Guide to Digital Data Privacy
&
Privacy is one of the top user concerns in the
digital age. The circulation of personal data on the Internet has given
rise to phenomena such as spam or phishing that can put the personal
information of Internet users at risk. That is why in this article we will
talk about digital privacy and
how to protect it.
What is Digital Data privacy?
A huge amount of information
circulates on the internet, including the personal data of users. By doing
actions as simple as using a browser, posting a photo on a social network or
leaving a comment on a blog or forum, we are leaving personal information that
leaves a trace on the network. Therefore, it is very important to know what digital privacy is and how we can
increase the security of our data on the internet.
Meaning and concept
We start by looking at the meaning
of digital privacy. This term refers to the right of users to protect
their data on the network and decide what information is visible to others.
In the same way that a person wants privacy
to be respected at home or at work, they also have the right to prevent others
from accessing their personal data on the internet without their consent.
The concept of digital privacy is relatively
young, since it is linked to the emergence and development of the internet and
telecommunications. In fact, until recently there was no clear regulation
in this regard.
Features of digital privacy
Digital
privacy is defined by a number of characteristics:
·
It
refers to all the information of a user that circulates on the internet. In
addition to personal data such as name, ID, telephone number, address, etc.
·
The
particularities of the internet also mean that privacy refers to images,
videos, email, geolocation, browsing history, IP or any other data that allows
the identification of a user on the network.
·
It
is not limited to the use of web pages or social networks, but also refers to
the transmission of data through online stores, applications, instant messaging
services, etc.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning
that digital privacy in Spain is regulated by
the Organic Law on Data
Protection and Digital Rights Guarantee (LOPDGDD), which adapts the General
Data Protection Regulation (RGPD) to Spanish regulations, which it is applied
at European level.
Spanish regulations establish a series of
very important concepts to guarantee people's digital privacy, such as the ones
we see below.
Data Protection
In order to collect user data
on the Internet, a series of requirements are required that we will see in depth
later. For now, we anticipate that among the requirements is the
identification of those responsible for the treatment, obtain explicit consent
from the user or communicate the purpose for which the information will be
used, among others.
Digital identity
The digital identity or fingerprint is
defined as the trace that a person leaves on the internet. When publishing
a photo, writing in a blog, leaving comments on a website ... in short, almost
any action that is carried out on the internet leaves a trace. It is related to digital
privacy , which assists users with the aim of safeguarding the information
they want to keep private, out of the reach of the internet.
The law establishes that the
person must have control of the personal information that circulates on the
network, which brings us to the next point.
Right to be forgotten
The user has the right to
request that information that he does not want to be seen by other users be
removed from the internet. This is what is called the right to be
forgotten on the internet . The requirement to proceed with its
elimination is that it is outdated,
irrelevant or excessive information, regardless of whether it was
true at the time.
For example, a person appears
on Google as the author of a crime committed many years ago, for which he has
already paid and is fully rehabilitated. This information can harm you,
for example in order to get a job, so you can make use of this right.
Protection of data of minors
The minimum age for minors
to give consent to process their personal data on the internet is 14 years . Before that age,
consent must be given by their parents or guardians.
Digital testament
The relatives or heirs of a
person can request
that the personal information of the deceased be deleted ,
as long as the latter has not expressly prohibited it while alive. This
includes any type of data, from photos or social media profiles, to bank
accounts or passwords to access web services.
Digital disconnect
Digital privacy also extends to
the workplace. The digital disconnect means that workers are not
required to answer calls or e - mails once you have finished your work
schedule
Internet
service providers
For their part, service
providers must offer users access to the network without any discrimination. Likewise,
they must guarantee that access to the network is carried out under the maximum
security conditions.
Advantages and
disadvantages
Advantages
of digital privacy :
- Increase information security and
protect against fraud, cyber attacks such as hacks or identity theft .
- Decide what our digital identity
is, that is, the image that the internet projects of us to other users
- Allow only those users, companies
or service providers to whom we have given our consent to access our data.
- Adapt the content, products or
services offered to us to our profile and our interests.
- Increasing awareness of the
importance of protecting personal data on the internet.
