Loading...

‘Tis the season for data privacy

January 24, 2012 by bkrenek

It’s that time of year again when people near and far get ready to celebrate the most wonderful holiday of them all.

OK, perhaps it isn’t exactly Christmas, but Data Privacy Day – observed on January 28th in 2012 – is no less a celebration; it’s just that this one is designed to promote best practices and awareness around privacy.  The “holiday” was begun in Europe in 2007 and continues to be observed in 30 countries as Data Protection Day.  In the U.S., National Data Privacy Day is managed by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a non-profit public-private partnership which estimates that through media and other activities its messages regarding cybersecurity reached 175,000,000 people last year, all in the service of promoting a digital society that can best leverage the five c’s: content, community, communication, commerce and connectivity.

As our world becomes ever smaller and more networked, Data Privacy Day provides information to consumers about the ways in which personal information is collected, stored, used and shared. The international privacy promotion also helps businesses understand the laws and regulations to which they’re subjected and offers guidance about how to best shield themselves from risks.  Above all, the event is designed to foster a dialogue between different entities – citizens, private organizations and public institutions – about how to balance innovation, progress and growth with the need for privacy protection.

Since privacy is our shared responsibility, how can you contribute to this security festivity?  Train your employees, or consider hosting an event or sponsoring NPD.  If you have kids or teach them, turn to the Teens and Young Adults page, the Parents and Kids page, or the Educators page, which offer guidelines such as how to update your Facebook privacy settings, resources such as videos on how to protect your personal information and privacy, as well as your children’s.  Data Privacy Day activities will include presentations, conferences, technology demonstrations, webpage and video competitions, instructional videos, workshops, and regional events, so there are plenty of ways to get involved; for more information, turn to www.dataprivacyday.org.

And remember to stay tuned to Experian’s Data Breach Resolution blog, where every day is data privacy day.