Data security aims to protect information from unauthorized access which could lead to identity theft and fraudulent credit card charges or privacy breaches. This includes encrypting sensitive information by using access controls and implementing multi-factor authentication to ensure that only authorized employees are able to access sensitive information, such as PINs or passwords.
Privacy protection, on the other hand, concerns the right of an individual to control the personal information that is gathered, used, transferred, and shared. This includes the ability for users to request deletion, change or delete their information, and set the method of use. Also, it requires compliance with laws like GDPR or CCPA.
Both are crucial to the operation of an organization, regardless of the distinction between security and privacy. Customer trust is at stake when companies compromise sensitive data and leak private information to unauthorised individuals. A solid data privacy framework and practice can reduce the number of breaches, enabling organizations to avoid costly fines, penalties, and lawsuits.
To protect data privacy and security the first step is to determine all sensitive information that an organization has, including personally identifiable information and non-PII. Conducting formal risk assessments as well as regular security audits are a good way to aid in this process. Additionally, using the power of a data discovery tool to examine all systems and repositories for PII can be an effective method of getting a clear picture of the data available and how it’s being accessed by employees. Data security and privacy can be made easier by implementing a policy framework that considers all aspects of how an organization collects, stores data, stores, processes and shares data.