Disadvantages of digital
privacy:
- The
Internet is a huge network, in which a huge amount of data circulates. Therefore,
trying to control all this flow of information is not a realistic goal. As
they say, it would be like putting doors to the field.
- It conflicts with the interests
of large companies and corporations. Many of these companies have
enormous power and prefer to face the payment of fines rather than heed
the privacy regulations dictated by governments.
- There are still many people who
do not understand the importance of protecting digital information. Many
people continue to accept terms and conditions of use without reading
them.
- Past generations have a hard time
adapting to the new demands in this field, as the digital age is rapidly
advancing and waiting for no one.
Problems and risks
Posting sensitive information
on the internet can lead to various problems
related to digital privacy.
- Personal
data :
providing information such as the real name, telephone number or ID is a
big mistake as it could lead to identity theft.
- Email : Leaving the email address
anywhere increases the chances of receiving a large amount of spam or junk
mail.
- Bank
details :
You should never give your bank details to anyone you don't trust, or you
could put your money at risk.
- Geographical
location :
other data such as your home address or whether or not you are at home
could put your home at risk, as well as your safety and that of those who
live with you.
- Photographs
and videos :
you must be very careful with what type of photographs are sent and where
they are published. It would not be the first time someone has been
extorted with photos of a sexual nature or that someone has lost their job
due to compromised images.
Speaking more of specific terms
and practices, these would be some of the main risks of digital privacy:
- Phishing: It is a method of computer
abuse that consists of fraudulently obtaining confidential information to
impersonate a user.
- Spam: it is defined as the massive
reception of spam e-mails.
- Viruses
and Trojans:
these are programs that sneak into the user's computer to carry out
unsolicited actions: theft of information, erasure of data, etc. They
can be camouflaged within seemingly harmless programs or applications.
- Cyber
bullying: cyber
bullying or virtual harassment consists of the use of the internet or
social networks to threaten harass or blackmail a person.
Internet privacy
The LOPDGDD is
the regulation that establishes the obligations of any user or company to
collect information through the internet. In this sense, to comply with
digital privacy requirements it is necessary to provide certain information to
the recipient of the treatment.
Below we see how to meet these
requirements on web pages, social networks, applications or messaging services.
Websites
To comply with the regulations
on digital privacy, the web pages that collect personal information from users
must inform about their Privacy Policy, Cookies Policy and Legal Notice.
Privacy Policy
The privacy policy is the legal
text that informs the user about the way in which their personal data will be
processed. It must be placed in a specific and clearly visible section of
the web.
The privacy policy should inform
about:
- Identity of the data
controller
- User information to be collected
- Purpose for which said
information is collected
- Period during which user data
will be kept in the database
- If the user's data is going to be
transferred to third parties
- If there is a security breach
- The way to carry out the ARSULIPO
rights (former ARCO rights), that is, the rights of access, rectification,
deletion, limitation of treatment, portability or opposition.
Current regulations on data
protection require the inclusion of a legal text in
emails of a corporate or commercial nature. This legal text must be
included in the signature of the email and inform about the identity of the
issuer, the purpose of the mail, the transfer of data or the ways to exercise ARSULIPO rights .
On the other hand, in cases
where private or secret information is communicated, it will be necessary to
include a notice or confidentiality
clause (although in many cases this clause is already agreed by
contract.
Email is another tool that can
compromise digital privacy. Despite the fact that many of these systems
use partial (STARTTLS, STS or SMTP) or advanced (SPF, DMARC or DKIM) encryption systems , it is still highly
recommended to take a series of precautions when using them:
- Use a strong password (uppercase,
lowercase, mixed alphanumeric characters) and encryption systems
- Employ a two-layer authentication
system, if the tool allows it.
- Do not provide personal
information by email.
- Delete unopened emails from
unknown origin.
- Avoid opening suspicious emails,
even if they come from someone you know.
- Make backups or backup copies of
emails.
On the other hand, one of the
big doubts about digital privacy in this case refers to email at work. The latest sentences
establish certain limits to this access. A boss will not be able to access
a worker's personal email, but they will be able to access corporate email, as
long as the worker has been previously notified.
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