International. Every January 28, since 2007, Data Privacy Day is celebrated, a commemoration that recalls the global commitment to improving practices against the collection of information from people, where companies have a special calling.
Data protection legislation has been extended, since 2007, in response to the need for a stricter stance on data privacy and security. According to Gartner by 2024, 75% of the world's population will have their personal data covered by some privacy regulation.
Within this, a crucial point is the role played by companies, which permanently collect data. Hence, there are currently complementary laws, which impose strict requirements on companies and grant new rights to people, in North America an example of this is the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), while in the European Union there is the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD).
In a way, the celebration of Data Privacy Day on January 28, in addition to being an invitation to put the panorama of global legislation on the table, is that moment where companies have a special call to review their progress in this area.
Corey Nachreiner, head of security at WatchGuard Technologies, said this date is an annual reminder that privacy and data security are inextricably linked. "While laws around the world increasingly recognize people's rights to control how their information is collected, used and stored, they also impose greater responsibility on companies for being good stewards of that data and holding them accountable when they don't."
The chief security officer also stated that protecting data from malicious actors is everyone's responsibility, as organizations need stronger cybersecurity defenses, while people must understand threats, how to avoid being victimized while taking personal responsibility and understanding the impact of voluntarily sharing data with services such as social media.
Therefore, from WatchGuard invite to celebrate this date by raising awareness that you must "adopt security habits that help us protect our privacy."
Call to companies on data privacy
According to data from IndustryToday, by September 30, 2022, 92% of companies were still not ready to comply with the CCPA and CPRA, while 91% were listed as impossible to fully comply with the GDPR.
As a relevant fact, about the impact of compliance with these complementary regulations, in the third quarter of 2022 the first application of the CCPA occurred, when a fine of 1.2 million dollars was imposed on the cosmetics and beauty brand Sephora, a retail company, which sold consumers' personal information without their prior consent to online tracking companies.
While starting this 2023 Meta (formerly Facebook) was sentenced to pay 210 million euros for violations of the RGPD, and 180 million euros, for Instagram infractions (brand that also belongs to it) against that law of the same law. A total of approximately $414 million in sanctions, plus reputational consequences.
WatchGuard said, "Data Privacy Day is definitely an opportunity for organizations and individuals to raise awareness about privacy and data protection, disseminate best practices, and discuss why privacy matters."
Data Privacy Day Background
Finally, and as a precedent to Data Privacy Day and its internationalization, it is important to take into account Convention number 108, which the Council of Europe published on January 28, 1891, whose function was to promote the protection of individuals with respect to the automatic processing of personal data. This convention was the first legally binding international instrument aimed at data protection, which opened the door to what has been achieved to date.
