Privacy in an open world

Abstract

User info such as names, gender, zip codes, IP addresses etc. are collected, analyzed & stored alongside similar confidential information by many firms. In most cases, cryptography is employed for data encryption to make it unintelligible without the decryption key. Such data can lead to serious problems when in wrong hands. Hence, “Data Privacy” is quintessential today. Data privacy and data security are often confused to be synonymous. While data privacy deals with the proper usage, collection, retention, deletion, and_ storage of data, data security is all about policies, method and means to secure personal data. With increasing computational ability, reverse engineering or decoding is a real threat. Thanks to the legal developments around the data privacy, regulations have been constantly upgrading to match today’s standards. The European Commission drafted the General Data Privacy Regulation or GDPR to identify & take appropriate measures against those responsible in such cases of breach or mishandling of data. It is mandatory for all organizations established or operating in EU to abide by these.