Data Protection: Here’s Why You Should Be Securing Your Data

Data Protection is, no doubt, a phrase you are already familiar with, considering the increasing attention it has been drawing, especially on media with the recent data breach scandals.

But do you know what it really means and how it could impact you? Keep reading to find out.

The importance of data protection to your everyday life

Data protection commonly refers to protecting your data from loss or theft.

It is important since you are living in a data economy and the value of data is growing exponentially. This means there are many ways your data could be monetized by others for both useful and deceitful purposes. For instance, credit bureaus like Equifax will use your data to provide you with a credit score, and people search sites like Nuwber will build data profiles to facilitate background checks. On the other hand, criminals could also access your data to commit financial fraud.

And there are many ways your data could become compromised. For instance, it could happen due to damages to physical devices because of a malfunction or a fire. It could be the result of physical theft of your personal laptop or a storage device. And malicious cyberattacks driven by unscrupulous motives are another common means of data theft.

The dangers of a data loss are multi-faceted, and some of the most common risks could include the following.

• Financial loss – Ransomware and phishing attacks are some of the most common causes of financial loss through compromised data.
• Reputational damage – Identity theft could result in your personal data being used to commit fraud and other illegal activities, thereby compromising your reputation.
• Intrusion to privacy – Marketers constantly collect your personal information, so that they can build massive databases for targeted advertising. This could often lead to endless robocalls and online ads that are constantly popping up as you browse the internet.
• Threats to life – You could become the subject of stalking, harassment, and even graver dangers when your personal details get into the hands of unscrupulous individuals.

Types of data you should protect

You must safeguard any type of data that could threaten your safety, result in a financial loss or any other risks in the event they get into the hands of another person.

Here are a few examples:

• Passwords – Passwords are typically used to protect important devices such as your laptop or mobile phone, personal accounts like social media profiles or bank accounts, confidential files, and other important information. Therefore, compromised passwords could provide others with access to a countless amount of your data.
• Personal information – Your date of birth, home address, contact number, details about your family, friends, and workplace, personal photographs, and the likes should not be shared with strangers.
• Personal documents – Social security cards, birth certificates, bank statements, medical records, and similar documents should be kept in a safe.

 

You can no longer take data protection lightly if you want to protect yourself from the countless risks and dangers in today’s data-driven world. Therefore, identifying your personal and confidential information, and taking necessary actions to secure them effectively should become a top priority in your agenda.