Data Privacy Week

Data Privacy Day Banner

Data Privacy Week is an international initiative put forth by the Nation Cybersecurity Alliance that aims to help spread awareness and education about data privacy online. Data Privacy covers how data is legally gathered, stored, and used. CNUSD is participating this year by providing the community with tips resources on how to manage their personal information to keep it private and secure. 


Prefer pictures? Check out the TL;DR version here.


Why Data Privacy Matters

 

Not only do our web browsing and social media habits generate data about us, but so do our internet-connected devices like televisions and smart thermostats. These things collect data about our activities, behaviors, and interests. Some online services even collect personal data, like social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and data about our physical selves, like health data. 

The data you generate is valuable and the online services you use (especially free ones) often sell your data to other companies for analytical purposes or to better target products to you. This is often what you agree to when you sign up for an online service or social media site. Unfortunately, once you have given away your data to one company, it becomes difficult to limit its use. While you might feel comfortable with Amazon or Facebook using your personal information, you cannot be sure that third-party companies won’t be able to access it as well. This can be especially problematic if one of these third-party companies experiences a data breach and your information falls into the hands of a criminal. 


Take Control of Your Data

 

It’s easy to feel a lack of control over the information collected about you and where that information ends up. However, there are steps you can take to learn about the types of data you generate, and how it gets collected, shared, and used. You can also take this five-minute quiz to test your privacy IQ and see how you stack up against the rest of the country! 

Privacy Quiz


 

Make Informed Decisions

 

Make informed decisions about whether to share your data with certain businesses by considering the amount of personal information they are asking for and weighing it against the benefits you may receive in return. Be thoughtful about who gets that information and wary of apps or services that require access to information that is not required or relevant for the services they are offering. Delete unused apps on your internet-connected devices and keep others secure by performing updates. 

Review Your Privacy Settings

 

Review your privacy settings on your online services regularly. Each device, application, or browser you use will have different features to limit how and with whom you share information. The National Cybersecurity Alliance created a tool that can help you manage your privacy settings on popular platforms. Learn how to manage your privacy settings here!

Data Security is Important

 

Data Security is the protection of data from criminal activity and deliberate hacks. Data Privacy deals with how data is legally gathered, stored, and used. While the two concepts are different, data security is an important piece of data privacy. Hackers are continually refining their tactics to deceive users. Data Privacy Week is a great time to remember these routine practices that will help you keep your data secure and away from hackers:

  • Email is the number one targeted service; carefully inspect any link before clicking on it. If you are not sure if the link is safe, please report the email to [email protected]  for the cybersecurity team to investigate.
  • Attachments can launch malicious code that may jeopardize the security and or privacy of your personal information; you should only open attachments from people you trust.  
  • Never disclose personal or sensitive information via email.  
  • Always verify very urgent and or unusual requests for personal data.

Sources:

Other Resources: