In the first part of this blog series, we discussed the core differences between data privacy and data security. Below, we examine the current and evolving role of data privacy, why it helps to protect both users and businesses, as well as the core challenges facing the data privacy landscape.
What is the role of data privacy?
Data privacy is the practice of ensuring that all collected data is stored, maintained, and accessed correctly to not breach the privacy rights and trust of relevant data subjects. In adhering to data privacy policies, businesses maintain correct governance and access procedures of sensitive personal information, as well as meeting compliance requirements for global data protection policies such as HIPAA, GDPR, or DPA.
Meeting the data protection laws of areas in which your business functions is a legal necessity, and ignoring compliance can be extremely costly. Breaking the UK’s Data Protection Act could cost businesses tens of millions in fines, as well as losing the trust of consumers and severely damaging reputations.
Although the underlying principle of data privacy is clear - protect the rights and privacy of data subjects while maintaining compliance with regulations, some issues persist that can cause significant challenges for businesses. With severe consequences at stake, these challenges must be addressed and rectified quickly and seamlessly.
The common data privacy challenges
There are many significant challenges and risks that businesses wishing to maintain ongoing compliance and governance must consider. Currently, these challenges include:
Lack of clear definition of data privacy
As there are no universally accepted definitions of data privacy, maintaining this concept can feel ambiguous and unguided - with a lack of universal guidelines for ensuring that data privacy is correctly maintained.
Human error impacting proper governance procedures
As data collection, storage, and analysis continue to be dominated by human processes - the potential for human error interrupting correct procedures is still present. To counter this, all team members who may interact with datasets and more must be made aware of the correct procedures that must be followed, as well as the potential consequences that may arise as a result of incorrect use.
Wide variations in global regulations
Alongside conflicting and inconsistent definitions of what data privacy entails, data protection laws differ greatly between borders. This can be a pressing and demanding challenge for international organisations that must comply with multiple sets of regulations simultaneously, or face severe fines.
Ensuring compliance needs technical experience
Often, ensuring compliance with multiple sets of data regulations involves the adoption of a wide range of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs).
However, these often demand extensive technical expertise and computational power - exposing severe vulnerabilities if misused. Businesses lacking this technical experience risk failing to comply, leaving many SMEs and more exposed.
Read more: How DataSecOps solves the architecture issue
Achieve true data privacy for DataSecOps
Our universal data privacy platform ensures that businesses are given access to streamlined, intuitive data governance controls, orchestrating multiple PETs to work in unison while emphasising ease of use and accessibility.
To learn more about the importance of data privacy and to see the power of our DataSecOps platform first-hand, book a free demonstration here.
Alternatively, you can contact us here with any questions or enquiries you may have – we always aim to respond as soon as possible.