- Jan 8, 2011
- 22,361
Published on May 5, 2018
Post copied from Source - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-selectivity-sharing-information-digital-age-shailaja-k-shankar/
"To stay connected to friends and loved ones, we used to write letters, take a stroll to their house and pay them a visit. But then letters turned into landlines, and landlines soon turned into mobile phones. Now, we use these mobile devices, along with computers and tablets, to establish our connection to the rest of the world. We use them to share details about our lives on social media, check our bank accounts, purchase clothing items, book our next vacation, schedule a doctor visit, and so much more. However, all of this online interaction requires that we willingly share access to our personal data. This begs the question – how much data SHOULD we share with these apps and websites? How much data is floating around?
Now, we store data – such as messages, photos, notes, etc. – on these devices, as they act as a catch-all for our personal details. However, it’s often when we willingly share some of this very personal data with applications that we encounter problems. How many times have you entered your payment information into an app to buy a product or service? What about your home address? Your date of birth? Many apps ask for this information in order to provide us with a seamless and superior user experience.
While giving these apps our information allows for a better user experience, what happens when that information gets into malicious hands? Have you tried to simplify sharing of the data and inadvertently connected one service to the next? Using a federated identity? That’s an all too often possibility in 2018 – largely due to amount of data we openly and freely share with the applications and websites we regularly use.
In my last piece, I explored what companies need to do in order to secure the customer data they handle. But data security is a double-edged sword – and part of the responsibility ultimately relies on the consumers’ shoulders too. Therefore, that brings up the ultimate question. As a consumer, a digital data source, and an avid app user, free and paid – how much data should you share out with applications and websites across the web? When and where do you draw the line? Do you read the EULA you say “yes” to? Do you read the T&Cs of the service you sign up for when you receive an offer in an email?
First and foremost, remember that less is more. When you’re downloading an app, really think about if you need that app on your phone and if you do, make sure you set it up knowing what information you’re giving it. A fitness app doesn’t necessarily need access to your camera, but it may request it anyways. Be strict and diligent, and only provide an app information when its crucial to the service or experience it provides. If turning on a location service is needed when you are using the navigation app, remember to turn it off after.
Beyond that, think about the “necessary evils,” like sharing your financial data with a retail website in order to buy clothing items. Yes, you’ll need to enter your payment card information to make a purchase, but remember not all sites are created equal. Before you give up your personal and financial information to a website, make sure you research the website first – has it historically had issues with security and trustworthiness? Has it been breached before and has it implemented security measures in order to plug holes? Does it simply have the green “Secure” lock next to the browser address? Even if all that checks out, do you need to enable the easy single click payment option? These are all important questions to ask yourself when deciding where you share your data online.
Additionally, it’s important to remember that when companies send out EULA, or present as part of apps, many people simply click next or accept vs. reading it. We have all been guilty of that. At that moment our interest is in getting to that exciting new service or app. When companies change their privacy policy or EULA, they are required to get consent from all the users and all responsible companies do make every effort possible to do that. But rarely do we see an active engagement from the users. So be sure to always read that email from the company that you bought goods from when they send you an updated EULA for your consent. Between a privacy policy and EULA organizations disclose the data they have on you, the why and the what.
In the modern-day digital age, all consumers must realize that they simply cannot share their data anywhere and everywhere and expect it to remain untouched. And, it is just not enough to express concern over data privacy and data misuse. You must be selective with what information you share, and where you share it. That way, you can do your part within the shared responsibility that comes with securing consumer data. If both consumers and the companies they entrust with their data do their equal parts in taking necessary security measures to safeguard assets, all will be put in a better position to live digital lives with confidence. Let us value our personal information more than these companies do, because in the digital world we are our data.
What do you recommend consumers think about when sharing their data with websites and apps? What should these people keep top of mind while living in the digital age? Let me know in the comments below."
Post copied from Source - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-selectivity-sharing-information-digital-age-shailaja-k-shankar/
"To stay connected to friends and loved ones, we used to write letters, take a stroll to their house and pay them a visit. But then letters turned into landlines, and landlines soon turned into mobile phones. Now, we use these mobile devices, along with computers and tablets, to establish our connection to the rest of the world. We use them to share details about our lives on social media, check our bank accounts, purchase clothing items, book our next vacation, schedule a doctor visit, and so much more. However, all of this online interaction requires that we willingly share access to our personal data. This begs the question – how much data SHOULD we share with these apps and websites? How much data is floating around?
Now, we store data – such as messages, photos, notes, etc. – on these devices, as they act as a catch-all for our personal details. However, it’s often when we willingly share some of this very personal data with applications that we encounter problems. How many times have you entered your payment information into an app to buy a product or service? What about your home address? Your date of birth? Many apps ask for this information in order to provide us with a seamless and superior user experience.
While giving these apps our information allows for a better user experience, what happens when that information gets into malicious hands? Have you tried to simplify sharing of the data and inadvertently connected one service to the next? Using a federated identity? That’s an all too often possibility in 2018 – largely due to amount of data we openly and freely share with the applications and websites we regularly use.
In my last piece, I explored what companies need to do in order to secure the customer data they handle. But data security is a double-edged sword – and part of the responsibility ultimately relies on the consumers’ shoulders too. Therefore, that brings up the ultimate question. As a consumer, a digital data source, and an avid app user, free and paid – how much data should you share out with applications and websites across the web? When and where do you draw the line? Do you read the EULA you say “yes” to? Do you read the T&Cs of the service you sign up for when you receive an offer in an email?
First and foremost, remember that less is more. When you’re downloading an app, really think about if you need that app on your phone and if you do, make sure you set it up knowing what information you’re giving it. A fitness app doesn’t necessarily need access to your camera, but it may request it anyways. Be strict and diligent, and only provide an app information when its crucial to the service or experience it provides. If turning on a location service is needed when you are using the navigation app, remember to turn it off after.
Beyond that, think about the “necessary evils,” like sharing your financial data with a retail website in order to buy clothing items. Yes, you’ll need to enter your payment card information to make a purchase, but remember not all sites are created equal. Before you give up your personal and financial information to a website, make sure you research the website first – has it historically had issues with security and trustworthiness? Has it been breached before and has it implemented security measures in order to plug holes? Does it simply have the green “Secure” lock next to the browser address? Even if all that checks out, do you need to enable the easy single click payment option? These are all important questions to ask yourself when deciding where you share your data online.
Additionally, it’s important to remember that when companies send out EULA, or present as part of apps, many people simply click next or accept vs. reading it. We have all been guilty of that. At that moment our interest is in getting to that exciting new service or app. When companies change their privacy policy or EULA, they are required to get consent from all the users and all responsible companies do make every effort possible to do that. But rarely do we see an active engagement from the users. So be sure to always read that email from the company that you bought goods from when they send you an updated EULA for your consent. Between a privacy policy and EULA organizations disclose the data they have on you, the why and the what.
In the modern-day digital age, all consumers must realize that they simply cannot share their data anywhere and everywhere and expect it to remain untouched. And, it is just not enough to express concern over data privacy and data misuse. You must be selective with what information you share, and where you share it. That way, you can do your part within the shared responsibility that comes with securing consumer data. If both consumers and the companies they entrust with their data do their equal parts in taking necessary security measures to safeguard assets, all will be put in a better position to live digital lives with confidence. Let us value our personal information more than these companies do, because in the digital world we are our data.
What do you recommend consumers think about when sharing their data with websites and apps? What should these people keep top of mind while living in the digital age? Let me know in the comments below."
