Data Privacy in the Age of Big Data: Strategies for Protection and Compliance

May 30, 2023

Social Share

Introduction

Data privacy has become a major topic in today’s digital landscape, as vast volumes of data are generated, gathered, and analyzed. With the growth of big data, businesses now have access to an unprecedented volume of personal information, prompting concerns about how this data is managed and safeguarded, as well as the possible hazards to people’ privacy. We will look at strategies for safeguarding data privacy and ensuring compliance in the age of big data in this blog.

The running app Strava published a data visualization map in November 2017 that displayed every activity ever added to their database. Over 3 trillion GPS points were collected in this way, from Fitbits and smartwatches to cellphones and other fitness trackers. One feature of the program is the ability to view popular routes in big cities or locate people in remote places who have peculiar workout habits. Sharing your workout routine with others might seem like a fairly innocent concept, however this map revealed the locations of military bases and soldiers who were actively serving. A covert military base in Afghanistan’s Helmand province was one of these places.

While this has numerous advantages, such an iPhone knowing my position and being able to recommend eateries or the quickest route to a destination, it can also be used negatively, which can seriously violate an individual’s privacy.

As our culture becomes more data-driven, this issue will only get worse.

What is Data Privacy?

Data privacy is the responsible processing, archiving, and use of personal data gathered by organizations. It includes all ethical and legal issues related to safeguarding personal information from misuse, unlawful access, or disclosure. Sensitive information including names, addresses, phone numbers, financial and health records, and more may be included in personal data. The potential threats and difficulties relating to data privacy are heightened by the increasing digitization of information and the interconnection of systems.

Understanding the Challenges:

Before delving into the strategies, it’s crucial to understand the challenges associated with data privacy in the age of big data. Here are a few key challenges:

Data collection: Managing and securing personal information is extremely difficult due to the sheer volume of data acquired from multiple sources, such as social media, IoT devices, and online behaviors.
Data storage: In order to protect against unwanted access, breaches, and potential exploitation of sensitive data, it is necessary to apply strong security measures while storing huge datasets.
Data processing and analytics: The processing and analysis of enormous volumes of data frequently results in the development of in-depth user profiles. If this process is not properly controlled, it may violate people’s private rights.
Cross-Border Data Transfers: Data transfers across international borders are common in today’s globalized environment. Organizations operating across jurisdictions have compliance problems since different nations have different data privacy laws.

Preserving privacy in the age of Big Data

Only two of the most trusted brands, Amazon and Apple, barely make it to the midpoint on our satisfaction scale below, indicating that trust in online platforms and internet businesses is unusually low.

Trust in European corporations (0–10 rating scale): A bar graph displays the most and least trusted online platforms and internet companies, with Facebook receiving the lowest levels of trust (2–10) and Amazon scoring the most (5–10) among survey participants.

The study investigates how the public feels about how the government collects data. The majority of individuals believe that governments shouldn’t be permitted to gather any individual’s personal information. The majority of respondents (55%) believe that only criminal suspects’ data should be collected by the government, as opposed to data on everyone, with Europeans marginally more likely than Americans to approve of some applications of bulk data collection.

You may also be interested in reading: Technology Trends in Engineering Management: Implications and Opportunities

Strategies for Data Privacy Protection and Compliance

Implement Privacy by Design: Privacy by Design is a strategy that places an emphasis on including privacy safeguards into the creation of systems, goods, and procedures from the very beginning. Organizations can proactively identify and manage potential privacy concerns by taking privacy into account at every stage.
Adopt Strong Data Security procedures: To protect sensitive information, it is imperative to implement strong data security procedures. To safeguard data while it is in transit and while it is at rest, use encryption, access limits, and regular security audits. In addition, think about putting in place monitoring tools for spotting potential breaches and multi-factor authentication.
Implement Data Retention rules: Businesses should create explicit data retention rules that specify how long personal data will be kept on file. To reduce any privacy threats, data should be safely removed or anonymized once it is no longer required.
Conduct Regular Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs): Regularly carry out privacy impact analyses (PIAs) Organizations can detect and evaluate potential privacy issues connected to their data processing activities with the aid of PIAs. Organizations can spot compliance shortcomings and put effective solutions in place by frequently conducting these assessments.
Maintain Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Requirements: Organizations are required to safeguard individuals’ privacy rights under data privacy rules such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Maintain awareness of important rules and regulations that apply to your firm and maintain compliance.

You may also be interested in reading: What is Big Data and How Does it Impact Businesses?

In conclusion, ensuring data privacy in the era of big data demands an all-encompassing strategy that includes adherence to the law, technological security measures, openness, and employee understanding. While navigating the benefits and challenges posed by big data, people and organizations may preserve the confidence of their clients and stakeholders by putting these tactics into practice and continuously adapting to the changing privacy landscape.