January 28 is National Data Privacy Day. In that spirit, here are five suggestions that can help you to, as the U.S. Senate once declared in a Privacy Day resolution, “respect privacy, safeguard data, and enable trust.” And because every day is a good day to do that, these ideas apply year-round.
“It is important that we think every day about both our own privacy, as well as our responsibilities as employees to respect and protect each other’s privacy,” said Molly M. Theodossy, director of Compliance and Policy Programs for UC Davis.
The five
1) When you don’t know if it’s OK at UC Davis to store Data X in Cloud-Based Service Y, consult the UC Davis data sensitivity guide. It can help you figure out what information to store where.
2) How old are your apps, or operating system? Keep your software updated. If you’re using an old version the vendor no longer maintains, then replace it.
3) Consider using a password manager. You probably have dozens of passwords by now. A password manager can help you cope.
4) Scan the list of the privacy day resources at privacy.ucdavis.edu. Read or view any that cover new territory for you.
5) Review your privacy settings on your social media sites. The settings keep changing, so you need to keep up. Find links at “Manage Your Privacy Settings,” courtesy of StaySafeOnline. Also, don’t overshare: your location, shopping preferences, contacts—all that information is valuable and, added together, can create a detailed public picture of who you are.
The Senate’s language about respecting privacy, by the way, was part of Senate Resolution 337 in 2014. Introduced by 10 senators, it passed with unanimous consent.