Data privacy concerns are on the rise, and businesses are struggling to keep up with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, consumer expectations and complex data ecosystems. Here we explore six common data privacy issues and how to address them.
Often, personal information plays a critical role in business operations and development, from enabling customer experience (CX) and product innovation to building employee trust and maintaining regulatory compliance. Data protection measures protect sensitive user information from being inappropriately used or leaked and ensure that data is accessible to only authorized parties.
However, with data-collecting technology becoming ubiquitous, it’s increasingly difficult to limit collection and the sharing of personally identifiable information. Additionally, new technologies like geolocation tracking allow for more precise data collection on individuals—e.g., movements in a specific city, visits to an abortion clinic or competitor’s sales office—which can reveal information that was previously thought of as ‘non-personal’.
Additionally, 72% of Americans say they have little or no understanding of the laws in place to protect their privacy. This includes knowing about their right to have their personal data erased and the ability to request a copy of their own information. As the debate around data protection continues to evolve, there is a growing call for greater involvement from government in regulating the collection and sharing of personal information. Additionally, it’s been posited that the emphasis needs to shift from focusing on privacy at the point of collection to prioritizing ethical data stewardship and security measures once information is collected.
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