Responsibility for data protection will require companies to do engineering and design work to meet consumer needs.
*Yasodara Córdoba is Principal Privacy Researcher at To separate
January 28 was International Data Protection Day. The date marks the day when, more than 40 years ago, in 1981 specifically, the Council of Europe Convention 108 for the protection of natural persons, known as “Convention 108”, which dealt with the automated processing of data took place personal . As we can see, despite being a recent topic in Brazil, as the general data protection law only came into effect in 2018, privacy discussions are old in other parts of the world.
Privacy is everyone’s right to control their personal information and how that information is shared, what it is used for, and with whom it is shared. Personal information includes for example names, addresses, telephone numbers, financial information and Internet browsing history.
It’s important for several reasons. First of all because it allows people to maintain their autonomy and to choose with whom and how to share their data. It is also responsible for protecting people from abuses, such as improper data collection by companies and governments, as well as helping to ensure the security of personal information, preventing its use in fraud and identity theft. The importance of this autonomy for democratic practice and freedom of expression is worth mentioning.
Privacy is a fundamental right that helps protect security and freedom, and people are increasingly aware of its importance. It is increasingly clear to users that data protection goes far beyond the simple discourse “change your password frequently and do not share it”. Today, people understand that data protection is also and fundamentally the responsibility of companies.
confidentiality strategies
This attribution of accountability is a growing trend that will require very strong technical, engineering and design work by companies to meet consumer needs and earn their trust. Given this scenario, it will be up to companies to define their own privacy strategies, opting for technological trends that go towards soft or hard privacy.
Soft privacy is an approach to privacy that focuses on improving transparency and user control over their personal information. Rather than the company focusing solely on technical data security, it includes providing users with clear, easy-to-understand information about how their information will be collected, used, and shared, through the implementation of privacy workflows, privacy by design, explicit consent, minimization of data collection etc.
Hard privacy is an approach that focuses on technical data security, such as encryption and other technologies that aim to protect users’ personal information and ensure that data is protected from unauthorized access, interception, and modification. Data engineering, which goes hand in hand with privacy and security, will contribute to the development of privacy solutions that will be incorporated into the product. Security measures include data encryption, user authentication, intrusion detection, among others.
To illustrate how these issues flow from one approach to another, an example of hard privacy is when the Google offers users the ability to remove their faces from Google Maps.
At the same time, we will continue to watch the global regulatory landscape expand to accompany and meet all the needs arising from the public debate, which require rapid and frequent adaptations that include new laws, new frameworks and standards.
There are serious debates and new measures now taking place in different territories on the subject. A new law that went into effect in 2023 in the state of Louisiana, for example, now requires age verification of users accessing websites with adult content, in order to protect children and teenagers on the internet. It’s a debate about identity versus privacy, autonomy versus control that goes through technology as an implementation tip. Another hotly debated regulatory trend is the debate around artificial intelligence and data ownership, or the individual’s right to control data and data processing rights found in a public environment such as the web.
Amidst this race, companies will need to balance and prioritize what gets built and what gets regulated. From now on we will increasingly have privacy as one of the pillars of value for companies, as it attracts and guarantees the trust of users, who want to be sure that their data is protected, secure and that, at any time, they can delete your account with the assurance that your information will not be sold to other companies.
Companies today that are guided by the intelligence of the data they collect will also become privacy experts. The ecosystem moves in that direction. Every day technology develops new sources of data and with that people are also becoming aware of their data collection. For example: soon phones will be connected to satellites which will generate more data, more diverse and rich in information. With that we will have new levels of interaction, new layers of data, and more questions like “can I trust putting my data into this company, what level of control will I have?”.
Regardless of its size, large or small, the company that is now not thinking about data governance will miss the opportunity to jump on the privacy and artificial intelligence bandwagon. Working with AI without being aware of data governance can be a dangerous path in regulatory terms. Finding the right balance between privacy and innovation is a challenge that needs to be well orchestrated.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
