What is data privacy?
Definition
Data privacy is your ability to control who collects, uses and shares information about you. NIST describes privacy as freedom from intrusion into your private life that results from undue or illegal gathering and use of data about you.
- Category
- Privacy
- Also called
- information privacy, privacy of personal data
- Last updated
Data privacy is about control. It covers what information about you is collected, who gets it, what they do with it and whether you can see it, correct it or have it deleted. NIST's glossary gives two plain definitions: freedom from intrusion into a person's private life caused by undue or illegal gathering and use of data about them, and the right of a party to maintain control over and confidentiality of information about itself.
What it looks like day to day
Every app, store and website you use collects something: your email, location, purchases, browsing history. Companies called data brokers collect more from public records and other sources, and sell profiles that can include your home address, phone number and relatives. Data privacy is about how much of that happens, whether you agreed to it and what you can do about it.
A typical case: you sign up for a store loyalty card. The store keeps your name, phone number and purchase history. If it sells or shares that with other companies, your data now lives in places you never chose.
Data privacy vs. data security
They overlap but aren't the same. Security protects data from unauthorized access, such as locks, passwords and encryption. Privacy asks whether the data should be collected or shared at all, and who is allowed to use it. A company can keep your data very securely and still sell it. It can also respect your privacy and still suffer a breach if its security is weak. You need both.
Laws that cover it
Many places have privacy laws that give you rights over your data, including the EU and UK GDPR and state laws such as California's CCPA. What you can ask for depends on where you live. This page explains the idea, not your legal position.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Share less when you sign up
Give the minimum a form asks for. Skip optional fields, and use a separate email address for shopping and newsletters.
- 2
Review app and browser permissions
Check which apps can see your location, contacts and microphone, and turn off what they don't need to work.
- 3
Opt out of data brokers
Most brokers have an opt-out form, though each works a little differently and listings can return. Serus finds the brokers that hold your data where you live, files the requests and re-files them if your data reappears.
- 4
Use your rights under local law
Where privacy laws apply, you can usually ask a company what it holds about you and ask it to delete it. The company's privacy policy normally says how.
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between data privacy and data protection?
The terms are often used interchangeably. In Europe, data protection usually refers to the legal rules on handling personal data, while data privacy is the wider idea of controlling your information.
Why does data privacy matter?
Information about you can be used to target you with scams, build profiles you never agreed to, or find you in person. Controlling who has it lowers those risks.
Is private browsing the same as data privacy?
No. Private browsing only stops your browser saving history on your device. Websites, your network and your internet provider can still see what you do.
Sources
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