Author: Ethyca Team

With all the breathless news coverage of high profile data breaches in recent years, one could be forgiven for thinking data heists are always the result of sophisticated efforts by devious hackers in far-off lands. But the reality is much more plain. According to a recent study by Securis, 25% of data breaches are caused by simple employee error. So if your team is spending all its time trying to anticipate black swan events, it can overlook the everyday safeguards necessary to keep its data secure in a fast moving business environment. In some jurisdictions such as Europe, the day-to-day management of an organization’s data security processes must be overseen by a designated Data Protection Officer. But whether you’re a large organization operating in GDPR territory, or an SME preparing for greater data regulation such as in the US with California Privacy Law (CCPA) in January 2020, below are 4 actionable steps your team can take to do the basics right:

Continue reading “Data Security: 4 Ways Your Team Can Do Better”

Just a few short years ago, the idea of User Data Privacy Compliance on the internet was as dubious as the idea of Miranda Rights in the Wild West. Back then the web was (and many would argue still largely is), an adolescent medium growing at supernova speed. Boundaries were only being discovered long after pioneers had traversed past them, and regarding personal data, the frontier mindset was prevalent: if you could catch it, you could keep it. But in recent years, this particular aspect of online exchange has finally begun to experience welcome regulation. Now there are real consequences for actors that fail to follow regulatory requirements in the collection, storage, and exploitation of personal data.

The GDPR in Europe is the most widely-known and powerful piece of data regulation, but it’s important to realize that many of its tenets are soon to be adopted, in one form or another, worldwide. In California, the CCPA will come into effect January 1, 2020. India is currently finalizing a far-reaching data privacy bill. In Brazil, the LGPD will become the law of the land some time in early 2020. For businesses all over the world, the need to be user data privacy compliant will only grow more important. So, let’s assume that you aren’t yet able to pore over the fine print of each piece of legislation to ensure you’re in compliance…what are some general steps you can take to protect your business from falling afoul of the regulator?

Continue reading “If You Do Nothing Else to Be User Data Privacy Compliant, At Least Remember These 3 Things…”

Thus far, we’ve spent a lot of time examining the core principles of the GDPR and other pieces of data regulation, and we’ve worked through some of the implications these documents carry for the UX and back-end functionality of consumer-facing applications. But there are, of course, many other components to your business’s robust, secure data operation. In this article, we’re going to look at core principles of making sure your hardware, software, and web applications are spec’d to better withstand attack. It’s no secret that threats to digital security are on the rise, and the consequences of a data breach can be – hello Equifax – a PR nightmare of epic proportions. Start with the steps below to get smart about your company’s infrastructure…

Continue reading “Security & Privacy: Minimizing Breach Risk at the Source”