Data Privacy Day Raises Awareness on Consumer Privacy, Cybersecurity Best Practice

  On Wednesday, January 28, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) will launch its eighth annual Data Privacy Day in the United States in an effort to emphasize the importance of “respecting privacy, safeguarding data and enabling trust.” The annual day of awareness aims to encourage consumers to become educated on how to strengthen the privacy of their personal information, as well as urging businesses to practice transparency when collecting and using this data. As the nation’s leading nonprofit public-private partnership promoting the sage and secure use of the Internet, the NCSA developed simple, yet actionable and beneficial tips for consumers to take into consideration. These best practices include:

• Before posting online, think about how it might be perceived now and in the future and who might see it.
• Set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your own comfort level for information sharing. It’s okay to limit how and with whom you share information.
• Be aware that when you share a post, picture or video online, you may also be revealing information about others. Be thoughtful when and how you share information about others.
• The golden rule applies online, as well.
• Be wary of communications that implore you to act immediately, offer something that sounds too good to be true or ask for personal information.
• Switch on two-step verification or multi-factor authentication wherever ordered to prevent unauthorized access.

“We are on the cusp of many exciting technological breakthroughs in the medical field, the Internet of Things and other applications that will greatly impact our lives,” said NCSA Executive Director Michael Kaiser.

“We will only achieve this great progress if we build a safer, more secure and trusted Internet. The respectful use and protection of personal information needs to be a foundational tenet that guides our ongoing development.”

Furthermore, to help businesses establish trust among their consumers on how their personal information is collected and used, the nonprofit created several tips in collaboration with civil-society, non-profit, government industry professionals. "Nearly every company is a data company today, and we all have a role to play in accelerating progress and respecting privacy freedoms," said David Hoffman, Director of Security Policy and Global Privacy Officer of Intel.

"The pursuit of both goals must be the defining value of our work. Privacy AND progress, not privacy OR progress. Let Data Privacy Day remind us all to respect privacy and safeguard data."

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