In today’s digital world, your data is the most valuable resource and others want to get their hands on it…don’t let anyone have it!
What is Data Privacy Day?
Data Privacy Day is celebrated by privacy enthusiasts and advocates every year on January 28. It’s an international effort to spread awareness among individuals and businesses alike about the importance of privacy and promote the need for safeguarding personal information.
It was first initiated in 2006 by the European Council as Data Protection Day, and soon other countries followed. Because of the increasing importance of online privacy, Data Privacy Day is now celebrated by many other nations as well, including the USA, Canada, India and 27 countries in the European Union.
Why Do We Need Data Privacy Day?
Since more and more information is being collected online, protecting our privacy is now more important than ever. Every day, we create an endless stream of data as we spend most of our time on the internet and our devices.
But even then, many of us don’t understand how much of our personal information is being collected, stored, and used by third-parties, nor do we consider the privacy implications when it comes to our online actions.
Websites and companies can find out who we are, where we are located, and what we like and dislike, so they can serve us products and services even when we don’t want them. And this is just a tip of the iceberg!
Cyber-attacks are also on the rise, such as the WannaCry ransomware which affected people in over 150 countries and resulted in the loss of huge amounts of sensitive data, or the Yahoo security breach that exposed the personal information of 3 billion accounts.
With a day designated to raising awareness about online privacy and keeping personal information secure, we are presented with an opportunity to change how we behave on the internet, and take greater responsibility when it comes to our online privacy.
How Can We Protect Our Online Privacy?
At PureVPN, we care about the online privacy of all internet users and have published many blogs regarding privacy and data protection. Here’s a few of our popular blogs that you should read this Data Privacy Day:
1. How to Hide Browser History from ISP
ISPs have been given the green light to use our personal data as they see fit and make big money out of it. Find out how to hide your browser history.
2. How to Delete Your Google Search History Permanently
Clearing your browser history will not delete your search history from Google’s servers. Learn how to delete history on Google, how to manage your Google Activity, and more.
3. How to Check If Your VPN is Leaking Your IP Address
If someone can trace your IP address, they can easily track you and what you are doing online. Discover how to check if your VPN leaks your IP.
4. Data Privacy in the Age of Internet of Things
In the age of IoT, there’s no such thing as data privacy unless you take the necessary measures to prevent the possibility of security breaches. Follow these measures to stay in control of your online privacy.
5. How to Secure your Password – A Comprehensive Guide
A staggering 81% of hacking incidents are caused by stolen or weak passwords, as per Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report. Here’s how to create, manage, and secure your strong passwords.
A Few Suggestions From The Experts
As we get involved this Data Privacy Day, here are some additional advices from the experts on how we can keep our data safe:
- Wes Widner, director of threat intelligence and machine learning at Norse, suggests that vendors and consumers should start familiarizing themselves with encryption. He further explains that people are not required to have all the working knowledge about algorithms and other technicalities that work in the background, but they should be aware about different types of encryption that are currently available out there.
- Dave Martin, director at NSFOCUS IB, suggests that users or consumers should establish a different communication path where anyone who contacts them online must have to verify their account information. He elaborates that if any user gets a suspicious link in any text message or email, they should not open it. He further added that users must use anti-virus or malware detection software on their personal systems.
- The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) suggests that users should be aware about the information that they share online, and they should understand the true worth of their personal information.
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) suggests that parents should be fully aware about the devices their children are using in the educational institutions where they are being educated.
Wrapping Things Up
So, let’s celebrate this Data Privacy Data by following the best privacy and data protection tips not only today, but also for the rest of the year!
PureVPN
November 24, 2022
1 year ago
