Technological Advances in Data Protection

Adekunle Oludele
0
0.9K Views
Jan 23, 2023

Protecting one's data ever since the introduction of technology has been one of the topmost priorities of everyone. Over the years, sophisticated technological advancements have appeared to help us secure the most confidential information. But even with these measures, millions of pieces of information have been lost to third parties, either through hacking or other means.

Several reasons have greatly impacted data protection and privacy. The introduction of powerful algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI), the growth of the e-commerce market, and the internet itself have necessitated the implementation of different ways of protecting one's data.

Let's look at what data protection is and how it can be provided successfully.

Data protection/data security and its importance

This refers to a set of methods and processes an individual or business can employ to protect their information's availability, privacy, and integrity. Any organization that has sensitive data in stock, collects data, or handles confidential data should embrace data protection. One of the best ways to avoid data loss, corruption, or theft is by reducing the damage caused during a disaster or a breach.

Reasons for developing data protection practices

Online services and e-commerce growth

There has been a rapid increase since the middle of the 1990s when it comes to online services and e-commerce. The growth of the digital economy resulted in the enactment of some local and federal laws; however, there are still challenges facing personal data protection.

Data privacy laws regulate the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data and provide guidance to businesses on how to handle sensitive data. The main enforcer of these laws in the United States is the Federal Trade Commission.

Thus, companies are responsible for unauthorized access, reuse, or illegal sale of consumers’ personal information and should strictly adhere to their privacy policies.

Phishing is one of the common threats that can negatively affect the personal data of visitors to e-commerce websites. This is a form of cyberattack when hackers send emails to users posing as legitimate businesses and luring them into revealing their sensitive data or clicking malicious links to install malware on their devices.

Another threat to data privacy is password or identity theft. So, sites should apply advanced authentication methods and encourage customers to use strong passwords to avoid stealing their personal data.

All this shows that necessary data protection measures should be taken and updated regularly to ensure the safety of e-commerce site customers’ personal information.

Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence

Algorithms and AI, a very popular technological advancement on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, contribute significantly to data protection. These platforms hold millions of users' data and analyze it in several ways with the use of sophisticated algorithms.

As a result, they help in customizing the experience of users. At the same time, there are growing concerns regarding how companies create and use these algorithms and artificial intelligence. The issue of lack of transparency has been the most notable one among these concerns, especially in the aspect of how third parties access personal information.

Thus, the current development goals for AI are the following:

Creating an ethical framework to deploy AI
Digital transition guide to allow all and sundry to benefit from the revolutions of technology
Creating platforms to achieve sustainable AI

The Internet

The internet is a place that keeps welcoming different smart devices every day through connection. Some examples of these devices include user-fitness match trackers, smart televisions, specially designed refrigerators, and other internet-connected devices.

According to International Data Corporation, in 2025, the internet will have more than 41.6 billion devices connected to it. Moreover, these devices range from smart technological devices used in homes, such as security systems, to toys and digital assistants that are connected to cars and track the speed of a car in motion or help in discovering faulty engines.

Internet-connected devices come with a wide range of benefits. However, these conveniences involve increased privacy risks. An individual's shared information with connected devices could also be shared or made available inappropriately or without the authorization of the individual.

Some technological protection practices include:

Backup: This technological advancement ensures a user can retrieve their data even when the original becomes inaccessible, destroyed, accidentally deleted, or lost. You can also retrieve the information that has been maliciously harmed.
Snapshots: Just like the backup strategy, snapshots are the full image of a secured system, including all data and files. It is an effective strategy when it comes to restoring or retrieving the whole system at a certain point.
Data discovery: This comes first when it comes to securing data. The strategy works by figuring out an organization's existing data sets, the ones that are critical to the business, and the ones that are sensitive and cannot be accessed without permission. Using advanced data discovery tools helps organizations identify and classify their data more effectively, ensuring enhanced protection and compliance with privacy regulations.
Data loss prevention (DLP): Just as the name implies, this strategic solution is great for preventing data losses, including deletion, misuse, and unauthorized access. The strategy comes with different tools that help to secure against losses as well as help to retrieve lost or inaccessible data.
Authentication and authorization: This protection strategy is designed for verifying a user's credentials or details, ensuring that such a user has filled in the details appropriately. The strategy consists of identity and access management (IAM) solutions combined with role-based access controls (RBAC).
Encryption: The data encryption strategy is designed to protect information transmitted online by encoding it with reversible algorithms and an encryption key. This strategy helps in securing the credentials of a user as well as restricting unauthorized access to personal data. This makes the stolen or lost file unreadable.
Data erasure: This data protection measure helps to get rid of files or data no longer needed. It comes into use after data is processed and analyzed or when a user doesn't find the data useful anymore.
Cloud computing: Cloud solutions eliminate the need to use a local service or additional software. The necessary operations—for example, checking the system's operating state, receiving alarm notifications, and responding to events—can be performed by the user from anywhere in the world with their mobile devices.

Besides ensuring protection from data loss due to cyberattacks or system failures, be aware of social engineering tactics. Sometimes we disclose our data ourselves, being manipulated by scammers.

Technologies offer different ways to combat online scams, including identifying spam email addresses and phone numbers and blocking unwanted contacts, whether on an email account or a phone. While services like PhoneHistory offer identity verification by phone number, with Nuwvber you can go further and verify a person by name or address as well.

Take advantage of all modern information technologies to provide adequate safeguards against scams.

Conclusion

Every day, more security measures are put in place to ensure that people's data is more secure than ever. Although there has not been a day without data loss due to hacks or emergencies, with time and the best technological advancements, your data can be kept safe.