If you thought data privacy was a hot topic in 2021, just wait until you see what this year has in store.
Increased ransomware attacks. Facebook’s move to the metaverse. Pending legislation. New technology. With all the changes coming to the digital landscape in 2022, a reinvigorated concern for data privacy is almost certainly set to follow. As this concern mounts, you should expect to make updates to how both you and your employees approach sensitive information accordingly.
But just because you know that the state of privacy is something to watch doesn’t mean that you have any idea what to look for.
Well, we do. From the EMPIST experts, here’s what to pay attention to concerning data privacy in 2022.
What is Data Privacy?
Let’s get the basics out of the way.
In the simplest of terms, data privacy is a subset of data management that focuses on how organizations obtain, store, and share personal data in compliance with standard rules and regulations. These regulations can include but are not limited to laws, best practices, security recommendations, the terms & conditions of a given software, and more.
Not to be confused with data security (which centers on the protection of personal data from bad actors) data privacy deals with the ethics of data gathering itself. Maintaining compliance with these ethics is key to keeping your users safe and your business free of overwhelming charges and fees.
Trends to Watch
How we connect, share, and do business online is changing incredibly fast. Proper data management – and, by extension, adherence to proper data privacy practices – is, therefore, more important now than ever before.
In order to stay ahead of the break-neck pace at which technology is reshaping the modern working world, business owners must try to understand fluctuations in the data privacy sector as they are happening. There’s no time to waste.
Some trends to keep an eye on this year include:
- Privacy Policy Updates: Both Apple’s iOS 15 and macOS Monterey introduced more stringent email privacy policies in 2021. The new features, which allow users to hide their IP addresses and open rates from promotional emails, has caused waves among marketers who for years have relied on open rates as an indicator of email success. If Apple’s move is any indication, other privacy policies might be following suit, meaning your team might have to pivot strategy – and fast.
- Meta’s Removal of Detailed Targeting: Near the middle of last quarter Meta announced that they will begin limiting Ad Managers’ ability to target users based on more sensitive topics like religion or political affiliation in 2022. Much like the changes to the new Apple OS, this update is great news for the rights of individual users but will likely force some business owners to reevaluate their audiences early in the New Year – even if you don’t use sensitive topic targeting in your ads. As Facebook continues its transformation into the metaverse we can only expect to see more, similar updates both from the company itself and from other digital ad spaces as well. If you use Facebook Ads as part of your digital campaigns, it’s certainly something to consider moving forward.
- Wider Adoption of GDPR: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the European Union’s data privacy regulation law. Put in place in 2018, the GDPR offers some of the strictest data privacy protection frameworks in the world. With incredibly steep fines for non-compliance in place, this framework has forced many who do business in the EU to consistently reevaluate the efficacy of their data management and security. So, as more and more businesses start to work on a global scale, compliance with the GDPR has become crucial. As 2022 goes on, we expect to see the number of organizations complying with GDPR standards to increase.
- Machine Learning for Data Protection: Machine learning and other forms of Artificial intelligence are likely to make a splash in 2022. As more businesses adopt AI tools into their current processes, we expect to learn more about the nature of data collection and storage than ever before. What’s more, AI technology regulation has been a hot topic for legislators and could pose serious changes to data collection systems if implemented.
- New Privacy Laws: Speaking of legislation, while we don’t anticipate the federal government passing sweeping regulations quite yet, many states and local governments are poised to create privacy laws this year. Keep an eye on announcements in your state to ensure that you are staying current.
- The Zero Trust Influence: The Zero Trust model of cybersecurity has become standard for many businesses. In practice, Zero Trust cybersecurity describes a system that assumes all requests for access – within the organization or otherwise – are an attempted breach, and therefore consistently and continually asks for authentication, authorization, and verification. As the Internet of Things continues to surge and connectivity booms, we can only expect Zero Trust policies to become more prolific in 2022 as an additional form of securing private data.
- Data Management, in General: Maintaining a secure, compliant data management program requires a proactive approach from businesses and individuals alike. In addition to changes in regulations and industry news, this year all business owners should be paying close attention to the steps they are taking to manage data on a daily basis. If you don’t have an active plan in place, then you’re already behind.
Conquer Your Privacy Anxiety
The data privacy field is incredibly volatile. Constant updates to software and regulatory practices – as well as shifting public opinions – make pinning down the right approach to managing your data particularly difficult.
At EMPIST, our experts keep tabs on it all so you don’t have to.
As your partners in tech, the EMPIST team works hard to ensure that your technology ecosystem is efficient, compliant, and secure. We help you develop solutions to data-based issues that improve your processes, rather than disrupt them.
To get more information on EMPIST’s technology services, check out our website today. To get in touch with a member of the EMPIST team right now, contact us, here.