A leading QC has warned businesses that there needs to be more clarity as to what they are using personal data for.
Cyber law expert, Dean Armstrong QC, said that the collection of personal data from individuals is becoming more & more prevalent every day, for example Digital internet linked controls, that are used to program heating/lighting in our homes to personal digital assistants that are now becoming as common place in homes as TV’s. These ‘appliances’ can collect and analyse your personal data.
Companies must ensure that they inform customers the reasons of why you must supply this information, and most importantly, the companies must safeguard this data with the most up to date protection.
The cyber law expert went on to say that ‘personal data is now a ‘commodity as important as oil’, and once a company’s records have been breached, it can destroy a business and it’s reputation, not excluding, of course, the financial & distressing upset it can cause to the individual.
He added that, thankfully, we are slowly becoming more aware of the value of our data and that we must protect it.
The new GDPR rules (General Data Protection Regulation) that became law a while back, have enforced tougher penalties for breaches and misuse of private personal data, which, will hopefully force companies to have better protection.
We, as individuals, can make sure that we are protected on our home/business systems as best we can be, against the cyber-criminals, malware etc, that bombard us every day.
Norton can offer you a range of up to date products that can aid you with the battle against cyber-crime, and give you some peace of mind with it’s protection.