Difference between Data Privacy and Data Protection

The terms Data privacy and Data security are used interchangeably and seem to be the same. But actually, they are not the same. In reality, they can have different meanings depending upon their actual process and use. But they are very closely interconnected and one complements the other during the entire process. So, let's know how Data Privacy differs from Data Protection.

What is Data Privacy?

Data Privacy refers to the proper handling of data, which means how an organization or user determines whether or what data is to be shared with third parties. Data privacy is important as it keeps some data secret from others/third parties. So we can say data privacy is all about authorized access. It is also called data privacy.

For example: In a Bank, A lot of customers have their accounts for monetary transactions. So the bank needs to keep customers' data private so that customers' identity stays safe and protected as much as possible by minimizing any external risks and also it helps in maintaining the reputation standard of banks.

Why Data Privacy is Important?

Data privacy is a set of rules for collecting and handling data based on its importance and value. Personal health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII) are commonly covered under data privacy laws. This includes financial information, medical records, social security or ID numbers, names, birth dates, and contact information. Data privacy helps to guarantee that sensitive information is only available to authorized parties.

Data Privacy Best Practices

• Do not use public Wi-Fi networks on your business devices.
• Understand how your current laws define personal information.
• Use adequate consent management when collecting data.
• Save only the most important information.
• Take strict measures to prevent human mistakes.

What is Data Protection?

Data Protection refers to the process of keeping important data safe. In simple it refers to protecting data against unauthorized access which leads to no corruption, no compromise, no loss, and no security issues of data. Data protection is allowed to all forms of data whether it is personal or data or organizational data.

For Example: A bank has a lot of customers, so the bank needs to protect all types of data including self-bank records as well as customer information from unauthorized accesses to keep everything safe and to ensure everything is under the control of bank administration.

Why Data Protection is Important?

Data protection refers to the process taken to ensure the privacy, availability, and integrity of sensitive data, and is frequently used interchangeably with the word 'data security'. These security measures are essential for organizations that gather, handle, or retain sensitive data. They work to avoid data corruption, loss, or harm. At a time when data collection and storage are growing at an unprecedented rate, a strong data protection strategy is critical. The major purpose of data protection is not just to preserve sensitive information, but also to keep it accessible and trustworthy, hence maintaining confidence and compliance in data-driven processes.

Principles of Data Protection

• Data Availability: Data availability guarantees that users can access and use the data they need to do business, even if it is lost or corrupted.
• Data Lifecycle Management: Data lifecycle management means automating the delivery of essential data to both offline and online storage.
• Information Lifecycle Management: Information lifecycle management means considering, recording, and protecting information assets against a variety of threats, including facility failures and disruptions, application and user errors, equipment failure, and malware and virus attacks.

Data Protection Best Practices

• Backup important data on a regular basis.
• Consider sending backup data to the cloud.
• Limit internal data access.
• Consider backing up data in a location other than your company's offices, as a major incident could destroy both the original files and the backups.
• Encrypt your data.

Difference Between Data Privacy and Data Protection

Conclusion

Data privacy and data protection are both important concepts to understand, while they both are all closely related, they represent very separate ideas and methodologies. Staying updated with best practices and upgrading your data policies can help protect you and your customers against cyberattacks and data breaches.