From Where I Sit

This coming Saturday, January 28th is a big deal. “Why’s that, Bob?” you might ask. For one thing, it marks the date that the Chrysler Building in New York City opened, the day that the first Rolls Royce rolled out for a debut test drive, and Elvis Presley’s first television appearance happened on January 28th. Okay, so maybe none of those events rank as ‘big deals’ for you. Me neither.
 
However, this Saturday, January 28th is Data Privacy Day. This is the annual event, marked internationally, to empower people and businesses to better respect on-line privacy and to build trust. Thinking about appropriate ways to celebrate and mark this day, please consider these suggestions on caring for your organization’s and your customers’ personal information online:

1. Chamber members can take advantage of this opportunity to educate their employees about the measures that are taken to ensure that personal information is safely stored. Consider suggesting a video explaining some of the best practices when it comes to data privacy. To mark Data Privacy Day, set aside some time this week for each person in your organization to ‘know their rights.’ Today’s privacy laws offer individuals a set of defined rights to help control how their personal information is used by others.
2. During a staff briefing or huddle take just a few minutes to discuss what it really means when you ‘accept cookies.’ If you’re not sure yourself, feel free to search for a privacy explainer video on YouTube, particularly ones that cover ‘legitimate interest’ as it pertains to data privacy. Challenge everyone on your organization to conduct a regular ‘clear your cookies’ exercise.
3. Manage your passwords. The best explanation I’ve heard related to password management was given during your Chamber’s 2022 Innovations Summit, held back on December 8th. At this event, Michael Smith of Contrast, a Mifflinburg-based technology company with excellent member-to-member deals, provided a lively, hands-on explanation of the best password management techniques. Here are the top three points that Michael made during his workshop:
   • Password Protection #1 – Use complex passwords. Michael made the point that, “A strong password is your main barrier keeping your online accounts from being hacked.”
   • Password Protection #2 – Consider a password manager. Building on advice related to strong passwords, Michael next suggested that, “A password manager app can store all your passwords securely. This should decrease your worries about remembering them. Also, a manager eliminates the natural instinct to use the same password for every account, which you should never do."
   • Password Protection #3 – Become familiar with Multi-Factor Authentication. “Typically known as simply MFA,” Michael added, “this tool creates a layered approach to securing your data and applications. This system requires a user to enter a combination of two or more credentials to verify that they are who they say they are before they can log-in.” Addressing concerns about the complexity of MFA, Michael assured everyone that, “anyone who uses a mobile device can easily become accustomed to this tool, while being part of nearly hack-proof security for their company’s or their personal data. Consider it to be an insurance policy against the potential massive hassles and losses that can come from being hacked.

So, back to why January 28th is celebrated worldwide as Data Privacy Day. This date commemorates Convention 108, which was the first legally binding international treaty on data protection signed back in 1981. Given that this year’s celebration falls on a Saturday, please feel free to make tomorrow and Friday your company’s celebration and learn-in when it comes to assuring your company’s and your employees’ data privacy.
 
By the way, the good folks up at Contrast operate under the banner ‘Making Technology Work for You.’ Please feel free to learn more about this firm at contrastcommunications.com or give them a call at 570-966-1515.