http://www.qnext.com/blog/data-privacy-day-what-it-means-you-and-how-you-can-secure-your-data Data is exceptionally mobile in the online world of today. Everyone ranging from people not using any computers to multinational corporations needs to be aware of not only their own personal data but the personal data others have entrusted to them...

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28
Jan
Data Privacy Day: What It Means to You and How
You Can Secure Your Data
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What is Data Privacy Day Anyways?
Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an
extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe. Data Protection Day
commemorates the January 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first legally
binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Data Privacy
Day is now a celebration for everyone, observed annually on January 28.
Data is exceptionally mobile in the online world of today. Everyone ranging from
people not using any computers to multinational corporations needs to be aware of

2. not only their own personal data but the personal data others have entrusted to
them. They need to be a lot more alert and proactive about keeping it secure. As
such, a core tenet of being an upstanding member of digital society, a "netizen" if
you will, means being conscientious about data stewardship. Data Privacy Day is an
effort to empower and educate people in order to recognize that everyone needs
to protect their privacy, control their digital footprint and be aware of the various
kinds of data they possess and interact with.
Data Privacy Day is led by the National Cyber Security Alliance, a nonprofit, publicprivate partnership dedicated cybersecurity education and awareness, and advised
by a distinguished advisory committee of privacy professionals.
"But I Don't Do Much About It...."
Starting from the documents leaked by Edward Snowden to data breaches at major
retailers and vendors like Target, Adobe, Dropbox and Google, our personal privacy
and the security (not to mention power) of our personal information has never been
more apparent.
Research suggests two-thirds of Canadians have a "signficant level of concern"
when it comes down to matters of personal privacy. Yet there is a big, and well
documented disconnect between awareness and action to actually safeguard
privacy.
While most people claim to care about privacy, let's be honest, how many people
take the time to read privacy policies? We also use extremely hackable passwords
and many of us don't adjust our privacy settings from the defaults.
"So Why Don't We Do More About It?"
One reason people don't feel the need to act is that the impact on our daily lives is
very intangible. It can be hard to react for many people when there is no immediate
consequence for lack of action. Not only are people unaware of the difference it
would make in there lives, there is a big educational disconnect. Many people seem
to think that there personal data would be of no importance to outsiders, and
people often tend to underestimate a) the ease with which information can be
compromised and b) how rampant data breaches are.
We understand at a base level that we are handing over large amounts of our
personal information to third parties - be they companies, media outlets, etc. but
once the data leaves our "hands" it ceases to have importance in the mind of most,
as again, there is rarely any tangible impact. Even when we read about a breach on
the news, it's often a matter of a few keystrokes and voila! password change, access
restricted, all good in the world! But the reality is rarely this rosy. Having our home
address, credit card numbers, social security, number of children, their schools,
enough social media posts to build a personality profile, financial habits, net worth,
career and education history and more information in the public domain can lead to
several problems, identity theft being the least of them. Libel, financial extortion,
and even kidnapping cases have been reported all over the world due to leaked or
misappropriated personal data.
Another reason for the disconnect between awareness and action about security
issues is convenience. We like solutions that are like the flip of a switch - we flip
them once and don't have to tend to the issue til we want to. Sadly no easy fix like
that exists for data privacy. It can be complicated and requires regular vigilance.
The lack of a simple solution makes a lot of people give up before they even start
protecting themselves.
Here's Some Quick Stuff You Can Do
In honour of Data Privacy Day, a good way to observe (if not celebrate it) is to spend

3. some time reviewing your privacy settings on various online networks. Think of it as
housekeeping. We generally need to clean up around our houses to keep ourselves
both clean and organized. To clean up at home, we usually disinfect, wipe down
surfaces, and wash clothes, dishes and anything else that gets dirty. We keep things
organized by filing, throwing out or donating old clothes and such, arranging
bookshelves and cabinets, and generally reducing clutter. Our digital realm needs
the same level of care. The effects are apparent - just reducing clutter on your
computer desktop and organizing files can leave us with a visible sense of clarity.
Our personal and online data needs the same care. At the very least, it is handy to
educate ourselves about how our data is being used.
1. Take a look at what apps are authorized to access your Facebook and Twitter
accounts.
2. See what data they use and how they interact with it.
3. Even if no malicious activity is taking place, and you are comfortable with your
information being in the public domain, it can be handy to run some digital
housekeeping, as so many services use Twitter and Facebook logins nowadays.
It's handy to clear out services and sites that you've stopped using or use less
often.
4. Run a virus/malware scanner. You can find plenty of free and open source ones
here.
5. Be more prudent about what you upload to Facebook, as the service gains
ownership of any content uploaded. In many cases, people have reported their
Facebook and Google photos being used in advertisements without their
consent.
6. Many public sharing sites have been hacked and their services can go down,
rendering you without access to your files for up to days at a time. Consider a
service like Qnext for secure, private file transfer...with no size limits to boot.
7. Check your smartphone or tablet and see what accounts have access to your
data. Perform housekeeping as you see fit. Here's a cool tool that can help.
The EU as an Example
EU data protection reform was proposed two years ago, with the Justice
Commissioner stating that the rules will benefit citizens who want to be able to
trust online services, and the small and medium sized businesses looking at a single
market of more than 500 million consumers as an untapped opportunity. In a
welcome twist from the norm, The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in
favour of these rules, wishing to see massive advancements in data security for
their citizens by 2014.
Under the European Directive for Data protection, they hope tech firms will have a
single standard across the common market. New laws could even offer a
competitive advantage for Europe in the eyes of business customers for whom data
protection is a priority.
Putting Citizens In Control of their Data
Under the new reforms, the European Commission states that people will have:
A right to be forgotten: When you no longer want your data to be processed and
there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it, the data will be deleted.
Easier access to your own data: A right to data portability will make it easier for
you to transfer your personal data between service providers.
Allowing you to decide how your data is used: When your consent is required to
process your data, you must be asked to give it explicitly. It cannot be assumed.
The right to know when your data has been hacked: for example, companies and
organisations must notify the national supervisory authority of serious data
breaches as soon as possible (if feasible within 24 hours) so that users can take

4. appropriate measures.
Data protection first, not an afterthought: ‘Privacy by design’ and ‘privacy by
default’ will also become essential principles in EU data protection rules – this
means that data protection safeguards should be built into products and services
from the earliest stage of development, and that privacy-friendly default settings
should be the norm – for example on social networks or mobile apps.
Your rights
So, do you know your rights when it comes to your personal data? The Data
Protection Commissioner says that under data protection regulations people have a
number of rights:
1. Right to have your details used in line with data protection regulations
A data controller who holds information about you must:
get and use the information fairly
keep it for only one or more clearly stated and lawful purposes
use and make known this information only in ways that are in keeping with
these purposes
keep the information safe
make sure that the information is factually correct, complete and up-to-date
make sure that there is enough information – but not too much – and that it is
relevant
keep the information for no longer than is needed for the reason stated
give you a copy of your personal information when you ask for it.
2. Right to information about your personal details
Data controllers who obtain your personal information must give you - the name of
the organisation or person collecting the information or for whom they are
collecting the information; the reason why they want your details; and any other
information that you may need to make sure that they are handling your details
fairly.
3. You have the right to access your personal details and a right to know if your
details are being held.
4. You have the right to change or remove your details and you have the right to
prevent your details being used.
5. You have the right to remove your details from a direct marketing list
6. You have the right to object to you details being used
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