Data Privacy Week is an annual campaign to spread awareness about data privacy and educate individuals on how to secure their personal information. It also emphasizes educating businesses on data collection best practices that respect data privacy and promoting transparency.
The National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA) expanded the Data Privacy Day campaign into a full week-long campaign. Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of Data Protection Day in Europe. Data Protection Day commemorates the Jan. 28, 1981 signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection.
This year’s theme is “Take Control of Your Data”.
Your online activity creates a treasure trove of data. This data ranges from your interests and purchases to your online behaviors, and it is collected by websites, apps, devices, services, and companies all around the globe. This data can even include information about your physical self, like health data – think about how an app on your phone might count how many steps you take.
You cannot control how each little piece of data about you and your family is collected. However, you still have a right to data privacy. You can help manage your data with a few repeatable behaviors. Your data is valuable and you deserve to have a say!
Here are some simple steps for individuals and organizations that will help you manage your personal information and make informed decisions about who receives your data:
All your online activity generates a trail of data. Websites, apps, and services collect data on your behaviors, interests, and purchases. Sometimes, this includes personal data, like your Social Security and driver’s license numbers. It can even include data about your physical self, like health data – think about how a smartwatch counts and records how many steps you take.
While it’s true that you cannot control how each byte of data about you and your family is shared and processed, you are not helpless! In many cases, you can control how you share your data with a few simple steps. Remember, your data is precious, and you deserve to be selective about who you share it with!
Here are some simple, easy tips that will help you manage your data privacy:
For these businesses, this personal information about you is tremendously valuable — and you should think about if the service you get in return is worth the data you must hand over, even if the service is free.
Make informed decisions about sharing your data with businesses or services:
You don’t have to do this for every account at once, start small and over time you’ll make a habit of adjusting all your settings to your comfort. We have indepth, free resources like our Manage Your Privacy Settings page that lets you check the settings of social media accounts, retail stores, apps and more.
Respecting the privacy of your customers, staff, and all other stakeholders is critical for inspiring trust and enhancing reputation. According to the Pew Research Center, 79% of U.S. adults report being concerned about the way their data is being used by companies. By being open about how you use data and respecting privacy, you can stand out from your competition.
Be transparent about how you collect, use, and share consumers’ personal information. Think about how the consumer may expect their data to be used.
Design settings to protect their information by default. Communicate clearly and concisely to the public what privacy means to your organization, as well as the steps you take to achieve and maintain privacy.
Here are a few steps toward building a culture of respecting data at your organization:
The Data Privacy Week Champions represent those dedicated to empowering individuals and encouraging businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust. Champions include companies and organizations of all sizes, schools and school districts, colleges and universities, nonprofits, government organizations and individuals.