January 21 to 27 is an internationally recognised period aimed at spreading awareness about online privacy.
But why is online privacy important? Should we bother protecting our private data? How can we protect ourselves online?
To find the answer to these questions and more, we reached out to Dr Wellett Potter of the University of New England Law School. Dr Potter specialises in copyright law, intellectual property, artificial intelligence and technology.
Lecturer at UNE Law School, Dr Wellett Potter.
“Online privacy is very important because it can help to protect individuals from the unauthorised access of their data, identity theft and the possible misuse of their personal information,” says Dr Potter. “Adequately protecting online privacy can also prevent a lot of stress, time, worry and potential personal and financial loss.
“We should all protect our personal data to ensure control over our individual digital identity and to prevent various cyber threats and crimes, such as a data breach. A data breach is considered to be a situation where personal information is either lost, disclosed or accessed without authorisation.”
With such real-world consequences, the significance of our online privacy can’t be understated. But what should people do if their online data has been used illegally?
“Firstly, you need to find out that your data has been used illegally. This might happen through the following ways: being contacted or notified by an organisation about a data breach of your information, or receiving unsolicited and increased communication from companies you have not communicated with before.
“If you discover that your data has been used illegally, it is important to report the incident to the appropriate authorities. This will vary depending on the nature of the breach.”
If you discover that your data has been used illegally, it is important to report the incident to the appropriate authorities.
Recently, there have been many reports of private data unknowingly being held or extracted by large, international companies – as well as companies having their data stolen by online hackers. In such a volatile environment, Dr Potter notes the many challenges currently surrounding privacy data laws.
“There are key challenges which surround privacy data laws, particularly in this digital age. For example, data flows globally and instantaneously, yet data laws are territorial in nature, often with differing standards across jurisdictions. These factors complicate legal processes, particularly with substantial data breaches which involve transnational corporations.
“There is the rapid pace of technological advancements to deal with and the fact that the law is usually retrospective and slow, rather than proactive and fast.”
Dr Potter at UNE Law School.
However, it is still possible to take legal precautions to protect your data.
“A legal precaution that individuals should take to protect their data is to be aware of the laws and policies that exist to help you protect your data,” says Dr Potter. “It is particularly important to be mindful of what information that you do decide to share online and who you decide to share it with.
“Always be aware of various cyber threats, including phishing, malware infections, social engineering, unsecured Wi-Fi risks, credential stuffing, keylogging, fake websites and online shopping scams. All of these threats pose the risk of stealing personal data from individuals online.
“Data Privacy Week serves as a timely reminder to us all that we need to stay informed and proactive about protecting our digital identities. Make sure that you always regularly install updates. We should also regularly review our privacy settings on our devices and update them as necessary.”
