Back in early 2018, what hit the rock bottom significantly was the Cambridge Analytica scandal through the doors of Facebook. Apparently, an approximate of 87 million users’ data was scraped without any prior consent or knowledge of users. All of this was done with the intention of influencing the voting process before the final elections.
Now the question arises, in the heat of the moment, did users miss an opportunity to address a grave threat on data privacy? Would it have been better if people would have been more outraged about this whole incident? Don’t you think it would be the best time to consider taking ownership of personal data in users’ own hands? You bet!
In the era of advanced technology, intruders ready on their toes 24/7, and the availability of viruses, phishing, and malware, the concept of data ownership has become even more critical.
Whether you’re relying on local cloud storage firms or big names in the industry to store important documents, it’s unskippable to be watchful for who owns that data. Detailed information about ownership of personal data is discussed below.
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What is data ownership?
The term ownership merely implies responsibility and authority. Hence, ownership of personal data refers to the involvement of legal acts and regulations governing who has the right over the data. As a matter of fact, the owner of the data is liable for the accuracy and timeliness of the data. And, in case any questions arise in terms of data meaning and source, the owner is held responsible to answer.
As far as an organization’s database is concerned, the board has the copyright and patent for all the files present in the company’s database account. They have the full authority to take legal action against the individual or another organization that tries to or actually violates these rules.
Why Does Data Ownership Matter?
Depending on varied perceptions, different rules of ownership may apply to different types of data. While dealing with third-party platforms, be it cloud storage companies, Facebook or even Google, safeguarding your data from being tracked is quite a tricky aspect.
Adding more to it, advancements in technologies seem to be doing more harm than good. And, why not? There are plenty of reasons backing this statement too:
- With better technology for users, hackers are getting access to advancements as well
- And then, with upsurging accessibility, data vulnerability increases as well
- The more the data online, the more predators will be there
- In the end, not owning the data simply results in allowing intruders to execute data breaches
How Your Data Is Used by Online Portals?
While using online portals, you input your data to create an account, right? Now, the submitted data is transferred to the servers of online portals. In the mainframe, your data is read by the portal’s bots and is stored in their database later on.
There, your stored information is assessed again through intelligent bots under the platform’s guidelines and policies. Further, some of the providers may cleanse your data as per their usage or selling requirements. In the beginning, while signing up, you wouldn’t have minded sharing your personal information for a better experience, right?
But, would you have still done it if you knew this may result in unnecessary targeted ads and emails?
How Does Ownership help?
Ownership ensures the protection of pivotal data files and documents that remain stored in your database. The collection of sensitive and confidential information must be protected not only manually but also legally because it carries a lot of importance. Thus, data security lends full control into the hands of the specific authority. In this case, it could be the cloud storage company you would have chosen. They can even take lawful actions if the conspiracy carried out with them is outrageous and brings tremendous losses to the association.
Also, a business rendering customer service carries very detailed information of every user, including you. Misuse of these details can not only put the authority in troubles but their consumers as well. Thus, it is essential to signup with only a legal organization to enjoy the rights pertaining to the ownership of your business data.
Data security
Data security is a fundamental issue, especially now when the entire world is connected exclusively through the internet. Internet hauls tons of data that can be misused if not guarded efficiently. Therefore, adequate measures must be taken by the users beforehand to safeguard the private data and information that is stored in the company’s electronic devices. Jotted down below are some ways that you can use to protect your private data against the people with bad intentions.
- Try to use a two-factor authentication password for your accounts.
- The password should be complicated and must comprise of the characters that include alphabets, numbers, symbols, and also some difficult words from a foreign language.
- Furthermore, keep a regular check at the backup process. Backing up your data will keep your information safe and secure in the cloud server.
Some simple tips can make a massive difference in the plot that you set up for data security; thus, always be alert and aware.
Conclusion
Ownership of every object that an individual possesses is important, especially in such a selfish world. Anybody can claim your property if you don’t carry required legal affairs beforehand. The same goes for your data. With the increased usage of internet and data in this scenario of digitalization, data ownership is a crucial aspect. Thus, the government has taken significant efforts to ensure such security measures for business organizations. Never take a step back when it comes to data protection because if ever this information falls into the wrong hands, your entire information can collapse in a matter of seconds.
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