There are various data protection ethical issues that everyone needs to be aware of. In doing so, they can better look for options for protecting their data. What are these issues?
Data Protection Ethical Issues
One of the biggest data protection ethical issues is data retention. This is the process of keeping data for a specified period. Companies, institutions, and other organizations do this to ensure that they do not lose anything. Especially if that data is important.
Data retention has met some issues especially when it involves personal data. Information such as personal details, social security numbers, credit card information, and the likes need to be protected. While there are laws against companies and institutions from collecting personal data without consent, there are ways for them to get around this rule.
For example, companies collect personal information about their customers to provide them with a better service or product. The law states that they need to get written consent from the individual before collecting such information.
However, they can still use that information in the meantime even if they have not gotten consent from them yet. They will just ask for the individual’s consent once they start using that information.
How can businesses get around the law? Companies and businesses can use loopholes in the law to get around data retention rules. They create a new form to add to the contract with their customers.
Beforehand, they would have already collected all of their customers’ details. This is including their social security number and address among others. Once they have created this additional form and handed it out to their customers, they can use those details on it since those are already collected beforehand.
Additionally, businesses need to ensure that their employees know how to properly handle customer data. Especially if those customers are considered valuable to them.
Training Employees About Personal Data Protection
What does training employees mean? It means that companies need to teach their employees how to handle personal data. They need to ensure that those employees know how to properly store those details, who can access them, and when they can access them.
Training is important especially when it comes to personal data. Employees need to know it and they need to be reminded of its importance. Why is it important? Because many of the companies and businesses that collect personal information do not take it seriously.
Moreover, they see it as just another form or source of income for them. They collect that information and then leave it in the corner or on a laptop or computer with no one watching it. How would they know where the information is? It is possible that someone could take it, steal it, and use it for their advantage.
Conclusion
Businesses need to be mindful of how they handle customers’ sensitive personal details. This is to protect them from any fraud and identity theft issues in the future due to non-compliance with data protection laws. Also, this will help them keep their business in the long run.