The Importance Of Digital Privacy Laws

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Just over a decade ago, data privacy wasn’t as serious of an issue as it is today. Big Tech (Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, and Facebook in particular) and Big Brother now competing on keeping users’ privacy secure – as user-privacy is a top concern for most users and companies. Smaller business organizations can also keep up by investing in data security software. If we revert back 10 years from now, investing in data privacy software or worrying about huge privacy laws like GDPR was not much of a concern. However, that’s no longer the case. That’s because, theft of data and identity has become a hot business for crooks. In fact, it’s a lot easier to steal someone’s money in cyberspace than pick pocketing on city-streets. 

Nonetheless, data privacy is not as much of a significant issue for IT companies as it should be. That’s because, information technology businesses are betting on their customers to pass on the good word – the good words on how secure their privacy really is. What’s more, well known IT companies are attempting to gain a lead by promoting themselves as leaders in information security. In fact, Mozilla, known for their Firefox browser has confirmed that it would allow Firefox users to disable 3rd-party software, which can track users’ online activities. Some companies have taken a different approach altogether by not dealing with IT companies that hold a bad reputation in the field of information security.

Data Privacy is no longer a small matter, people are increasingly becoming wary of their online and offline privacy. With increasing social media use, combined with users storing personal data on cloud computers, measures to perfect information security are a must for all IT companies. Furthermore, it also makes sense for IT organization to have a reliable information security infrastructure set in place. That’s because, countries such as Europe have strict regulations on users’ data privacy. Organizations that cannot fully guarantee the security of their users’ are punished and may even lose their license to operate in the in the EU. As we have seen with Microsoft 10 years back, a default setting in Microsoft’s servers stored key users' data without proper security measure put in place. Thus, Microsoft was forced to make significant changes to its Information security infrastructure. Another approach adopted by large IT companies, in order to gain an advantage, was to expose their rivals’ information security loopholes.  One such high-profile smear campaign that came under notice was from Microsoft, in which Microsoft targeted its largest rival – Google. 

In this campaign, Microsoft ridiculed Google for tracking its users for targeted marketing campaigns, accusing Google of using information from users search histories and emails. Consequently, Google responded by simplifying its users privacy policy in order to avoid backlash from its users. On the other hand, according to top tech insiders, Microsoft has made significant strides towards protecting users’ data by developing privacy protection services. Several other organizations have taken notice of Microsoft’s initiative and are now opting to do the same – focusing more on users’ privacy. Smaller organizations with smaller information security budgets can also put in place effective data security measures by simply investing in third-party data security software which can protect folder containing private and confidential data on customers and their financial assets. This software is also capable of locking down entire hard-drive partitions, which is a priceless feature for organizations that need to archive or set apart different sets of data into different hard-drives. 

Lately, it seems that barely a day goes by when we don’t learn about a major Internet presence taking steps to further erode users’ privacy. The companies with access to our data are tracking us in ways that make Big Brother look like a sweet little baby sister. Typically when we hear an outcry about privacy violations, these perceived violations involve some apparently omnipotent corporation recording the websites we visit, the applications we download, the social networks we join, the mobile phones we carry, the text messages we send and receive, the places we go, the people we’re with, the things we like and dislike, and so on. How do they do this? By offering us free stuff to consume online and infrastructure for the online communities that tie us together. We gobble up their technologies, download their programs, use their services, and mindlessly click “I Agree” to terms & conditions we never read. 

importance digital privacy laws legal data protection

What’s the point of all this? Sales, marketers, advertisers, other businesses benefit from knowing every last detail about you—the 33 bits of information necessary to pin down your personal identity—in order to deliver precisely targeted advertisements to your digital device of choice, whether that’s a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Should we care? What is the potential danger? “Back in the day,” examples might include telemarketers abusing your phone number by calling incessantly, or direct marketers filling your mailbox with junk mail. Today, it’s spammers sending unwanted emails, or the same advertisement from the same company popping up again and again on every single website you visit. The concern is that this could go from annoying to frightening. Privacy advocates are working to prevent the worst and most extreme outcomes of personal data collection. They know that without checks and balances, without consumers knowing their rights and actively protecting their own privacy and personal data, that data could be used unethically. 

Privacy is your right. But realize that in our wired, interconnected world, privacy only really consists of what you say and do within your own home, legally, with the shades pulled down, between you and your loved ones, that is not communicated, recorded, broadcast, or reproduced on the Internet or any public forum in any way. Beyond that, especially when taking advantage of various online resources, be sure that you know what it is you’re agreeing to and take precautions to protect yourself. 

At Lean Startup Life we always promote awareness about the many ways personal information is collected, stored, used, and shared, and education about privacy practices that will enable individuals to protect their personal information.  This is a good time to check your privacy settings on social networking and other sites you use, ensure you have a strong password and be aware of where and with whom you are sharing personal data with. 

Once in awhile you will come across other online businesses and websites breaking the law or even trying to sue you. If there is a legal issue that needs to be resolved in your professional or personal life, make sure you go with the best at Solicitors Liverpool

Your business and personal data contains valuable information that could easily be used in criminal activity. Not only does one have to be aware of the various threats that are out there, but one also has to safeguard confidential data using the latest in data security software. The internet technology has brought a revolution in the field of technology. Now information can reach millions of users with no barriers who are sitting in different parts of the world. Today, the internet is the most advanced technology and millions of people are being benefited from it. However, the misuse of this technology can be disastrous and create serious problems for individuals and organizations. 

Frequent hacking of internet accounts has been seen many times which bring losses to companies. The chief reason for this is uncontrolled and unchecked internet privacy which users don’t usually pay attention to. The disadvantage of unchecked internet privacy is that anybody can have access to the information and can be misused. The internet privacy system, which is installed on many network applications, allows you to manage the security of your information so that it could not fall into the wrong hands. Internet privacy consists of many security features which can help share our information only with those whom we are familiar with. Information on the internet is confidential and it should not be shared with anybody. Sometimes people share their bank account details to shop online and make payments without taking any measure and eventually they are deprived of their accounts. Financial companies who offer services of online payment and buying/selling of products use https servers and 1024 bit key so that nobody could hack the sites and know about the financial transactions which are being done on their websites. 

Breach of internet privacy and protected websites is a punishable offense and is strongly dealt by the cyber crime wing of any country. The cyber crime wing does surveillance of internet traffic and points out any breach of privacy by unauthorized users. Furthermore, several users often transport sensitive data onto portable drives – increasing the possibility of data theft – given the chance your flash drive is found by a criminal. Therefore, it’s imperative that users Secure USB drives with data security software engineered to safeguard data on external drives. To manage the flow of information on internet and non-sharing of private information with unauthorized users' internet privacy is essential to reduce the threats of internet security. Every individual has right to secure private information from being misused by internet hackers and unauthorized personnel. Therefore, people should watch out that their internet privacy mode is on before sharing their personal information on different websites. The details of bank accounts and credit cards are highly confidential and private data which can be misused by anybody. Thus, every effort should be made to maintain the security and privacy of confidential data or intellectual property from being it is misused. 

Sharing of pictures and videos mostly on social networking websites has also proven very dangerous sometimes. With internet privacy it can be accessed by other users of that network who can pass it to others and misuse it. With internet privacy option the pictures and videos of users can only be restricted to a limited number of people who users have allowed the system to share their personal information. Hence, by using the internet privacy option wisely, we can save our personal information, bank account details and other private data from being misused by unauthorized personnel. Do a cyber security audit of your business immediately to minimize your risk of cyber crime.


I hope you enjoyed this blog post about lean startup living legal protection and the laws involved in digital data privacy.

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