Privacy vs Convenience: Striking a Balance in the Digital Age



Privacy and security are two important aspects of online data protection, but they are not the same thing. Privacy refers to the control that you have over your personal information and how that information is used. Security, on the other hand, refers to how well your personal information is protected from malicious threats.

Data privacy is a hot topic in today’s digital world. Every time you go online, you leave behind a trail of data that can reveal a lot about you and your preferences. This data can be collected, analyzed, and shared by various websites, apps, devices, services, and companies, sometimes without your consent or knowledge.

Why should you care about data privacy? 

Because your data is valuable and you deserve to have a say in how it is used and who has access to it. Data privacy is not only about protecting your personal information from hackers and identity thieves, but also about preserving your autonomy, dignity, and freedom of expression.

According to some alarming data privacy statistics:

9 out of 10 Americans consider their online privacy to be an important issue

85% of global adults want to do more to protect their online privacy

1 in 4 Americans are asked to agree to a privacy policy every day

Two-thirds of global consumers feel that tech companies have too much control over their data

These numbers show that data privacy is a widespread and growing concern among internet users. However, many people feel powerless or overwhelmed by the complexity and opacity of the data ecosystem. How can you manage your data privacy in a simple and effective way?

Here are some easy tips that will help you take control of your data and make informed decisions about who receives it:

Tip 1: Think before you share

Before you download a new app, open a new online account, or join a new social media platform, you will often be asked for access to your personal information, such as your location, contacts, and photos. Sometimes, this data is necessary for the app or service to function properly, but other times, it is used for marketing, advertising, or analytics purposes.

Before you agree to share your data, ask yourself these questions:

Is the service, app, or game worth the amount or type of personal data they want in return?

Is the data requested relevant for the app or service (for example, why does a solitaire game need to know all my contacts)?

If I haven’t used an app, service, or account in several months, is it worth keeping around knowing that it might be collecting and sharing my data?

If you are not comfortable with the data request, you can either decline it, look for an alternative app or service, or delete the unused one.

Tip 2: Check your settings

For every app, account, or device, check the privacy and security settings. These should be easy to find in a Settings section and should take a few moments to change. Set them to your comfort level for personal information sharing; generally, we think it’s wise to lean on the side of sharing less data, not more.

You don’t have to do this for every account at once, start small and over time you’ll make a habit of adjusting all your settings to your comfort. 

The following resource can help you help you locate the setting for some of the different applications,phones and online services.

Manage Your Privacy Settings - National Cybersecurity Alliance (staysafeonline.org)

Tip 3: Secure your data

Data privacy and data security go hand-in-hand. Along with managing your data privacy settings, follow some simple cybersecurity tips to keep your data safe. We recommend following the Core 4:

1. Create long (at least 12 characters), unique passwords for each account and device. Use a password manager to store each password – maintaining dozens of passwords securely is now easier than ever.

2. Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever it is permitted – this keeps your data safe even if your password is compromised.

3. Turn on automatic device, software, and browser updates, or make sure you install updates as soon as they are available.

4. Learn how to identify phishing messages, which can be sent as emails, texts, or direct messages.

By following these tips, you can manage your data privacy in 2024 and beyond. 

Remember, your data is your property and you have the right to decide who can use it and for what purpose. Data privacy is not only a matter of security.

To learn more about Data Privacy and Data Privacy Week check out 

Data Privacy Week - National Cybersecurity Alliance (staysafeonline.org)

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