What is data protection?

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Data protection is a broad concept that covers an individual’s right to manage their own personal data and protect it from misuse. Data protection is especially important in the digital world, where personal data is collected, processed and shared widely. This article discusses the basic principles of data protection, legislation and practical measures that individuals and organizations can take to protect their personal data.

What does data protection mean?

Data protection means protecting personal data from unauthorized use, processing and sharing. Personal data may include, for example, names, addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses and other information that can identify an individual. The goal of data protection is to ensure that personal data is processed in accordance with the law, appropriately and transparently.

Basic principles of data protection

The basic principles of data protection are key guidelines that can be followed to ensure proper processing of personal data. These principles include, among others:

  • Legality, reasonableness and transparency: Personal data must be processed legally, fairly and transparently.
  • Minimization: Personal data must be appropriate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which it is processed.
  • Accuracy: Personal data must be accurate and, if necessary, updated.
  • Restriction of storage: Personal data must be stored in a form from which the data subjects can be identified only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes of the processing.
  • Confidentiality and security: Personal data must be processed in a manner that ensures adequate security, including protection against unauthorized or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage.

Data protection legislation

Data protection in the European Union is regulated by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which entered into force on May 25, 2018. The GDPR sets strict requirements for the processing of personal data and gives individuals strong rights to their own data. The most important rights under the GDPR are:

  1. The right to access data: Individuals have the right to know what personal data is collected about them and how it is processed.
  2. Right to correct data: Individuals have the right to demand correction of incorrect or incomplete data.
  3. Right to deletion of data: Individuals have the right to request the deletion of their data in certain situations, for example if the data is no longer necessary for the original purposes.
  4. Right to restrict processing: Individuals have the right to restrict the processing of their data in certain situations.
  5. Right to data portability: Individuals have the right to receive information about them in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to transfer it to another data controller.
  6. The right to object to processing: Individuals have the right to object to the processing of their data in certain situations, for example for direct marketing.

Practical measures to ensure data protection

Organizations can implement several practical measures to ensure the protection of personal data. These measures include:

  • Data security policies: Data security policies are developed and implemented, covering the processing, storage and transfer of personal data.
  • Training: We train personnel in data protection matters and ensure that they understand the importance of data protection and follow the organization’s data security practices.
  • Risk management: Risks related to data protection are assessed and managed regularly.
  • Technical and organizational measures: We implement technical and organizational measures, such as encryption, anonymization and access control, to protect personal data.
  • Rights of data subjects: We ensure that data subjects can exercise their rights, such as the right to access data and the right to delete data.

More information

More information about data protection and GDPR can be found, for example, from the following sources:

Data protection is a key part of the modern information society, and its importance is constantly growing. It is important for individuals and organizations to understand the basic principles of data protection and follow them so that personal data can be processed safely and in accordance with the law.

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