5 Data Privacy Awareness Tasks To Implement Today
Table Of Contents:
Data Privacy Week, which occurs each year from January 22-28, is a dedicated time to raise awareness about the importance of protecting personal information online. The event aims to empower individuals to take control of their data and for companies to prioritise the privacy of their customers.
Privacy has steadily been moving up the political and trade agendas over the last few years, with the rapid digital transformation organisations took globally, exponentially increasing the volume of data they were storing and processing. Add to this the growing complexity of the cyber threat landscape, with breaches and attacks becoming more targeted and challenging and with greater reputational and operational risks for organisations. Data privacy has never been more in the spotlight.
In this blog post, we will discuss what data privacy is, why organisations should care about data privacy, the business benefits of better data privacy practices, and five steps to better data privacy in your organisation.
What Is Data Privacy
Data privacy sometimes gets mistakenly included as a part of information security or cybersecurity practices which focus on the ability of an organisation to keep the personal information of its customers or employees secure from unauthorised access, unwanted disclosure, and misuse. Yet, data privacy is actually about:
- How personal data is collected
- The purposes for which an organisation will use that data
- Whom will the data be shared with
- For what purposes is the data being shared
- What consent has a user given regarding using their personal information
Fundamentally, data privacy is the right of individuals to keep their data private and control how it is used by companies that collect and store it. Organisations need to be able to answer all of the bulleted points above, as data privacy is not only an ethical obligation but also now it’s a regulatory one.
Why Organisations Should Care About Data Privacy
Data privacy is no longer a nice to have; it’s an essential requirement for any business looking to build a strong foundation for growth.
-
The Growth of Data Privacy Laws
According to the UNCTAD, 71% of countries currently have privacy laws, and Gartner predicts that by 2024 that will increase to over 75% of the global population having its personal data covered under privacy regulations, creating a vast compliance landscape for organisations to navigate.
Regulations such as GDPR and CPRA highlight how governments are focussed on data privacy. These laws are mandatory for any company that processes the personal data of the country’s citizens.
In addition to country or state-specific regulation, there is a broad scope of industry-specific regulations such as HIPPA, TISAX® and PCI DSS. Organisations need to be highly aware of the data privacy requirements they must be able to demonstrate as the legislative landscape increases.
-
Regulatory Fines – The Financial Fallout of Poor Privacy Practices
Non-compliance with data privacy laws can lead to heavy fines.
Data from the recent DLA Piper GDPR Fines and Data Breach survey stated that European regulators issued over 1.1 billion in GDPR fines in 2022 alone, highlighting how seriously regulators are taking privacy by enforcing regulations of this type.
The implications of non-compliance with privacy regulations could be highly damaging to an organisation. And it’s not just GDPR that is taking enforcement more seriously. The newly updated NIS 2 now includes penalties of up to 10 million or 2% of worldwide organisational turnover. HIPAA lists liabilities of up to $1.5 million per calendar year and even jail time in some instances, and the list goes on.
-
Customer Trust – Privacy Is Essential
According to a survey conducted by Cisco, 33% of customers have cut ties with companies due to privacy issues, and 90% of respondents said they would not buy from an organisation that couldn’t demonstrate they were committed to protecting their data privacy.
Demonstrating a commitment to privacy standards on a continuous development basis can therefore set organisations apart from competitors, win new business opportunities and enhance organisational reputation with existing clients and customers.
5 Steps to Better Data Privacy In Your Organisation
Better data privacy shouldn’t be a task that gets attention once a year during Data Privacy Week. Still, it’s undoubtedly an excellent time to start on the journey to embedding effective, long-term data privacy practices.
Below are five significant steps organisations can take today to set off on this journey to better data privacy.
-
Adopt a Standards-Based Approach to Data Privacy
Creating a whole new privacy framework can seem daunting, but the good news is that you don’t have to start from scratch. You can adopt several established privacy frameworks to integrate privacy management into your company. Some frameworks you can adopt are:
- ISO/IEC 27701 – International Standard for Privacy Information Management
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework
Adopting a privacy framework can help you more quickly identify privacy weaknesses, mitigate risks, easily monitor your information assets and ensure the continuous development of data privacy practices within an organisation.
