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Data Privacy Day

Chelsea Sauder • Jan 28, 2020

Today is Data Privacy Day, an internationally recognized day and effort which promotes data privacy awareness and education. The goal of the event is to empower people to protect their privacy, control their digital footprint, and escalate the protection of privacy and data protection as a priority for all people.  

Data Privacy Day Champion

Commencing in 2007 in Europe and 2008 in the US and Canada, DPD is observed every January 28th in the United States, Canada, and 47 European countries. This isn’t a random date – it commemorates the 1981 signing of Convention 108, the first international treaty concerning privacy and data protection and arguably the genesis of contemporary efforts including GDPR and CCPA.   


Data Privacy Day activities in North America are led by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), the same group that brings us National Cyber Security Awareness Month every October. This includes a keynote event with speakers and panel participants from venerable organizations: NCSA itself, LinkedIn, Microsoft, the US FTC, the Canadian Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and others. They explore a breadth of privacy related topics and ideas. It’s free to attend in person if you’re in San Francisco, or you can watch the live stream.

Quick aside for geek trivia: Although today we generally associate the idea of “data privacy” to mean “computers and online, ” it is historically interesting to note that Convention 108 actually predated (by almost seven months) the release of the IBM Personal Computer (Model 5150): the machine responsible for changing the computer industry forever and giving popular rise to the term “PC” to refer to an IBM-compatible desktop microcomputer.
 “5150” is also a California law enforcement term referencing the code section pertaining to involuntary mental health custody. Despite the IBM 5150 being created by an engineering team in Boca Raton, Florida, given the long interweave between computing and California, there are many who do not believe this is unintentional coincidence. 
Data Privacy - What You Can Do

As the main goals of Data Privacy Day are education and awareness, we’re going to keep the technical bent of this post light and highlight quick tips around awareness of privacy and security. 

Companies in the business of gathering data rarely protect your privacy to an ironclad level. It's often quite the opposite actually as there’s big money to be had selling your data to third parties. Even data that seems harmless can tell companies a lot about you, and this makes you a target for highly personalized marketing.  

Privacy Settings

It’s a good idea to periodically double-check the privacy settings on every device and application you use. You could add this to your “do twice a year” list along with your smoke detectors when Daylight Saving Time starts and ends. NCSA provides a comprehensive list of direct links to procedures for all kinds of things – Amazon, Gmail, iPhone & Android, Spotify/Apple Music, Uber/Lyft, Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter, and even Fitbit, just to name a few. You can access the list here.

At Home

The responsibility for proper privacy safeguards is important for everyone –especially for kids! Just as we teach our kids basic safety and security concepts (not talking with strangers; looking for cars when crossing a street) it’s our responsibility as parents to impart online safety and privacy to our kids. 

NCSA dubs thisSTOP. THINK. CONNECT. -- stop to take safety measures, think about the consequences of your actions, and connect once you know you’ve taken steps to safeguard yourself and your family online.

  • Share with care. What you post can last a lifetime: Help your children understand that any information they share online can easily be copied and is almost impossible to take back. Teach them to consider who might see a post and how it might be perceived in the future.
  • Personal information is like money. Value it. Protect it. Information about your kids, such as the games they like to play and what they search for online, has value – just like money. Talk to your kids about the value of their information and how to be selective with the information they provide to apps and websites.
  • Post only about others as you would like to have them post about you. Remind children and family members about the golden rule and that it applies online as well. What they do online can positively or negatively impact other people.
  • Own your online presence. Start the conversation about the public nature of the internet early. Learn about and teach your kids how to use privacy and security settings on their favorite online games, apps and platforms.
  • Remain positively engaged. Pay attention to and know the online environments your children use. In the real world, there are good and bad neighborhoods, and the online world is no different. Help them to identify safe and trusted websites and apps. Encourage them to be cautious about clicking on, downloading, posting and uploading content.
  • Stay current. Keep up with new technology and ways to manage privacy. Talk about what you discovered with your family and engage them on a regular basis to share what they know about privacy.
All in all it when comes to data, both personal and professional, you have the responsibility to recognize its value and take the proper steps to protect yourself.
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