It’s Data Privacy Week and we’re sharing awareness about the importance of protecting your data privacy. Your data is valuable. Many organizations and groups would pay top dollar for it and they don’t all have your best interests in mind. Luckily, you have the power to take charge of your data.
All your online activity generates a trail of data. Websites, apps, and services collect data on your behaviors, interests, and purchases. Sometimes this includes personal data, like your Social Security and driver’s license numbers. It can even include data about your physical self, like health data – think about how a smartwatch counts and records how many steps you take.
While it’s true that you cannot control how each byte of data about you and your family is shared and processed, you are not helpless! In many cases, you can control how you share your data with a few simple steps. Remember, your data is precious and you deserve to be selective about who you share it with!
KNOW THE TRADEOFF BETWEEN PRIVACY AND CONVENIENCE
Nowadays, when you download a new app, open a new online account, or join a new social media platform, you will often be asked for access to your personal information before you can even use it! This data might include your geographic location, contacts and photos.
For these businesses, this personal information about you is tremendously valuable – and you should think about if the service you get in return is worth the data you must hand over, even if the service is free.
ADJUST THE SETTINGS TO YOUR COMFORT LEVEL
For every app, account, or device, check the privacy and security settings. These should be easy to find in a Settings section and should take a few moments to change. Set them to your comfort level for personal information sharing; generally, we think it’s wise to lean on the side of sharing less data, not more.
You don’t have to do this for every account at once, start small and over time you’ll make a habit of adjusting all your setting to your comfort. We have in-depth free resources like our Manage Your Privacy Settings page that lets you check the settings of social media accounts, retail stores, apps and more.
With so many different settings to manage it can be very challenging to stay on top. However, here are a few important ones to focus on first:
Geo-location Data: In order to provide more relevant results, many apps will ask for you to share your location data with them. Make sure that you are only sharing this data with apps you trust and that these apps are using your data in a responsible way.
Contacts Data: Email apps and video conferencing apps virtually all allow for individuals to automatically sync their existing contacts with their services. Therefore, it is important that you share this data only with trusted sources as not only is contact data yours, but it is your friend’s and family’s as well.
Camera and Photo Data: Social apps universally ask for access to an individual’s photo library and related camera data — which obviously contains troves of private information. Be sure only the most trusted sources have access to this information and also double-check settings in the app to filter which photo files apps have access to.
PROTECT YOUR DATA
Data privacy and data security go hand-in-hand. Along with managing your data privacy settings, there are numerous easy-to-implement steps that everyday individuals can take to shore up their data and general cybersecurity. Here’s what we consider our Core Four:
OWN YOUR PRIVACY
76 percent of individuals said it’s too hard for them to understand what’s going on and how their information is being used. However, by keeping these few quick tips in mind, individuals can keep much better tabs on their data and create a safer digital environment for themselves to live in. From social media to online shopping, our lives and the digital world become more and more intertwined every day. And while the digital world has afforded us a whole new level of convenience and access to information, it is imperative that consumers remember the best practices for protecting their personal data and ensuring it is being used the right way.
Remember, if you ever need technical support from CMIT, please contact us directly at 781-350-3438. From all of us here at CMIT Boston Cambridge, stay safe both online and off.
Written by: Chris Zambuto | Chief Information Security Officer @CMITBostonCambridge
