Data protection has become a major concern for businesses and individuals alike. There are eight principles of data protection that every firm should follow.
Especially since the number of breaches continues to rise. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated at stealing personal information.
Let’s begin.
The 8 Principles of Data Protection
1) Privacy by Design
Privacy is a fundamental human right. It’s the idea that you have the right to control what information about you is being collected and how it’s being used.
Facebook did not formulate privacy by design.
They just sold your data to other companies, who were then able to use your information in ways Facebook never dreamed of. They didn’t think about the consequences of their actions.
2) Privacy by Default
This means that a business will not collect more data than it needs. It also means that, when you do provide information, it will be in an opt-in situation.
If a business wants to collect your data, it can’t do so unless you permit them.
3) Transparency
Transparency means that firms must disclose how their data can be used by third parties. It’s a way of telling customers what their data is being used for.
Transparency is vital because people are unlikely to give their information to a company. Especially if they don’t have a clear idea of how the business will use it.
4) Purpose Limitation
As you may know, the EU has strict rules when it comes to collecting sensitive data. For example, social security numbers and financial information.
What you may not know is that there are similar restrictions on collecting your location data and IP address.
The reason is that both of these pieces of data can be used to track your whereabouts and identity.
5) Data Minimization
Data minimization states that only the necessary data should be collected. It also means that data must be stored in an encrypted format.
In other words, it’s essential to handle and store data as little as possible.
This means that firms will not collect unnecessary information about their customers. They’ll also minimize how long they store the data.
6) Data Quality
Data quality means that all information collected about customers is accurate, reliable, and current. It also means that the data is complete and free of errors.
In other words, it’s important to store data in a way that ensures it’s accurate, complete, and up-to-date.
This is especially important when you consider how much trust consumers put in the information they find on the Internet.
7) Access and Accuracy
Access and Accuracy mean that customers have a right to get copies of their data. This right should be available in an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand format.
It also means that individuals have the right to correct any data that is wrong.
In many cases, this means that firms must make it easy for people to remove their data from their systems. This requirement has become vital since the advent of the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR.
8) Security by Default
Security by default states that personal data should be protected from accidental or intentional disclosure. In other words, data should be encrypted to prevent it from being stolen.
This principle is vital when you consider how many large-scale data breaches have occurred over the years. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated at stealing personal data.