Digital experts mark 45-year anniversary of international treaty on data privacy with call to take control

Every day we share a huge amount of personal data via our computers, phones, smartwatches, household smart speakers and cars. From our browser behaviour, purchases and preferences to our GPS location, health and biometric statistics. Now, exactly 45 years since the first legally binding international treaty on data privacy was signed, the digital experts at West Lothian’s Workflo Solutions are calling on individuals and businesses everywhere to take control of their data.

Signed in 1981 by more than 50 state parties, including the UK, Convention 108 was created to protect the fundamental human rights of all individuals with regard to the processing of personal data. Times have changed and technology has rapidly evolved since then, and so to mark Data Privacy Day on Wednesday 28th January, people are being urged to think carefully about how their data is being collected, monitored, shared and sold, and to take proactive steps to protect themselves online.

Commenting ahead Data Privacy Day, Workflo Solutions’ managing director Michael Field said; “Smart technology continues to evolve at an incredible pace, so we’re encouraging people to be smart about protecting their data. We want to educate and empower individuals to so they can make informed decisions about what data they share and who they share it with.”

To that end, Michael recommends the following five steps:

1. Check your privacy settings and review your app permissions so you know which apps have access to your location, camera or contacts.

2. Only ever use secure networks and avoid accessing financial or sensitive information on public Wi-Fi without a virtual private network (VPN).

3. Always use multi-factor authentication and choose strong, unique passwords.

4. Be aware of phishing messages and emails that request sensitive data.

5. Think before you post on social media, be mindful of who you tag and where you check yourself in in real-time.

As well as encouraging individuals to take responsibility, Michael also believes businesses have an equally important role to play. “Businesses should be doing all they can to safeguard data and respect privacy. Design settings should protect customer information by default, and businesses need to be fully transparent about what they do with all data collected, ensuring it is handled securely and respectfully throughout its entire lifecycle. Because once sensitive data is comprised, customer trust is lost.”