-
Establish A Culture of Privacy
Achieving effective data privacy practices in any organisation is only possible if you have a culture that supports it. A privacy culture starts at the very top of your business. If your senior leadership doesn’t live and breathe privacy, your staff certainly won’t see the need to.
A practical tool to achieve this privacy culture buy-in can be as simple as building a business case for why you need a privacy culture, focusing on the following:
- The legal and regulatory implications of poor privacy
- The ROI of adopting a culture of privacy
- The importance of privacy to your customers
- How a privacy culture would support company goals
-
Education Empowers Your People
An organisation’s people are the first line of defence in protecting customer data privacy, and with practical training and education, they can be invaluable in ensuring a robust privacy culture.
One of the most potent tools available to organisations is an effective and accessible data privacy policy coupled with a training program that suits your company and specific goals and covers topics such as:
- How to manage personal data
- How data privacy applies to every staff member’s role
- How to recognise and report potential breaches
- Best practices to improve privacy
Privacy is not a one-and-done activity; therefore, additional training, engagement and updates to privacy policies and procedures should be regularly undertaken to ensure compliance with any updates or changes to regulation.
-
Ensure Consent and Preference Management Is Standard Practice
Consent management is a significant part of managing privacy in any company. Getting clear consent from customers about any data being collected improves transparency and can help ensure compliance with several laws, including GDPR.
GDPR clearly outlines what does and doesn’t constitute consent in collecting data. Ensuring clarity in this area is fundamental to ensuring adequate data privacy. Should an organisation be audited, it’s essential to provide clear records of obtaining valid consent. Therefore, using consent and preference management tools to ensure compliance is a vital step every organisation should consider.
-
Implement Effective Technical Controls
Organisations should implement technical controls such as:
- Encryption – to secure sensitive information whilst it is being transmitted or sorted.
- Firewalls – to provide a barrier between an internal network and the external network, preventing unauthorised access to data.
- Access control – to limit who can access sensitive information and what actions users can take with sensitive data.
- Intrusion detection systems – to monitor network activity for signs of malicious activity, alerting security teams to potential threats.
These technical controls help organisations to protect personal data, comply with data privacy regulations, and reduce the risk of data breaches.
Download our handy guide to these five data privacy approaches
Five Steps to Better Data Privacy
The Business Benefits of Better Data Privacy Practices
By emphasising data privacy, organisations can benefit from more than just fulfilling compliance requirements and avoiding costly penalties. Other benefits include:
Better Data Oversight & Operational Decision Making
When implementing a privacy framework, organisations gain a clear and consistent structure for organising and storing data, making it easier for companies to make informed decisions. This can lead to better strategic planning, improved customer service, and more effective marketing.
Good privacy practices also improve a company’s overall operational efficiency. The process of taking data inventory can allow organisations to discover unnecessary and inefficient processes, reducing not only risk but also costs. Additionally, clear privacy policies provide a structured approach to handling any privacy incidents, which can also reduce downtime.
Avoid Data Breaches
Investing in privacy helps prevent data breaches. Companies with GDPR-compliant privacy policies are more secure, experiencing fewer and less costly breaches than those without GDPR compliance. A comprehensive privacy policy outlines the conditions for accessing information and establishes privacy best practices for employees. By reducing human error, a privacy-first approach improves data security and transparency while increasing accountability.
Unlock a Competitive Advantage
Businesses can enhance customer trust and confidence in their organisation by demonstrating a commitment to protecting sensitive customer data.
Additionally, with the increasingly strict data privacy regulations, many EU companies prefer to work with GDPR-compliant companies over non-GDPR-compliant ones, and industry-specific regulations see organisations unwilling to work with companies that do not meet those standards. Customers are also increasingly concerned about their privacy, so they quickly cut ties with companies over privacy concerns.
Strengthen Your Data Privacy Today
If you’re looking to start your journey to better data privacy, we can help.
Our ISMS solution enables a simple, secure and sustainable approach to data privacy and information management with ISO 27701 and other frameworks. Realise your competitive advantage today.
TISAX® is a registered trademark of ENX Association. Alliantist Ltd. has no business relationship with ENX Association. The mention of the TISAX® trademark does not imply any statement by the trademark owner as to the suitability of the services advertised above.
