad uses, including identity verification through facial recognition, targeted advertising, and decision automation to name but a few. Throughout 2020, we saw numerous developments in AI-related guidance, white papers, regulations, and frameworks. In this blog, we’ll look the latest AI regulations and how AI can be part of your program.

The writing is on the wall when it comes to data privacy.
More people are paying attention to it. More countries are passing laws to address the concerns of their citizens.
So when it comes to recognizing the importance of data privacy, many experts agree a single day is not enough.
That’s why leaders at the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and others have started the drumbeat for a full week dedicated to data privacy in 2021.