DATA PRIVACY WEEK (DPW): JAN 21 – 27, 2024
This week, Jan 21 – 27, is data privacy week, with the theme: “Take Control of Your Data.” Coincidentally this year’s DPW theme is similar to the new year (2024) mantra “No Agree for Anybody” made popular by Nigerian Youths via social media. “No ‘gree for anybody” is a metaphor for standing up for your rights and getting through tough times in the coming year. It is a recognition and expression of your constitutional and fundamental human rights.
The right to privacy and by extension data privacy is no exception. Over 120 years ago Louis D. Brandeis had described privacy as “the right to be let alone” in an article written with Samuel D Warren titled, “The Right to Privacy” in the Harvard Law Review (1890). Even then the article observed that advancements in technology have the potential to cause, “what is whispered in the closet to be proclaimed from the rooftops.” Given the current explosion and ubiquity of big data, IoT, and smart devices it is not difficult to relate to that observation. Brandeis, would later become a Justice of the Supreme Court decades later and, in the case of Olmstead v. United States 277 U.S. 438 (1928); adopted his earlier definition of privacy and canvass for the constitutional right of privacy under the fourth amendment.
100 years later the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into effect in May 2018 with its extra-territorial applicability and consumer appeal elevated data privacy rights and data protection to a globally recognised fundamental human right. The GDPR via the Brussel Effect sparked off the passage of other data protection laws modelled after it in countries beyond Europe. Some of its popular legislative progenies are the LGPD of Brazil and the CCPA/CPRA in the US. China, India, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia have also passed data protection laws recently.
The DPW is an expansion of Data Privacy Day. The goal is to promote online privacy awareness amongst individuals and organisations. All our online activity generates a digital footprint. Websites, apps, cookies, and services collect data about our online behavior, interests, and purchases. This data can be sold and used by big data companies (particularly social media and e-commerce companies) for behavioral profiling and targeted advertising. From our online activity we can also expose our personal data (e.g. driver’s license, social security number, even health information) to potential risks. The theme of this year’s DPW, “Take Control of Your Data,” encourages individuals to acquaint themselves about their data privacy rights to engender greater management and control over their personal data, while organisations are made to understand the importance of respecting the privacy of consumers/user’s data.
Data Privacy Week began as Data Privacy Day in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe. Data Protection Day commemorates the Jan. 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection.
For simple steps and tips about staying safe online visit the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) website: NCA, is the leading nonprofit, public-private partnership promoting cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness in North America.
https://staysafeonline.org/programs/data-privacy-week/
The Federal Privacy Council also has on its website useful links and videos on this year’s DPW, Data Privacy and Protection; Data Subjects’ rights; and Fair Information Privacy Practices (FIPPs).
Visit: https://www.fpc.gov/data-privacy-week-2024/
#dataprivacy #gdpr #dataprivacyweek #dataprotection #iapp
WODI & WODI 