Data Privacy Day 2019 – A New Era in Privacy

Data Privacy Day is an international effort to empower individuals and business to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust. Many of today’s tech users have never navigated an online world where they weren’t constantly asked to provide personal details about themselves for everything from booking a doctor’s appointment to buying a new shirt. Too many tech users don’t do enough to protect their online privacy and secure their data, while also thinking that it’s “other people” who don’t protect themselves. This is a trend that Data Privacy Day works to address. The Identity Theft Resource Center is the non-profit partner for this event, hosted on January 28^th, 2019, by StaySafeOnline. Powered by the National Cyber Security Alliance, the upcoming event will focus on the changing privacy landscape and what that means for consumers, businesses, policymakers, and more. The change is so rapid, in fact, that StaySafeOnline is referring to this age as a new era in privacy, and as such, the event will feature a wide variety of instructional sessions led by some of the top names in the field. With events available for both in-person attendees and live stream participants, Data Privacy Day stands to be a source of vital information to kick off the new year with a focus on security. Of course, there are actionable steps that every tech user can implement right now to help secure their personally identifiable information and protect their privacy: 1. Understand—and put in place—good password hygiene. 2. Establish a family or company policy on how to respond to suspicious messages and what steps to take in the event of a possible privacy incident. 3. Install strong, trustworthy security software that helps block or delete attempted privacy threats. 4. Think twice about oversharing, whether it’s posting too much information on social media, responding to emails asking for identifying details, or handing over your data to third-parties. 5. Seek out the vulnerabilities that may already be a threat, like third-party apps, unsecure privacy settings in your social media accounts, software and operating systems that haven’t been updated regularly, and more. Can’t be there in person? Watch live from LinkedIn, SF! ITRC CEO, Eva Velasquez will be joining privacy experts on the panel, “The Future of Privacy and Breakthrough Technologies” to discuss advances in technology, such as artificial intelligence to the human body acting as the computer interface, how privacy will take on even greater significance. Panelists will highlight why our actions now will drive tomorrow’s outcomes. Just released – Download the 2018 End-of-Year Data Breach Report

Contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. For on-the-go assistance, check out the free ID Theft Help App from ITRC. Read next: Consumers at Risk: 126% Increase in Exposed Consumer Data, 1.68 Billion Email-Related Credentials