When I bought my new smartphone earlier this month, I was excited.
My old phone had crashed and wouldn’t turn on. I needed to get a phone quickly!
I did my due diligence researching online for the features I wanted, bought my phone, and had my local retail phone store add it to my mobile plan.
The new phone was amazing! Fast because of more memory, easier to read due to a brighter screen, and no sudden crashes.
It took me two days before I realized the phone store employee had set up my phone with my web and app activity enabled.
As well as my search history.
Yikes!
They are two privacy controls I always keep locked down on my account.
I quickly disabled both and started going through my phone and app settings to check all the privacy settings I could find.
Lesson learned: always check my privacy settings when I get a new mobile device or laptop.
Privacy has been on my mind this month and that’s why I’m so interested in next week’s event.
Data Privacy Day
As more of our daily and work life depends on sharing sensitive and personal information with websites and applications, it’s up to us to value and protect our privacy.
Data Privacy Day, celebrated every year on January 28th, is an international effort to raise awareness among people and organizations about the importance of privacy and protecting personal information.
In Europe, the day is known as Data Protection Day.
Led by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) in the United States, this year’s theme for Data Privacy Day is “Respecting Privacy, Safeguarding Data, and Enabling Trust.”
You’ll find all kinds of privacy information and resources on the Data Privacy Day website, including
- Privacy tips parents can use
- Tip sheets for you and your organizations
- Infographic for managing your privacy online
In-person events, webinars, livestream events, and online chats are held on January 28th to discuss online privacy and improving data privacy practices.
Check out all the Data Privacy Day events you can take part in, including happy hours, webinars, and online chats.
What Can You Do To Protect Data
Your personal information is like money. Value it and protect it.
As an individual or customer, safeguard your data:
- Be careful what you share online, whether you give information to a website or share on social media. For example, if you’re traveling, wait until you get home to publish photos of your trip.
- Review privacy settings on websites, apps, browsers, and new devices. Many default to enabling features (like what happened with my new phone). Limit what information you want to share.
- Use multi-factor authentication to lock down access to your accounts. Multi-factor authentication is an extra security layer beyond your username and password, that requires a second (or more) verification method to access your account.
As a business, make sure your customers know their information is safeguarded with these four steps to improve data privacy:
- Educate your employees about data privacy through lunch and learn sessions, videos, or competitions
- Keep customers’ personal information safe by developing security policies and limiting who has authorized access
- Clearly explain what you collect, use, and whether you share any personal information (a requirement of General Data Protection Regulation)
- Provide options to customers for managing and protecting their data
Wrapping Up
Data Privacy Day is a great opportunity to review and learn how you can manage your privacy and protect personal information.
Take time to check your privacy settings, take a free online security checkup, or share security tips with your co-workers or family members.
